Old Style wrote:Take a look:

http://eye-on-football.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22475988/33081146

He ain't happy, and it doesn't sounds like the front office is playing this well. We could be kissing him good bye if they're not careful.

PAY THE MAN JERRY

When Theo Epstein says that players should be paid for future ­performance rather than past accomplishments, people involuntarily drop to their knees at such brilliant, analytical thinking.

When Jerry Angelo takes a similar tack with Matt Forte, he’s an idiot and a mouthpiece for the genetically cheap McCaskeys.

Do I have that about right?

The Cubs’ new president of baseball operations is a brainy visionary.

The Bears’ general manager wouldn’t know greatness if he got ear-holed by it.

Believe me, I understand: Epstein won two World Series when he was with the Red Sox, and Angelo hasn’t won a title in Chicago. He’s the bumbling GM who trips over his tongue, the one who can’t put together an offensive line.

But he’s right on this subject.

He’s taking the very same approach for which Epstein has been lauded. Angelo is impressed by Forte’s production but can’t help but notice that running backs wear down in the NFL, often at warp speed. He also can’t help but notice that, given a good offensive line, a running back doesn’t have to be Walter Payton to succeed in the NFL. The Broncos of the late 1990s and early 2000s immediately come to mind.

Running backs get chewed up

In an interview this week with the Sun-Times’ Sean Jensen, Forte had sharp words for the Bears — sharper than he has had at any time during his quest for a long-term contract.

But one comment stood out.

‘‘The running back position is the most physically demanding on the field,’’ Forte said. ‘‘Everyone acknowledges that. So to continue to give me the touches I’ve had since my rookie year but not award me a long-term contract sends the message that you’re OK grinding me into a pulp.’’

The Bears are indeed grinding him into a pulp. It’s what NFL teams do. Running backs get beaten up and worn down. That’s in the job description.

Forte turns 26 next month. Of the top 13 rushing leaders, 10 are 26 or younger. The Bills’ Fred Jackson, who is 30, is only in his third year as a starter, and the Falcons’ Michael Turner (29) is in his fourth. Of the over-26 group, only the 49ers’ Frank Gore, who is 28, has been a longtime starter.

Why would the Bears give a running back a lot of money if history shows most of them slow down and get hurt more often as the years pile up? How is that good business?

Forte leads the league in combined rushing and receiving yards per game. Surely, the Bears are feeling the pressure of that success. How many times this season have we heard teammates, fans and media members say, “Pay the man”? By that, they mean, Give him a huge contract as a reward for the numbers he has put up.

Forte has been wonderful this season. That’s not debatable. The Bears likely wouldn’t be 4-3 without him. So it’s understandable he would take the stalled negotiations personally. But this is business, and business says that paying a running back a big contract is a risky thing indeed.

The Chris Johnson precedent

The Bears have been closely watching what has happened to the Titans’ Chris Johnson, who signed a contract with $30 million in guaranteed money Sept. 1. The man who rushed for a combined 4,598 yards the previous three seasons has 302 yards on 107 carries this season. Those numbers don’t mean Johnson’s career is going downhill; they mean he certainly isn’t doing a certain Bears running back any favors.

Forte wants something similar to what Johnson, the Vikings’ Adrian Peterson ($36 million) and the Panthers’ DeAngelo Williams ($21 million) received in guarantees. Good luck with that.

Before the season, the Bears offered Forte a contract extension that included guarantees of about $13 million or $14 million. He rejected it. Fair enough. That’s his prerogative. The Bears very well might put the franchise tag on him for 2012, which would be the smart move if they’re convinced he’s at the peak of his abilities. It would cost them about $7.5 million.

If that sounds hardhearted (if $7.5 million can be considered hardhearted), it’s because pro sports is a hardhearted business.

It also sounds very shrewd, very Theo-like: You pay for what you project someone will do, not for what someone has done.

When Epstein goes in that direction, it’s considered forward-thinking. When Angelo goes there, it’s considered hopelessly backward.

Maybe, just maybe, Angelo is smarter than his NFL management brethren on this issue.

http://www.suntimes.com/8597609-452/bea ... forte.html

shirt wrote:I only read the first two paragraphs but that author is an idiot. Football contracts aren't guaranteed like baseball so it's pointless to compare the two.

betroit02 wrote:http://www.onionsportsnetwork.com/articles/matt-forte,26480/

Indianplaya17 wrote:

betroit02 wrote:http://www.onionsportsnetwork.com/articles/matt-forte,26480/

LOL! That was actually pretty funny!

“I think it really depends on what organization you’re in and how they treat their players," Forte said, as transcribed by the Chicago Sun-Times' Sean Jensen. I feel if I was on any other team, and you produce, and you were drafted by that team, and you produce enough in the last four years, it would be easy to really get a deal done. I’m not really sure what the problem is and what’s going on.”

UWbrewball wrote:That's pretty damning against the organization.

Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte said Wednesday that he may be hard to find if the franchise tag is put on him before training camp next season, although he wouldn't call it an official holdout.

Forte has been seeking an extension since the preseason, and he said the two sides were far apart.

"A lot of teams franchise guys so that they can get a deal done or negotiate a deal," Forte said on "The Carmen, Jurko & Harry Show" on ESPN 1000. "It just depends on what the motive of that is."

And if Forte perceives the Bears' motive to be less than committed to an extension?

"I wouldn't say holdout, but people probably wouldn't know where I was," said Forte, who admitted there's a "pretty good chance" he'll be franchised.

Forte was easy to spot this season, leading the offense with over 1,400 yards from scrimmage through the first 12 games before a knee injury ended his season and led to the Bears losing three of their last four and missing the playoffs.

ESPNChicago.com reported the Bears' final offer to Forte contained between $13-$14 million in guarantees.

"A lot of people said do I regret turning down the money and then playing and getting injured, I would say no, because I'm not going to let anyone undervalue me as a player," Forte said. "I know what type of value I have to the team and the offense. And I'm not going to just accept a deal because that's what their offer was and they're not going to budge. I'm not going to accept that.

"We were I would say a good ways apart. If you compared stats with other guys and salaries what other running backs make, and then what they offered me, it was like two different sides of the world."

Forte said he'll be taking a physical soon on his left knee and plans to play in the Jan. 29 Pro Bowl, which will be his first.

As far as being a Bear next season, he said he senses he'll remain in Chicago.

"My gut tells me so right now," he said. "This is where I was drafted and I'd love to stay here. I love the team and the coaches and everybody."

And the fact Jerry Angelo was fired after the season made him a little more optimistic that a deal can get done with a new general manager.

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/story/_/ ... -hard-find