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A holdout no more, Matt Forte and the Bears have finally come to terms on a new contract that will keep him in a Bears uniform through the 2015 season. The four year $32 million dollar deal guarantees $16 million, and also means that Matt Forte will report to training camp next week on time. It was a very suspenseful spring and early summer for both sides. The Bears initially offered Forte the franchise tender which would have paid him $7.7 million for this upcoming season.
Forte had wanted a long-term deal with big money, he mainly wanted the financial guarantee so that he had money for a rainy day just in case God forbid he had a career altering injury. This desire for a guaranteed contract and the money that comes with it was also due to the following reasons… Matt Forte has led the Bears in rushing since he’s been wearing the Burnt Orange and Blue. He has also been one of the best receivers as well.
But he also wanted the security blanket because of injuries that have racked up over his career. On the other hand, the Bears were hesitant to give him such money because of his past injuries. Bears management felt that Forte should have another injury free season before giving him that kind of cash. Forte has been consistent when healthy, like he was during his rookie season in 2008. But in 2009 Forte kinda hit a “sophomore slump” as injuries kept him off the field at times.
In 2010, despite sharing the field with Chester Taylor, Forte managed to rack up another 1,000 yard season. He also had 6 rushing touchdowns and led the team in receiving. But last season was the defining season that fueled these contract negotiations. Forte started off having the season of his career, then in that late season game against Kansas City Forte went down with a sprained MCL. This came exactly a week after Jay Cutler had his season ending hand injury. Forte would not return to the Bears lineup.
Marion Barber would step in and give it his best until he was banged up towards the end of the year. The final three weeks of the 2011 season would see the emergence of new running backs in the forms of special teamer Kahlil Bell and rookie Armando Allen. The spark provided by these young backs would also be a factor in negotiations. Once the season ended, Forte came off the injured list to play in the pro bowl.
This was very much frowned upon by Bears management, but Forte did it at the encouragement of his agent. This was done for two reasons:
1. To show the Bears why they needed to give him a long-term contract.
2. To show other teams he is a solid player when healthy in case he did test the free agent waters.
Initial negotiatons went nowhere, both sides could not agree. But this is usually the case when contract talks begin. Then in March the Bears made huge offseason moves. Aside from the Brandon Marshall trade, and the Jason Campbell acqusition, the Bears signed another running back much to the dismay of both Forte and Marion Barber. The signing of Michael Bush outraged Matt Forte, and at the same time caused Marion Barber announce his retirement.
The Bears insisted that Michael Bush was not a replacement, he was just a piece to the puzzle. Complicating matters was when the Bears officially placed the franchise tag on Matt Forte. This postponed negotiations for several weeks. Forte says the Bears were looking to replace him with these manuvers, the Bears say that was not the case. And while I did support Forte’s desire for a new contract, I also believed the Bears front office.
I think that the Bears placed the franchise label on Forte so no other teams could sign him away. Smart move on the part of Ted Phillips and company, just try to convince Matt Forte of that. When Forte decided to no-show offseason workouts, mini-camps, etc…. The Bears decided to return to the bargaining table with a better offer. And after a few more months, a compromise was finally reached. The Bears paid Forte a very good amount of money without breaking the bank.
And Forte finally got his financial commitment from the Bears. So Forte will be back on the field, Bush will be the #2 and now the battle will be waged between Kahlil Bell and Armando Allen for the third spot. Forte is a very talented player. He’s pretty much an every down back, he grinds out yards, and he’s deadly in the passing game as both a receiver and blocker. But he does struggle in goalline and short yardage situations, this is where the Bears bring in Michael Bush.
And then with Bell and Allen, both guys are speed demons. They can flat out run, but they will most likely be competing for a special teams spot. But at the moment that’s neither here nor there as practice has not yet begun. So Bears fans rejoice that Matt Forte will play another season {or 4) at Soldier Field.
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Jay Cutler getting his first taste of the Bears new offense.
The Bears have been in the early stages of preparing for the upcoming 2012 season at Halas Hall this week. Organized Team Activities or OTA’s as they are commonly known, are underway in Lake Forest as the Bears bring the veterans, rookies, and players in between to gel together for the upcoming season.
