SoxAce Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 I don't say this too often for players, and I hope the length isn't too long as RBs definitely have the shortest "life span" of all the positions in the NFL, but if there's one guy who I want to see get paid on that team, it's Forte. The guy didn't holdout for an extension like 95% of other players do. He played in camp and is playing in the pre-season. Hasn't said one word about contract talks unless a reporter keeps asking him about it (and usually he'll just say he leaves that to his agent anyway/wants to just play football and not talk about it) and has just been a pure professional through and through with fans, the media, management, etc and just bust his ass off. Pay the man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 QUOTE (SoxAce @ Sep 1, 2011 -> 10:11 AM) I don't say this too often for players, and I hope the length isn't too long as RBs definitely have the shortest "life span" of all the positions in the NFL, but if there's one guy who I want to see get paid on that team, it's Forte. The guy didn't holdout for an extension like 95% of other players do. He played in camp and is playing in the pre-season. Hasn't said one word about contract talks unless a reporter keeps asking him about it (and usually he'll just say he leaves that to his agent anyway/wants to just play football and not talk about it) and has just been a pure professional through and through with fans, the media, management, etc and just bust his ass off. Pay the man. I wouldn't worry too much about the length of the contract. The way those deals usually work, all the guaranteed money is up front, and it's easy financially to cut him if he breaks down. It's the way of the NFL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalls2598 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Chris Johnson.... 4 years, $53 mil, with $30 mil guaranteed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoSox05 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Todd Haley had his starters in late into the 2nd until 350 pound Howard Green sacks Cassel and hurts his shoulder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Craig Steltz and Khalil Bell hurt tonight. I hope that the Bears can look for another free agent DB to give them more depth around final cuts time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodAsGould Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 QUOTE (knightni @ Sep 1, 2011 -> 08:36 PM) Craig Steltz and Khalil Bell hurt tonight. I hope that the Bears can look for another free agent DB to give them more depth around final cuts time. Steltz would probably only play if 2 of our safeties went down anyways, he is more of a loss on special teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 QUOTE (GoodAsGould @ Sep 1, 2011 -> 09:52 PM) Steltz would probably only play if 2 of our safeties went down anyways, he is more of a loss on special teams. They're so thin at LB and DB that I really wish that they'd get a couple more guys at those positions just in case of injuries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostfan Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 (edited) $15 million guaranteed for Forte is a pretty fair offer, look around the NFL and see what other running backs are getting. I mean that's more than Jamaal Charles, I think. I saw some people criticizing the Bears for "lowballing" him but that's just silly bulls***. Forte is a very good, versatile, borderline great back, but he's not a special runner. He's not Adrian Peterson or Chris Johnson, Jamal Charles, DeAngelo Williams, or even Frank Gore or Maurice Jones-Drew... No defensive coordinators sit up at night worrying about how they're going to stop him. He hasn't been near a Pro Bowl, but to be fair he hasn't gotten much in the way of run blocking until recently. He should he paid well, but you don't throw truckloads of cash at guys just because they want it. Edited September 2, 2011 by lostfan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxAce Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Briggs, agent formally ask Bears for trade Agent Drew Rosenhaus has filed a formal request to seek a trade on behalf of Lance Briggs, the Bears linebacker told the Tribune. "The Bears made their decision, now I have to make mine," Briggs said. "It's just how the business works. It's not going to take away from what I do on the field. I'm 100 percent a Bear, until I'm not a Bear anymore." The six-time Pro Bowl selection recently approached the Bears about a raise, but upper management has not budged. Rosenhaus made the trade request via an email to contract negotiator Cliff Stein. The Bears had no comment on the issue Thursday, and their stance on the trade request remains unclear. They are about $19.3million below this season's salary cap. If they were to grant him permission to seek a trade, Briggs and his agent could approach other teams to see if something could be worked out. Briggs has three years left on his contract and is scheduled to make $3.9 million this season (including bonuses), $4 million in 2012 and $6.5 million in 2013. He signed a six-year, $36 million deal in 2008 after first testing the free-agent market, and the maximum value of the first three years was $21.6 million. Briggs wants the Bears to restructure his contract in a manner that would increase his salary this season, possibly by flip-flopping the $3.9 million with the $6.5 million in the final year. Briggs approached the Bears after watching younger, less proven linebackers around the league sign lucrative deals. In comparison with a pair of top veteran 4-3 outside linebackers -- the Broncos' D.J. Williams and the Jaguars' Daryl Smith -- Briggs, 30, has a point. Williams has a base salary of $4.9million this season with three years left on his deal, while Smith's base is $4.2million with two years remaining. Both players are 29, and neither has been selected to a Pro Bowl. General manager Jerry Angelo declined to discuss Briggs' request when first approached about the matter Saturday. Briggs was willing to wait until after the season before seeking a trade but changed his mind after meeting with Angelo on Sunday. "I understand and respect their decision," Briggs said. Coach Lovie Smith addressed Briggs' contract status earlier this week. "If a guy has something that he needs to do, then he can deal with it off the field," Smith said. "As far as how I see him, I just see him coming to work every day, like he has done. Lance Briggs has to get ready for the football season, which he has done. "Who doesn't want a new contract? All of us would want a new contract. But still, you go to work every day and do your job, and that's what he's doing. I have no complaints about him." Briggs isn't the first veteran linebacker to approach the team about a raise. Brian Urlacher was given a one-year extension three years ago, when he was 30, that included $18million in new money. However, Urlacher was considered a special circumstance as the face of the franchise and continues to perform at a high level. Briggs has performed at a high level also, leading the team in tackles two of the last three seasons. He is one of four linebackers to be selected to six consecutive Pro Bowls in franchise history, joining Dick Butkus, Bill George and Mike Singletary. When Briggs had contract issues in 2007, he went public and vowed never to play for the Bears again before signing a one-year, $7.2 million franchise tender. The Bears and 49ers apparently discussed a trade that season. Subsequently, the 49ers were found guilty of tampering with Briggs through Rosenhaus and were penalized with the loss of their fifth-round draft pick and had to swap their third-round spot with the Bears. The last time Rosenhaus approached the Bears seeking a trade, it resulted in tight end Greg Olsen being shipped to the Panthers for a third-round pick. Briggs, who is recovering from a knee bruise, said the injury and his contract status are unrelated. He did not play in Thursday night's exhibition finale but vowed to be ready for the regular season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I'd assume this will go something like the last one...Briggs and Co will go out seeking a trade if given permission and discover that they've massively overestimated his value and no one will offer him the kind of new deal he wants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I'm kind of over Lance Briggs stuff. Love him as a LB but this timing is awful. 