The prognosis remains good for Johnny Knox to make a complete recovery from back surgery, but his prospects of playing in 2012 remain in doubt.
The Chicago Bears wide receiver told reporters Thursday that there is still no timetable for his return to football activities.
"No, for me I'm just taking it day by day," Knox said at a Nike event in Chicago (via ESPN.com). "No rush. Like I've said, rehab is going well. I'm not trying to rush things and mess things up any worse, so I'm just taking it day by day."
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Knox was injured after taking a gruesome hit from Anthony Hargrove in a Week 15 game against the Seattle Seahawks. Knox cracked the LI facet joint, which are paired joints that connect the bones that align to make up the spine. The initial estimate was a three- to four-month recovery period.
Knox's physical activities have been limited thus far to jogging at the Bears' training facility. He is below his playing weight and acknowledges he has "a lot of work to do."
Being placed on season-ending injured reserve remains an option for the Bears, but Knox said that hasn't come up yet.
"Just get stronger, that's my main goal right now," he said. "No rush. I'm going by what the trainers and the doctors say and that's what I'm going to go by."
It will be an uphill climb for Knox, who needs to be cleared, get back into playing shape, then figure out where he fits on a depth chart that now includes Brandon Marshall. Knox is living proof how quickly a career can turn in the NFL.
