Bears have doubts that Forte's knees can hold up?

[SpeedyWindRose]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... n-hold-up/

The Bears’ reluctance to offer a lucrative long-term contract to Matt Forte stems in part from concerns that his knees won’t allow him to remain an upper-echelon NFL running back for much longer.

Forte’s knee injuries include a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in 2006, a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee in 2009 and a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee in 2011. The Bears may be concerned about the possibility of arthritis becoming a problem for Forte.

[emperorjones]

I'm wondering if I would rather have Forte, or the extra $8 million in salary cap next spring? If we didn't sign forte and let Urlacher walk, we'd have about 16 million in salary-cap to spend next spring.

[fleet]

it looks like Forte is a goner next year if he insists on a long term deal. A leak like this is designed to prepare Bears fans for the eventual. If he wants a long term deal it is to be either backloaded or not much guaranteed money...dirt cheap (relative to other top backs).

Speaking of who to let walk emperor, I've been reading that the Bears want to extend Cutler ASAP. That money will possibly come from Forte, and maybe *gasp* Urlacher. Next draft the Bears will be taking a RB, LB and DT at some point. The Bears O-Line needs to pan out this season in order to patch up a few other areas in the draft and FA.

[Dr Genius]

If McCellin, Pae, and Jeffrey turn out to be studs, we will be in good shape regardless of Forte and Urlacher. For some reason, I have a feeling that Emery is a great talent evaluator when it comes to the draft.

[BIGGIEsmalls 23]

it looks like Forte is a goner next year if he insists on a long term deal. A leak like this is designed to prepare Bears fans for the eventual. If he wants a long term deal it is to be either backloaded or not much guaranteed money...dirt cheap (relative to other top backs).

IIRC, the Bears can franchise him again next season if they choose to.

[fleet]

http://larrybrownsports.com/football/ma ... deo/138035

Forte fights back

Matt Forte responded to questions about the condition of his knees by sharing the above video on Twitter Saturday of him dragging what he says is a 100-pound sled uphill. His agent also issued the following statement:

“Matt Forte is among the most, if not the most, durable, all-purpose running back in the NFL. The 2011 season was the first season of his career that he missed any games. Had the Bears been playoff contenders, he could have returned for the balance of the season. To question his durability at this stage in his career is absurd.”

[patryk7754]

I think the Bears are saying this so they don't look like the bad guy, even though it has some backbone

[fleet]

I guess trading him is out. You don't put health concerns for your trade bait out into the internets if you are shopping for deals.

[DJhitek]

The Bears should have doubts because of the position he plays, Forte is the man, but he has some mileage on his body and paying him an enormous amount of long term money isn't smart.

[BIGGIEsmalls 23]

I don't think that this is entirely a shot at Forte, but more of a shot at the notion of investing heavily into the RB position.

Every NFL team grapples with this decision. Some take the dumb route by tying up long-term money in a position that ages faster than any other position, but it seems the Bears will be following the Patriots (and others) blueprint in regards to focusing their long-term money elsewhere & plugging in different RBs every few years.

I like Matt Forte, but not enough to tie our hands with a long-term contract. We have the option of franchising him one more time after this season, then we'll be waving bye-bye.

[patryk7754]

I don't think that this is entirely a shot at Forte, but more of a shot at the notion of investing heavily into the RB position.

Every NFL team grapples with this decision. Some take the dumb route by tying up long-term money in a position that ages faster than any other position, but it seems the Bears will be following the Patriots (and others) blueprint in regards to focusing their long-term money elsewhere & plugging in different RBs every few years.

I like Matt Forte, but not enough to tie our hands with a long-term contract. We have the option of franchising him one more time after this season, then we'll be waving bye-bye.

We can always cut him if he starts to decline

[BIGGIEsmalls 23]

I don't think that this is entirely a shot at Forte, but more of a shot at the notion of investing heavily into the RB position.

Every NFL team grapples with this decision. Some take the dumb route by tying up long-term money in a position that ages faster than any other position, but it seems the Bears will be following the Patriots (and others) blueprint in regards to focusing their long-term money elsewhere & plugging in different RBs every few years.

I like Matt Forte, but not enough to tie our hands with a long-term contract. We have the option of franchising him one more time after this season, then we'll be waving bye-bye.

We can always cut him if he starts to decline

But, we would be on the hook for the entire signing bonus of a long-term deal, plus we'll be hit cap-wise if I'm not mistaken.

[WEFFPIM]

"Stems in part" = no part at all.

The Bears are hesitant to give Forte a long-term deal because he's a running back and an idiot.

[heir_jordan22]

"Stems in part" = no part at all.

The Bears are hesitant to give Forte a long-term deal because he's a running back and an idiot.

Someone is an idiot for asking to be paid at market value after being severely underpaid for their first four years of performance? Am I missing something?

He's a great player who deserves top 10 running back money, but the Bears want to invest that money into other positions. It's business for both sides.

[heir_jordan22]

His agent is the idiot.

[Cliff Levingston]

Cliff Levingston will call BS on the concern about the knees. They just don't want to pay him a lot of money long-term, and for good reason. This is just a somewhat viable excuse that also serves to get the public on their side (if not so already).

[WEFFPIM]

"Stems in part" = no part at all.

The Bears are hesitant to give Forte a long-term deal because he's a running back and an idiot.

Someone is an idiot for asking to be paid at market value after being severely underpaid for their first four years of performance? Am I missing something?

He's a great player who deserves top 10 running back money, but the Bears want to invest that money into other positions. It's business for both sides.

You're missing a big part of all this...how Matt Forte has gone about wanting the money. He's been a whiney little b**** about a new deal for over a year, taking to the media to complain about the team. Taking to Twitter when the team does something he doesn't like or when he feels slighted in some way. And the best part? He was offered a deal at least as good as the five years and $32 million Jamaal Charles got and he turned it down.

There's wanting a new contract, and there's being a petulant crybaby. And the Bears have let him dig himself a hole. Notice how the strategy with Forte hasn't changed from Angelo to Emery? There's a reason. It's because Forte has put the team in the driver's seat when it comes to bringing him back. Case in point...saying they're worried about his knees. I don't buy for a second they're actually concerned. But what do they get? A video of Matt proving his knees are working. Is that a bad thing for the team to see when he's holding out?

The Bears are in complete control of this, and Matt is too much of an idiot to see it. But I do agree with you that Forte's agent is an idiot in all of this, too. Is there nobody standing next to Matt and telling him to shut up in all of this?