Chicago Bears 2012: Matt Forte Upset over Michael Bush Signing
Published by Joshua Moeschl on March 23, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Apparently Matt Forte was not pleased at the Chicago Bears most recent free-agent signing. Former Raider running back Michael Bush signed a four-year, $14 million deal with the Bears. The team thinks they have the right guy to compliment Forte’s game, but may have inadvertently made their current running back mad.
Forte has been underpaid for a couple of years now, as NFL elite level running back standards go. He has largely bit his tongue and kept his nose to the grindstone. What did he get for his troubles? A franchise tag and a bum knee.
Forte hurt his knee late last season in what ended up being the final straw in the Bears’ unraveling. Players with much less talent than Forte have made much bigger deals about contract situations before. The fact that Forte has been quiet, while expressing his desire for a long-term deal says a lot about the young man.
In a tweet after the Bush signing, Forte expressed his displeasure only to tweet a few hours later that he was not mad, but happy to have help and competition. I commend Forte for his attitude thus far, and I am willing to let his initial tweet go. He had an emotional reaction, as most of us would have, and caught his cool a bit later.
The Bears need to be worried that they might be starting to lay the foundation for Forte to either leave after this season, or demand a trade. The belief is that Forte likes Chicago, as a city and a professional home, but if he continues to feel disrespected, he might be inclined to make more noise.
I think the addition of Bush is a fine idea, but that needs to go along with a long-term deal for Forte. He has given the Bears everything they have needed from him and then some, all the while being a solid teammate and person when he easily could have been a distraction.
Matt Forte is a supreme talent, and the new breed of NFL running backs, meaning he is just as dangerous as a receiver as he is as a runner. In the new age of the NFL, passing rules. And to have a running back who can handle all sorts of throws is a luxury Chicago doesn’t want to lose.
Forte will play hard and be quiet again this season, but if we are getting into the later parts of next season without an extension offer, he might become a problem.
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