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| (US PRESSWIRE) |
When the Bears signed wide receiver Roy Williams before training camp, the plan was to give Jay Cutler a reliable veteran to line up opposite a group of young, inexperienced wideouts. Instead, the only thing Williams has proven to be is, well, old.
In three weeks, he's played in two games, caught four passes for 55 yards, and has yet to haul in a touchdown pass. Johnny Knox, meanwhile, the third-year burner who battled Williams in training camp for reps, has nine receptions for 189 yards, but he's also looking for his first touchdown.
According to FOXSports.com's John Czarnecki, Knox will start for Williams Sunday when the Bears host the Panthers. The move is confirmation that Cutler still doesn't have a go-to receiver, which is reflected in the Bears' mediocre passing stats and high sack totals.
“It just happens over time,” Cutler said, according to the Daily Herald, when talking about developing a go-to guy, like he had in Denver with Brandon Marshall. “In games, there’s a trust factor there, where you know they’re going to be there when they’re supposed to be there and will make the catches and make the plays. It doesn’t happen overnight. You can’t just go, ‘This is our go-to guy,’ because it doesn’t work like that. You’ve got to go out there and rep it and just experience it.”
Predictably, the Bears' sputtering offense has led to questions about offensive coordinator Mike Martz's system, specifically one that appears to have little regard for the running game or the quarterback's health.
And if Chicago struggles to score points against Carolina, a defense beset by injuries and coming off a two-win season a year ago, the scrutiny will only intensify.
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