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)
