Something To Keep An Eye On

April 14th, 2015
Stud Bears running back Matt Forte is sitting out OTAs and is making a lot of noise to the new regime of the Bears about an extended contract.

Stud Bears running back Matt Forte is sitting out OTAs and is making a lot of noise to the new regime about an extended contract.

For those who always covet thy neighbor’s wife, the following is something to keep an eye out for, and it isn’t Rachel Watson.

New regimes often look to clean house and get their own men (think Lovie Smith’s purge of the offensive line last spring). Often, they won’t tolerate very long a player who is bucking the new regime.

Enter the Chicago Bears and Matt Forte. Yesterday, Forte was nowhere to be found at Bears headquarters when the team arrived for OTAs, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, by way of the creator, curator and overall guru of Pro Football Talk, the great Mike Florio.

Forte, 29, has been whining of late he wants his contract extended, per Biggs. Forte is in the final year of his current deal.

Forte sure shined when he played for Lovie, and he is very much an all-purpose back, with over 1,000 yards rushing and over 800 yards receiving last year. And that was with bratty Jay Cutler, who the Bears can’t unload quick enough and is not guaranteed to be the Week One starter.

Joe is not saying the Bucs are going after Forte, but it is a situation to monitor. Yes, he is approaching the fateful age of running backs, pushing 30. That just means his trade value wouldn’t be near as pricey as it would have been, say, three years ago.

The deep Bucs running back stable is a whole lot of meh. Imagine how much a stud running back like Forte for a couple of years would help Jameis Winston develop?

29 Responses to “Something To Keep An Eye On”

  1. louden Says:

    The upcoming draft has lots of good young RB´s and one good QB..

    so what is being discussed? slecting a overhype Freeman-type of QB (instead of Mariota) and signing aging veteran RB´s like Forte or Peterson.

    Time to rent some billboards again i guess

  2. louden Says:

    The Bucs are garbage since a decade and it doesn´t look to change..

    Winston is pure overhype like many other QB´s were..
    Freeeman 2.0
    4th quarter magic? – in both cases laughable

    Manning like mind?! you gotta be kidding me
    Only consistent in throwing stupid throws into double and even triple coverage..

    And then his “magic” against Auburn for example: Just look the highlights, on the final drive, pretty much every single throw was an easy throw!!!
    Open WR´s even freeman would had no trouble with, but Winston gets the hype like, “wow, no one can throw to a open WR”

    thats horse-shhhhh and as usually the bucs are stepping right into it!

    BS plain and simple

  3. DayOnePaul Says:

    We still can’t block, either for a QB or for a running game. Great teams are built from the line, out. Sending a draft pick to Chicago and assuming the contract of a thirty year old running back, who’s taken a pounding for seven seasons, that totals enough to sign two or three free agent Offensive Linemen, is just the kind of backward thinking that’s gotten our team to 30 dash 70. Where are my Offensive LineMEN?

  4. P'cola Buc Says:

    Forte is disgruntled in Chicago. Why not have an even up trade for the younger Doug Martin and try to save that draft choice. Younger legs of Martin may provide what Bears need if Forte is so disgruntled. Better yet, what’s new with AP?

  5. SoFlo Buc Says:

    Dayone is right, we have to take a the quality QB option while it’s there. After that work heavy on the boys in the trenches. Next year a stud L back, running back and D backs…hopefully in the middle of the rounds.

  6. Scotty in Fat Antonio Says:

    Anyone see Winston showing up at the Titan’s facility yesterday wearing his Mike Alstott Foundation shirt?

  7. bucrightoff Says:

    Good way to continue to piss off the fanbase is meaningless trades that ignore the real issues. Running backs need holes to run through, the Bucs line can’t create them. So yeah, let’s trade for a running back. And trading for a running back is effectively admitting you threw away that 3rd last year on Sims. Don’t waste the pick or time to get him, nevermind a new deal as well.

  8. Tom Edrington Says:

    Good grief, bet most here will agree the last thing the Bucs need is a 29-year-old running back………….

  9. JoeJoes Fungi Nails Says:

    L&L said they drafted their own Matt Forte last year with their 3rd round pick

  10. meh Says:

    I’m so tired of running back talk. We do not need another running back.

    Offensive line. Offensive line. Offensive line.

  11. SkiBucsFan Says:

    You guys that keep harping that Winston is Freeman 2.0 are obviously illiterate football fans. Freeman NEVER had the football IQ that Winston has and he NEVER had the desire and mental attitude to be GREAT. Winston will come to Tampa Bay and work hard to be the BEST QB Tampa Bay has ever had!!
    Jameis Winston is nothing like Freeman so quit making these insane comparisons. Go Bucs!

  12. Babaloo Says:

    Forte has some serious talent. He would instantly be the best rb we have and it’s not even close. That being said don’t trade for him. Wait until he’s cut

  13. Buc1987 Says:

    “but Winston gets the hype like, “wow, no one can throw to a open WR”

    Louden are you talking about Mariota or Jameis, becasue that’s all Mariota did was throw to the open WR in that trick-ass gimmicky offense.

    If you’re trying to make a fruitless point about Winston don’t use Mariota as reference. Especially this point. Good gawd man just stop it already silly, silly man.

