Bears Blitz

Published by Michael Gibbons on March 22, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

I’m not sure if Matt Forte should be mad, but he absolutely is. He posted this on his Twitter account shortly after it was announced the Bears signed Michael Bush.

There’s only so many times a man that has done everything he’s been asked to do can be disrespected! Guess the GOOD GUYS do finish last….

— Matt Forte (@MattForte22) March 22, 2012

Forte’s agent, Adisa Bakari, has this to say as well:

Since drafting Matt in 2008, the Bears have signed Kevin Jones, Chester Taylor and Marion Barber, all ostensibly to serve as Matt’s back up. To sign yet another running back, prior to completing a contract with Matt suggests disregard for Matt and his contributions to the Bears.

Wow if there wasn’t any bad blood between the two sides before I think it is safe to say there is some now. However with all that being said, I think some of the criticism is unfair.

Jerry Angelo is the guy who brought in Jones, Taylor and Barber to back up Forte. All three guys were brought in to serve a purpose. Jones was brought in to compete with a rookie second-round pick in Forte. Taylor was brought in to push Forte after a sub-par sophomore season and Barber was brought in to be a power-back.

Phil Emery is now calling the shots and it was his choice to bring in Bush to hopefully be a perfect complement to Forte, not replaces him.

In my opinion, Emery has done a hell of a job this off-season re-signing some players while also bringing in some much needed help. Just because signing Forte to a long-term deal wasn’t the first thing on his to-do list doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

Besides trading for Brandon Marshall and his contract, Emery hasn’t handed out any big money deals and I would assume that has something to do with wanting to lockup Forte.

Going to this very public route with Forte complaining and his agent talking to reporters just seems like a bad way to build a relationship with a new general manager.

Also, let’s remember while Forte had a very good rookie season and most agree he has gotten better since then, he has yet to surpass those rookie numbers. He set a career high in rushing yards, receptions and touchdowns that season.

I’m not saying Forte is a bad player or doesn’t deserve to get paid, I’m just pointing out for all the success he has had he has yet to surpass some of those rookie numbers.

This whole situation reminds me of the issues the Bears had with Thomas Jones when they drafted Cedric Benson. It created a divide in the locker room and I hope we aren’t on our way to that again.

Let’s just look at the whole situation here. Bush is older than Forte and has never had a 1,000 yard rushing season. Is he really a threat to Forte’s job in the long-term?

Probably not. He serves as a nice insurance policy if Forte gets injured, holds out or leaves next off-season, but he isn’t being brought in to compete with Forte like Jones and Taylor were.

So to answer the first question, yes Forte has the right to be angry but maybe he should take a deep breath or sleep on it before he or his agent head to Twitter or give quotes to reporters.

Like I said before, this just seems like the wrong way to build a relationship with the owner who you are hoping will give you a long-term deal worth millions and millions of dollars. It will be interesting to see how this whole situation plays out over the next few months.

So what do you think Bears fans? Does the Bush signing hurt their chances of bringing back Forte? Does he have every right to complain or he is becoming a bit of a crybaby? Sound off below.

Update: Even after a few hours Forte still has not calmed down. Here are his most recent posts on Twitter.

for the record I’m not mad at the signing of another running back. This is 4th time that’s happened. I embrace competition as well as help

— Matt Forte (@MattForte22) March 22, 2012

But as for not taking care of ur own and undervaluing a player under his market value is another story! #twitterrant

— Matt Forte (@MattForte22) March 22, 2012

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @dachicagofan, and check out my weekly Bears podcast every Monday on my site The MG Experience.

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