But while the team is learning the new offense, bringing the new players up to speed on defense, and helping the rookies adapt to NFL life, there are some notable absences for the Bears this time around. Brian Urlacher has yet to take the field as he is still recovering from his knee injury he sustained in last season’s finale against Minnesota on New Year’s Day.
According to Urlacher he narrowly avoided surgery after the injury happened. He spent the off season rehabbing, strengthening, and exercising his knee back into shape. Urlacher said that he probably won’t be on the field for this round of OTA’s. He said there is a slim chance he will participate in the OTA’s June 4-7, but he did say that he could see the field during the full-squad mini-camp June 12-14.
But one thing is for sure, Urlacher will be ready for training camp in July. Another Bear that is absent due to injury is Wide Receiver Johnny Knox. It is highly likely that Knox won’t be able to play during the 2012 season, but he has been at Halas Hall rehabbing his injured back. As much as we all love Knox’s big time catches, it’s a miracle that he’s even walking today.
I’m sure we all remember this injury from Week 15 of the 2011 season:
Knox was carried off the field on the stretcher and was brought to an emergency room where he required surgery to stabilize his vertebra. After a couple of weeks in the hospital, and months of rehab, Knox has been working to get his upper body stronger and to get back into football shape.
While this is promising news, I must reiterate that chances are Knox will not play this season. And then there is the most talked about Bears absence from OTA’s in Running Back Matt Forte. He continues to holdout while seeking a long-term contract. Currently the Bears have offered him the $7 million franchise tag which he refuses to sign.
While the Stalemate continues, Kahlil Bell and free-agent signee Michael Bush got the reps at running back with the #1 offense this week. Cornerback D.J. Moore has been excused from practice for personal reasons, and Cornerback Kelvin Hayden also did not practice today.
Despite the notable absences from practice this week, the Bears added a player to the roster. Defensive Tackle Nate Collins was added to the mix, he previously played with Jacksonville and the New York Giants. The Bears now have 90 players which the off season limit for NFL teams.
This Sunday night at 9pm you will be able to hear me on the radio. I’ll be on WVON-AM 1690, I’ll be a featured guest on the show “Stats and Stilettos” talking Chicago sports. You can follow the hosts on Twitter: Faruq Basir: @Ruq77 Thai Eileen: @ThaiEillen You can also follow the show itself: @StatsStilettos
You can also follow me on Twitter: @GabeSalgado82 Hashtag: #Q101Sports
But don’t get too excited just yet. Matt Forte has not signed a new contract with our beloved Bears just yet. New General Manager Phil Emery has decided to use the 2012 franchise tag on Matt Forte for the upcoming season. Should the Bears and Forte not agree on a new contract for the start of the season, he will make $12.7 million via the franchise label. Now what does franchise mean?
It’s not a contract. But what it does mean is that Forte can only leave the Bears if he is traded. Now there are two ways to look at this transaction: 1. The Bears are not committed to a long-term deal to keep Forte in a Bears uniform {Some Bears fans and maybe even Forte himself feels this way. I’m sure Forte’s agent does for sure}. And 2. The Bears are smart by using the franchise tag so other teams can’t sign him.
And I’d have to agree with option number 2. Remember, the Bears did the same thing with Lance Briggs just a few years ago. At first Briggs wasn’t happy about it. But he accepted it, played his ass off, and was eventually awarded with a new contract. Hopefully the same will happen to Matt Forte, or perhaps Phil Emery and President Ted Phllips are using the franchise tag as a smoke screen.
A smoke screen in which they keep Forte on the roster while still working out a contract. It seems like smart business to me, and I hope that one way or another Matt Forte will get a brand new contract to stay with the Bears. He is a major piece to the offensive puzzle, he can easily gain 1’000 yards both receiving and rushing, he is also a key in pass protection.
The Bears can’t afford to lose him. And knowing that, I trust the judgement of the Bears front office to do the right thing in the long run.
On a personal note… Don’t be surprised if you find me at the Chicago Rush’s home opener VS Tampa Bay at Allstate Arena on Saturday. I hope to see you there as well.
You can follow me on Twitter: @GabeSalgado Hashtag: #Q101Sports
The offseason begins now for the Bears.
They will have a meeting Monday at Halas Hall and players will be given end-of-season physical exams, then released until the start of the offseason program, probably in late April.