  14. Buc1987 Says:

    @Joe..I’d be giving me the dreaded “awaiting moderation” too if I was you.

    Things are going to get down right ugly on this site over the next 2 weeks.

    People HATE Winston soooooo bad.

  15. David Says:

    Louden….Mariota’s personality resembles Freeman’s waaay more than Winston’s does! Winston has that brash Deion Sanders personality. Either u love it or hate it.

  16. cnvertbleweathr Says:

    Poor Doug Martin. I bet he is counting down the days to turn the page on his career. Doesn’t matter who is touching the ball – it can be Forte, AP, Todd Gurley, they will all get creamed until the Bucs can have a somewhat functioning line.

  17. Buc1987 Says:

    cnvertbleweathr….I concur 100%.

  18. BuccaneerBonzai Says:

    OMG, we DO NOT NEED A RB!!!!!!!

    I swear to god, if the Bucs draft or trade for a RB and give up picks, or trade Martin for an older guy without getting a 2nd rounder or better THIS YEAR, I will blow up.

    Drafting Sims last year was a huge mistake. It was a position we did not need, one where we could have addressed at least one spot on the oline, and we wasted the pick. Sims ended up being injured for much of the season.

    We already have too many needs to fill this year. Wasting picks on other positions just delays a turn around.

    As it stands, there is zero chance this team turns around this year, unless the two OL guys drafted late last year suddenly start clicking. 11 needs. 8 picks.

    Talk about the second part of free agency all you want, there is no chance we hit on all our picks AND fill the remaining ones.

    So expect another high pick next year. Expect our new QB to hit the ground a lot, get frustrated and throw picks. Expect Center to QB fumbles. It is going to be UGLY on that line. Even our RT sucks. The only one worth keeping is Mankins, simply because getting rid of him creates even more need. He’ll be gone next year.

    And defense won’t be much better. We now need a MLB, at least one DE, and 2 safeties.

    We also still need a Punter worth spit and a kick returner. A WR to compete for the slot.

    And worst of all, NONE of the Free Agents signed are worthy of starting material. Even Johnson. Most of them are injury prone too.

    Bandaides over bullet wounds.

    So we’re a minimum of 2 years from competing for anything but a high pick, assuming we see a good draft.

    And, FYI, a good draft would be 50% or better success rate. Half the picks working out. Teams are lucky to even get that.

  19. BuccaneerBonzai Says:

    So far as Doug Martin, the only ways I would agree with getting rid of him would be for Adrian Peterson or Ray Rice, even trades. And Jason Licht can’t accomplish a good trade, so forget it.

  20. MadMax Says:

    Only if we draft AJ Cann and Ali Marpet to start actually opening some holes. Man it would be nice to get those two w/o trading up.

  21. DraftJameis Says:

    louden:

    A Mariota fan criticizing Winston for making “easy throws.” Now THAT is funny.

  22. JW Says:

    I can’t watch grown men whine all day. Let’s be real Winston is #1 ok end of debate. #2 games are won in the trenches we can live with low quality DB’s we can’t live with bad line play. We need to draft 2 o-line starters and two DE after that a couple of DB’s. You guys have to be patient guys don’t progress over night look at Ronde? Give coaches time to develop talent no we won’t win Super Bowl next year but will have great foundation for the future. We went 2-14 last year plz stop with the whining.

  23. BuccaneerBonzai Says:

    Winston creates his “hard throws” because of the way he projects to his target. That is, however, a trainable thing…hopefully.

  24. pick6 Says:

    IF they don’t think Doug Martin is the guy, trade that final year of doug for forte and a 5th or 6th round pick. gett matt a contract that pays him well for the next 2 years, and let him sit in front of sims for a little while like VJax is doing with Evans. i could live with that. if it costs us draft picks, it’s not worth it.

    @Bonzai – Rice has been available to sign for months, no need for a trade. i think he will be available to sign for the rest of his life. we’ll get more out of Mike James, and that isn’t saying much.

  25. Buccfan37 Says:

    Forte’s forte is mo money mo money. I’d rather have and keep Martin.

  26. unbelievable Says:

    Yup. No reason to trade for a guy at his age when we have 3 – 4 capable backs.

    We need o-line! O-line! o-line! o-line!

    If you’re trading for anyone, it needs to be a stud o-lineman. Maybe a MLB or FS too, but not a running back. No running back will strike fear into opposing defenses until we get the line fixed.

  27. Celly Says:

    SkiBucsFan Says:
    April 14th, 2015 at 7:35 am

    You guys that keep harping that Winston is Freeman 2.0 are obviously illiterate football fans. Freeman NEVER had the football IQ that Winston has and he NEVER had the desire and mental attitude to be GREAT. Winston will come to Tampa Bay and work hard to be the BEST QB Tampa Bay has ever had!!
    Jameis Winston is nothing like Freeman so quit making these insane comparisons. Go Bucs!

    But they’re both black, so they’re obviously the same…

    …that’s why Winston is also just like Jamarcus Russel.

  28. bucnation Says:

    Forte isn’t ray rice i think tampa should give ray rice a chance just for the fact he can run and he would be for the low..Doug Martin was just a flash and ray rice could still run even with a re building line…..#if ap dont come to tampa bring ray rice#jamies winston#face facts

  29. chickster Says:

    A none story will never happen wow I need a life