The Chicago Bears have been through a lot the last seven days. One thing they hope they don’t have to endure is a holdout by their star running back.
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears have been through a lot the last seven days. One thing they hope they don’t have to endure is a holdout by their star running back.
In a week when three practices have been stopped and moved or canceled, the stoppage the Bears hope they don’t have is a work stoppage from running back Matt Forte on Saturday when they open the preseason at home against the Buffalo Bills.
"I expect all the guys to be ready to play if we tell them," coach Lovie Smith said. "Again, we’ll make those decisions a little bit later, but you just look at what Matt is doing. You love everything he’s done and why wouldn’t he be ready to go?"
In the final year of his contract Forte has a promise from general manager Jerry Angelo to negotiate an extension. It hasn’t been done yet.
As a result of that, and out of injury concerns in a meaningless exhibition, Forte hinted on Monday he would consider the possibility of sitting out preseason games.
"I’ve considered not playing in the preseason games," Forte told the Chicago Tribune. "But just to make that a fact, and say ‘I’m not going to,’ I haven’t gotten there yet."
On Thursday he told the Associated Press the situation remains much the same.
"I said it’s possible I would consider it," Forte said. "Nothing has changed."
Under the new collective bargaining agreement, players can be fined $30,000 a day for holding out.
"That’s the way it is," Forte said of the fines. "You’ve got to deal with it if you decide to do it."
Nor has Forte’s contract status changed, but he said he understands the situation considering the Bears had so many contracts to negotiate once the NFL lockout ended.
"I figured it would take a little while to get a contract," Forte said. "The lockout kind of messed everything up and pushed it all back."
Many backs dislike preseason games because of the injury risk, but Forte said he sees benefits to getting on the field against Buffalo even if it includes only a few snaps. Last year Forte had only 12 preseason carries and one reception.
"You can get back to full speed football, hitting different people than the same people in camp, and getting used to being tackled as a running back," he said.
Forte’s situation is not the only one Smith and coaches had to address Thursday. Wide receiver Johnny Knox had reportedly pondered asking the team for a trade after being demoted to second string behind newly acquired Roy Williams. However, Knox and coaches strongly denied he felt this way.
"I’m a Bear and I want to stay a Bear," Knox said. "I didn’t say anything about wanting to be traded."
Smith said he had just posted the first depth chart, and nothing was etched in stone at this point about starters.
"We’re a little early to start running somebody out of town or putting someone up top or anything like that," he said. "We’re not there yet. This is just a part of the evaluation process."
Knox led the Bears in receiving yards (1,487) and touchdown catches (10) over the last two seasons, but
Williams brings a taller presence at 6-foot-3, a type the Bears have lacked for years at wide receiver.
The general discontent came a day after the team had to practice for the second time until 10:30 p.m. A blackout in Bourbonnais deprived 1,600 homes of electricity and shut down the Olivet Nazarene University practice lights Wednesday night, so the team loaded into buses and drove several blocks to the Bradley-Bourbonnais High School field to complete practice late.
On Monday their afternoon practice had been stopped for good after 80 minutes due to lightning and strong rain. And on Friday, they had a practice at Soldier Field canceled due to poorly groomed sod — it forced them to return to Bourbonnais by bus and practice until 10:30 p.m.
"Yeah, it’s been a weird series of events here, you know," quarterback Jay Cutler said. "Nothing we can really do about it. We just have to work through and try to get our work in.
"I mean, who knows what’s going to happen tomorrow now?"
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
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