The first day teams with returning head coaches are allowed to start offseason programs is April 16.
The first order of business for coach Lovie Smith and the front office will be making decisions on his assistants. The contracts of offensive coordinator Mike Martz and special teams coordinator Dave Toub are expiring, and Smith could elect to replace Martz. If he replaces him with offensive line coach Mike Tice, Smith will have to find another offensive line coach.
General manager Jerry Angelo and his scouting staff will be preparing to upgrade the roster. Evaluations for the April 26-28 draft kick into high gear the week of Jan. 22 in Mobile, Ala., at the Senior Bowl. Then comes the scouting combine in Indianapolis, which begins Feb. 22.
READ MORE HERE
Source: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-01-01/sports/ct-spt-0102-up-next-bears-chicago–20120102_1_senior-bowl-draft-evaluations-contracts
CHICAGO — No matter how high the risk, Devin Hester still expects opponents to kick to him. The Chicago Bears sure don’t mind if they do.
“This is the reason guys are playing in the NFL — they’re the best players in the world and teams are not going to just shy away from one player on a team,” Hester said.
Some do.
The Panthers didn’t, and Hester made them pay.
He had earlier set up a touchdown run by Forte with a 73-yard kickoff return before he ran back a line-drive punt 69 yards in the second quarter to move ahead of Eric Metcalf on the all-time list. His three somersaults in the end zone after the touchdown that made it 24-10 got him flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, but more important was he once again made a team pay for kicking to him.
“He is a weapon. You have to play eventually; you can’t just continue to kick the ball away,” coach Lovie Smith said. “Devin hadn’t really been that involved, hadn’t really had a lot of big returns so far, so of course I can see why teams have chose to kick the ball to him. They may think twice now.”
The Panthers (1-3) cut the lead to four points at halftime and had their chances to go ahead in the second half but came up short, spoiling coach Ron Rivera’s return to Soldier Field while wasting another big performance by Newton.
The NFL’s third-leading passer coming in, he threw for 374 yards and a touchdown and ran for two more. Carolina wound up with 543 total yards, but the rookie was clearly frustrated afterward.
“I play the game and I want to win every single game I play,” said Newton, who sat by his locker for an extended period with a towel on his head. “Obviously, it hurts when I lose, but it’s not just me. We have guys on our team that you know they have given it all they got. For me, to some degree, I felt like I let some teammates down. But just to look into those guys’ eyes each and every play and to know those guys are battling, it just works wonders for our whole team and its chemistry.”
Steve Smith passed Muhsin Muhammad as Carolina’s all-time leading receiver, finishing with 181 yards on eight catches. He needed 23 to set the record and now has 9,414 in his career, but a few key plays helped preserve a wild win for the Bears.
Tight end Jeremy Shockey was called for offensive pass interference in the third quarter — one of eight penalties against Carolina. It wiped out his 22-yard TD catch from Newton that would have given the Panthers the lead and the momentum.
“I’d like to get an explanation from the league and understand why they would call something like that,” said Shockey, who said the official making the call didn’t give him one.
“We pay their salary and I can’t even get an explanation,” he added. “They should be accountable, as well. They get paid a lot of money.”
Former Panther Julius Peppers then blocked a 34-yard field-goal attempt by Olindo Mare.
He also missed a 52-yard try after Charles Godfrey intercepted Jay Cutler at the Chicago 38. Robbie Gould made it 27-23 when he nailed a 24-yarder with 6:41 remaining.
The Bears (2-2) added to their lead in the closing minutes, when Forte broke off a 40-yard run and Marion Barber took it in from the 3, sealing the win after back-to-back losses to New Orleans and Green Bay.
Forte broke his previous career high of 166 yards last year against Carolina and shook off a brutal performance last week, when he managed 2 yards on nine attempts. He joined Walter Payton (275 and 205) and Gale Sayers (205) as the only Bears to run for 200 in a game, and Chicago wound up with 224 yards on 31 attempts.
“The holes were huge out there even toward the end of the game,” Forte said. “We just kept on pounding and pounding them. The offensive line wore the defense out.”
Source: http://www.ajc.com/sports/hester-forte-carry-bears-1193064.html
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