Bears and RB Forte Come to Terms

[JKidd]

The Chicago Bears and running back Matt Forte have agreed to terms on a four-year contract worth roughly $32 million, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

he Bears had placed their franchise tag on Forte in March and the sides had until 4 p.m. ET on Monday to strike a deal. Without a long-term deal, the Pro Bowl running back would have had to play the 2012 season under the $7.749 million tender or sit out the season.

Forte sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee early in a loss to Kansas City on Dec. 4 and sat out the rest of the season.

Without Forte and quarterback Jay Cutler, the Bears struggled down the stretch and finished third in the NFC North and missed the playoffs with an 8-8 record.

Forte still got selected to his first Pro Bowl, finishing with 1,487 yards from scrimmage and 997 rushing in his fourth season. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry. Forte was the first Chicago running back to make it to the Pro Bowl since Neal Anderson following the 1991 season.

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[dodge8954]

thank god

[chilly666]

i hope forte gets seriously injured in week 2 for his whining and crying to the media, then claiming he hasn't said a word to them at all.

he better put up or else the fans all gonna be all over his ass and rightfully so for his antics thru this whole process.

[pigfarmer]

Originally Posted by chilly666

i hope forte gets seriously injured in week 2 for his whining and crying to the media, then claiming he hasn't said a word to them at all.

he better put up or else the fans all gonna be all over his ass and rightfully so for his antics thru this whole process.

Yeah, but wasn't he getting like less than $1 million last year? He sort of had the right to whine!

[sheady]

Originally Posted by dodge8954

thank god

+1

great signing...now get a decent back up QB

[chilly666]

Originally Posted by pigfarmer

Yeah, but wasn't he getting like less than $1 million last year? He sort of had the right to whine!

thats not what i was referencing...he did but then to say he wasnt going to the media or whining is the part that is bull****. his stats/performances were inflated due to martz's system and cutler always having to check down to forte because he didnt have a wide out that could run a route worth a damn or that would fight to get open so cutler could get them the ball.

[OLLBLUEEYZ]

great news... he earned it.

[OLLBLUEEYZ]

Originally Posted by sheady

+1

great signing...now get a decent back up QB

They did - Jason Campbell

[OLLBLUEEYZ]

Originally Posted by chilly666

thats not what i was referencing...he did but then to say he wasnt going to the media or whining is the part that is bull****. his stats/performances were inflated due to martz's system and cutler always having to check down to forte because he didnt have a wide out that could run a route worth a damn or that would fight to get open so cutler could get them the ball.

He earned the right to bitch.
While Jerry Angelo was the GM he made very little effort to get a deal done since he knew his time was limited.. therefore leaving Forte hanging so to speak.
And quite with the nonsense about him having inflated stats...
having a reliable HB that can run/catch/block all at a very high level should never be misinterpreted.

[chilly666]

it's not nonsense about his stats...it's true. if cutler had a decent wr/te group forte would not have all those catches. if martz would have let cutler audible, forte would not have had all those catches. had the bears had a decent offensive line, cutler again would not have had to check down to forte all the time.

the proof is there, just like the proof is there that devin hester can't run a ****ing route worth a damn or that lovie smith is an idiot with a blank stare who throws challenge flags just to throw them. this deal is gonna come back and bite the bears in the ass. they could have used this money to set up the defense for the future, but instead give it to running back coming off a semi-serious injury to his knee.

[OLLBLUEEYZ]

Originally Posted by chilly666

it's not nonsense about his stats...it's true. if cutler had a decent wr/te group forte would not have all those catches. if martz would have let cutler audible, forte would not have had all those catches. had the bears had a decent offensive line, cutler again would not have had to check down to forte all the time.

the proof is there, just like the proof is there that devin hester can't run a ****ing route worth a damn or that lovie smith is an idiot with a blank stare who throws challenge flags just to throw them. this deal is gonna come back and bite the bears in the ass. they could have used this money to set up the defense for the future, but instead give it to running back coming off a semi-serious injury to his knee.

I agree to disagree.
Forte in any offense would shine. A hBack that can do it all would be worth their weight in gold in any offensive scheme.

They do need to address the other side of the ball soon... the window for that group is closing...

[pigfarmer]

Originally Posted by chilly666

it's not nonsense about his stats...it's true. if cutler had a decent wr/te group forte would not have all those catches. if martz would have let cutler audible, forte would not have had all those catches. had the bears had a decent offensive line, cutler again would not have had to check down to forte all the time.

the proof is there, just like the proof is there that devin hester can't run a ****ing route worth a damn or that lovie smith is an idiot with a blank stare who throws challenge flags just to throw them. this deal is gonna come back and bite the bears in the ass. they could have used this money to set up the defense for the future, but instead give it to running back coming off a semi-serious injury to his knee.

I agree with your Hester/Smith part, but that first paragraph is nonsense.

If there are no decent recievers that means the defense is going to key on Forte, and having a terrible offensive line doesn't exactly help you get 1,000 yds rushing. In fact, the fact that he got 5 yds per carry with that horrific passing attack is pretty impressive, imo.

[OLLBLUEEYZ]

Originally Posted by pigfarmer

I agree with your Hester/Smith part, but that first paragraph is nonsense.

If there are no decent recievers that means the defense is going to key on Forte, and having a terrible offensive line doesn't exactly help you get 1,000 yds rushing. In fact, the fact that he got 5 yds per carry with that horrific passing attack is pretty impressive, imo.

its also worth mentioning that he had a very decent rookie campaign when Martz wasn't the O coordinator.

[dodge8954]

he may have complained about the situation but that didn't stop him from still playing out his contract. never sat out in training camp to get a deal done unlike some RBs.

[chilly666]

Originally Posted by pigfarmer

I agree with your Hester/Smith part, but that first paragraph is nonsense.

If there are no decent recievers that means the defense is going to key on Forte, and having a terrible offensive line doesn't exactly help you get 1,000 yds rushing. In fact, the fact that he got 5 yds per carry with that horrific passing attack is pretty impressive, imo.

that o-line is built for running the ball not passing, so to say forte averaged 5 yds/carry doesn't equal much. the bears kept trying to pass enough which also helped forte and the running game.