Matt Forte; The Longer He Sits Out the Less Important He Becomes..........

Longer Forte sits, further he slides on Bears' priority list

Running back must come to realization team doesn't need him as much as it did

David Haugh's In the Wake of the News 8:31 p.m. CDT, June 12, 2012


They like to keep their secrets at Halas Hall but the Bears could not proclaim their satisfaction with new running back Michael Bush any louder without a megaphone. I haven't heard a Bush endorsed this strongly around Lake Forest since the 2004 presidential election.

"We love Michael Bush,'' offensive coordinator Mike Tice gushed Tuesday after the first minicamp practice.


Coach Lovie Smith seconded that emotion. But not before Jay Cutler beat him to it.

"He does things the right way,'' Cutler said, throwing around Bush compliments like spirals.

The same can be said about backup running back Kahlil Bell, whose fluidity nicely complements Bush's rugged style. Gaining 175 yards in two late-season starts when injuries forced him into the lineup, Bell fumbled too often (three times) to tolerate but ran too impressively to ignore. For a brief time in the offseason, after two intrigued teams expressed interest in the restricted free-agent, there was some doubt for whom Bell would toil in 2012.

"I made it very clear I never wanted to leave the Bears but I also wanted an opportunity to play,'' said Bell, who signed a one-year, $1.26 million contract. "I know I can start in this league and be very productive. I've proven that in the short playing time I've had. The only thing lacking is an opportunity to put it on film.''

Even if June 12 has become the new July 31 on the contemporary NFL calendar, it remains premature to suggest Matt Forte's continued contract impasse will provide that opportunity for Bell — or Bush. But watching the Bears run around in shorts and helmets did reinforce that Forte picked the wrong year to gauge what he is worth to the offense.

The Bears all want Forte back in the fold, but he needs the Bears more than the Bears need him. Unless he finds another job paying $7.7 million, that is.

I have no doubt that if Forte reports to training camp on time, with or without a long-term deal before the July 16 deadline to sign one, he can enjoy a second straight Pro Bowl season. He still gives the Bears a caliber of runner and receiver out of the backfield that most NFL teams lack. But when pressed to list the reasons why I think the Bears can be a playoff team in 2012, running back doesn't make my top four.

A healthy Jay Cutler behind an improved offensive line.

The addition of wide receiver Brandon Marshall.

A healthy defensive core and better pass rush.

The promotion of Tice to offensive coordinator and addition of quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates.

Forte?

The Tice offense will rely on Forte much less than former coordinator Mike Martz's offense did. Through no fault of his own, Forte's value to the Bears offense diminished the minute Martz walked out the door.

If the Bears go into the season with Forte as their starting running back, I see them winning 11 games. If the Bears go into the season without Forte as their starting running back, I still see them winning 11 games. I cannot say the same thing if the Bears lost Cutler or Marshall or Brian Urlacher or Julius Peppers.

Next season isn't about Forte. Nor will any future Bears season that includes Cutler, whose long-term contract eventually could become a bigger priority than Forte's. The sooner Forte realizes that the quicker this silly acrimony about skipping mandatory minicamps and threatening training-camp holdouts can end.

All it takes is Forte's signature on the one-year tender but, until they have that, the Bears have no reason to restart negotiations with a player with knee concerns whose rights they can control through 2013. The realities of the CBA and the Bears offense give the team all the leverage.

Not that Forte figures to see it that way if he continues to listen to agent Adisa Bakari. Bakari also represents Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who skipped minicamp because he wants a new contract too. Poor guy has two years and only $9.4 million left on his deal.

Forte seems too smart to keep taking bad advice, too dedicated to be so disruptive. And yet the more Smith insists Forte isn't a distraction the less I will believe him.

"It's not an issue for me and it can't be,'' Smith said. "I know Matt Forte. I am sure he has been spending all of his time getting ready. But in the meantime the best thing we can do for the Chicago Bears is keep this train going.''

Forte would be wise not to wait until late August to hop aboard. The Bears appear on the right track, with or without him.

dhaugh@tribune.com

Twitter @DavidHaugh

Just one more indication that the signing of Michael Bush and the tender offer to RFA Kahlil Bell had multiple implications. Adding Bush to compliment Forte was a great idea although Matt may not have seen it that way to begin with. But he can also compliment Kahlil Bell who, if he can limit his fumbling, could also be a very productive back.

I'd say there's a very good chance that if Matt Forte chooses not to sign a long term deal deal and play under his tender the Bears will replace him with a much cheaper Kahlil Bell next season. Bell wants to start and if not given a chance for that in Chicago he's almost certain to leave as an UFA since the Bears won't pay big money to 3 backs.

In fact once Bell signed his tender just before the draft the Bears pursuit of Forte lessened and they seemed to stand on their offer. Now they've asked him to at least sign his tender before they reopen negotiations which I think is a fair request bit still don't think their offer will change a whole lot as far as guaranteed dollars are concerned.

If Bell gets some playing time this year and proves that he can be a starting back then even if Forte signs a longer term deal the Bears may look to trade him. If that's at all on their minds they would want to keep the guaranteed $$$ as low as possible and put most of it in the form of his salary not in a SB. This may also be one of the stumbling blocks since DWill got a much larger SB in his deal than the rest.

This is not to say that I think Bell is as good an all around back as Matt Forte but he would be a less expensive option which would certainly interest the Bears with extensions for Cutler and Urlacher on the horizon. The other factor is that the team can win with Bush and Bell at RB. Both the Giants and the Packers have won the last two Super Bowls without a great featured back but with very good QB's.

Jay Cutler and the passing game will become a much larger part of the offense than anything we've seen from the Bears for 15 years. Forte's importance to the offense is diminishing as will his carries and receptions. This isn't a bad thing since he may become an even more effective weapon this way and it should certainly prolong his career so that unlike many other RB's he'll finish out his deal with the Bears.

I hope we do get Forte to sign a contract but I'm really not going to be very upset if he doesn't because running back is one place where we have very good depth. In fact with Forte I'd say we have the best group of RB's in the NFL.

I could keep the long post pointing out the historical facts that Tice likes to run the ball as much as throw(as shown in Minny when he had a great qb/wr combo and lackluster rb but still each year ran more and threw less) or the fact that in another article posted the coaches stated they weren't worried or trying to worry about the run game b/c of the no contact rule; or cutler stating the plan is to get the ball into the playmakers hands and specifically mentioned forte and not bush or bell.

But Blue said it best.

this article is the 2 girls 1 cup of desperate sports writer articles.

Blech ..... all these articles about Forte are just repackaging.....just like when you see a Doors greatest hits cd packaged with a different album cover, the songs are still the same.Friggin boring. He's gonna be here sooner or later end of story.