Matt Forte's Contract Extention is Long Overdue.

It seems that every Chicago Bears fan is talking about Matt Forte and how he isn't getting the contract that he well deserves from Bears management. This really doesn't surprise me, because the Bears have had a history of being tight-gripped with their money. But in this case, Ted Phillips and Jerry Angelo just needs to stop being cheap, and realize what they have here in this running back.

Forte is having the best season in his young career, and is on pace to set some major franchise and league records. The fourth-year veteran is the first player in the league to gain at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage in the first seven games of the season since 2004, and could possibly amass more yards from scrimmage in a single season than anyone in NFL history. In addition, Forte just might be only the third player in NFL history to have 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards recieving in the same season, joining Roger Craig and Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk.

I can understand if Forte was only putting up numbers that would barely get him in the Pro Bowl, but this is much bigger than that. What Forte can do is not only go to the Pro Bowl, but become an all-pro, and NFL MVP. Now if I'm not mistaken, the last Chicago Bears player to be MVP was Walter Payton. That is some great company to be in.

The big rumor is that Angelo will let Forte play out his rookie contract, then hit him with the franchise tag for the 2012 season. Grant it, Forte will make a pretty penny, a little over 7 million for that season, but the fact that Bears management is prolonging this contract extention will only hurt their reputation with current Bears players, and other players around the league. No one will be willing to come to the Bears and give their all, only to be short-changed, and more than likely, no one will want to stay with the Bears.

And let's just say that Forte is given the franchise tag and he plays at a high level again. Angelo might come to his senses and finally give Forte the long-term contract, but given the fact that it took so long, Forte just might decide to go to a team that will show their appreciation from the start, rather than waiting for a couple of years.

If this type of business management continues to go on in the Bears' front office, Chicago will never be able to attract big-time free agents to fill curent voids such as the number one receiver position, or safety and the offensive line. Even looking into the near future finding replacements for the aging linebacking corps may be more difficult.

Forte is putting up record-setting numbers and isn't getting compensated for what he has produced. Now I will say that I truely believe that Forte will get the contract that he well deserves. The question is will he get the contract from the Bears or another team.

Clyde A. Speller

Bears Off Balance

Many would think that the Chicago Bears would have learned their lesson from last season of approaching the game with a balanced offensive attack. Obviously they must have a very short memory.

Last week versus the New Orleans Saints, Chicago called 52 pass plays and only 11 run plays. I could understand if they were down by a couple of touchdowns and resorted to the pass in order to get back in the game, but the Bears were only down 16-10 at halftime and trailed 16-13 during the third quarter. Yet, they still continued to pass the ball.

As a result of Chicago's one-sided offensive play calling, the Saints easily predicted that the Bears were going to pass, and constantly blitzed and sacked Jay Cutler six times. This pass-happy approach won't make matters any better for a Bears offensive line that is injury-riddled and are having problems protecting the quarterback. And to make matters even worse, they will face the Green Bay Packers in Week 3.

Let's not also forget that Matt Forte is a pretty good running back; probably the most underrated back in the league. In his first three seasons, he's had two 1,000-yard seasons on the ground. And against the Saints last week, he averaged 4.9 yards per carry (10 carries for 49 yards).

Mike Martz, I hope you're listening. The best way to lower the number of sacks is to RUN THE BALL MORE!!! Cutler can't get sacked if he's handing the ball off. More importantly, running the ball more will open up the passing game, help control the clock, and keep the ball out of the hands of Aaron Rodgers.

If no adjustments are made soon, then Jay Cutler will be the most sacked quarterback in the league for the second year in a row, and possibly knocked out for the year at some point.

Clyde A. Speller

Regular Season On Horizon.

With one more preseason game to be played, the Chicago Bears seem to be ready for the regular season. Although their 1-2 record might not indicate that, we have to remember that it is still just the preseason.

A lot of optimism can be taken from the three games that the Bears have played. Matt Forte has decided to play instead of holding out for a bigger contract, and is still producing on the field. In addition to Forte, newly acquired running back Marion Barber looks to be a much needed piece to the puzzle in Chicago's backfield. Despite the departure of Olin Kruetz, the offensive line has seemed to improve game by game. And the defense looks to be picking up where they left off last year when they were ranked in the top five.

Unfortunately, there are a couple of things that may cause some speculation if you're a Bears fan. So far, Chicago hasn't shown any improvement in the red zone on offense. This was very evident in Week 2 of the preseason versus the New York Giants. The Bears' offense was in the red zone five times, and only managed one score once (a touchdown by Kahlil Bell late in the game). The inconsistent kicking of Robbie Gould is another reason to worry. In the first three preseason games, Gould has missed four of his nine field goal attempts. Grant it, two of those misses were from 55 and 56 yards away, but the other two were considered chip-shots to Gould (a 33-yarder and a 29-yarder).

Overall, the positives outweigh the negatives for the Chicago Bears in the preseason. But after looking at the entire picture, a lot of experts still don't have the Bears making it to the playoffs. I understand that the NFC North may be the toughest division in the NFC this year, but the fact remains that Chicago still has a great defense that can still be ranked in the top five, and an offense that has one year under their belt of playing under Mike Martz's offensive scheme. Looking not at the record of the preseason, but looking at the steady improvement of the offensive line along with the improved mechanics of Jay Cutler, and the continued dominance of the defense, the Bears can't possibly be left out of the conversation of the playoffs. If healthy, the defense alone could possibly get them a wild card berth. And if Chicago finds a way to patch up the holes from their preseason performance, then they will definitely be in the playoff picture.

Clyde A. Speller