3 years left, coming off lockout where they couldn't communicate all off season. He has no leverage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Chappas Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Aug 31, 2011 -> 01:19 PM) If i am not mistaken, this is not resodding. This is a completely new natural turf being installed by a different company But it is still sod which will not be given enough time (6 plus months) to take and will come up in clumps like it always does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MurcieOne Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 2, 2011 -> 08:21 AM) I'd assume this will go something like the last one...Briggs and Co will go out seeking a trade if given permission and discover that they've massively overestimated his value and no one will offer him the kind of new deal he wants. I can't imagine Rosenhaus things Briggs has any leverage. He's a smart guy and the writing is on the wall: Briggs turns 31 in November and any team that trades for him will be essentially promising him a substantial amount of guaranteed money. What could the Bears get for him in return? A 4th-5th round pick? The Bears don't have a lot of incentive to trade him and if he chooses to underperform, his value this upcoming offseason will take a bigger hit. Instead, I think this was a pretty desperate attempt by Drew and Lance (sound like 2/4 of a boy band) to scare the Bears into allowing Briggs to flip-flop the money promised to him in the last year of his deal with this year's salary (6.5 vs 3.9). Rosenhaus knows the Bears are $19 million under the cap and must spend that money by the end of the year. I don't think his client is going to get it. Lance is the perfect LB for this defense and I have loved watching him play, however, this act has gotten old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chw42 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Don't you hate it when NFL players ask for trades when they have 3 years left on their contract? Thank god this s*** doesn't happen in baseball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beast Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 The Bears are only 6 percent under the minimum of where they need to be for the new salary cap rules. Why give it to an aging veteran when they could give it to Forte or another young, core player? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=8114 No surprises among first wave of cuts The Bears waived 14 players Friday, including guard Johan Asiata, fullback Eddie Williams, wide receivers Andy Fantuz and Onrea Jones, and linebacker Chris Johnson. The group also included nine undrafted rookies: Linebackers Tressor Baptiste and Deron Minor, cornerbacks Antareis Bryan and Ryan Jones, tackle Josh Davis, punter Spencer Lanning, defensive end Jake Laptad, center Alex Linnenkohl, and receiver Jimmy Young. The only player waived Friday who has played in a regular-season game for the Bears is Asiata, who appeared in the first two contests last year. The Bears still must cut 13 more players by 5 p.m. Saturday to reach the NFL’s 53-man roster limit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SexiAlexei Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 QUOTE (MuckFinnesota @ Sep 2, 2011 -> 12:15 PM) The Bears are only 6 percent under the minimum of where they need to be for the new salary cap rules. Why give it to an aging veteran when they could give it to Forte or another young, core player? It's my understanding that the salary minimum doesn't even take place until next year, so they can save this space and spend it next year in free agency on someone. That, to me, would be the smartest idea. Load up on the money you can offer for someone next year. Oh, and this Briggs stuff is BS. He signed a 6 year deal so he could get the most guaranteed money... Briggs knew exactly what he was doing 3 years ago. This is the "penalty" for getting all that upfront cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodAsGould Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Yeah Briggs can go f*** himself, he has 3 more years and we have no reason to give him more money. After 2 more years if he still playing at an elite level I give him an extension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 QUOTE (GoodAsGould @ Sep 2, 2011 -> 12:34 PM) Yeah Briggs can go f*** himself, he has 3 more years and we have no reason to give him more money. After 2 more years if he still playing at an elite level I give him an extension. Yeah, he can demand whatever he wants, he will still have to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Kevin Williams of the Minnesota Vikings has been suspended without pay for the team’s first two games of the 2011 regular season and fined an additional two games checks for violating the NFL policy on performance enhancing substances, according to a statement released Friday by the NFL. Williams’ suspension begins on Saturday, Sept. 3. He will be eligible to return to the Vikings’ active roster on Monday, Sept. 19 following the team’s Sept. 18 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the statement said. I have no idea if this is a new suspension or the Starcaps thing again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve9347 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 2, 2011 -> 02:46 PM) I have no idea if this is a new suspension or the Starcaps thing again. Nice of them to wait until the Vikings completely don't matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrangeSox Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 At least they didn't win anything, but that was bulls***. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostfan Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Briggs is acting like a b**** again... this is getting old. 3/1/2008: Signed a six-year, $36 million contract. The deal contains $13 million guaranteed, including a $4 million signing bonus, a $3.75 million roster bonus in the first year, a $4.75 million roster bonus in the second, and a $3.3 million roster bonus in the third. Annual $250,000 workout bonuses are also available. 2011: $3.65 million, 2012: $3.75 million, 2013: $6.25 million, 2014: Free Agent Notice which years his roster bonuses ran out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 That didnt take long http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=14437263 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted September 3, 2011 Author Share Posted September 3, 2011 QUOTE (RockRaines @ Sep 3, 2011 -> 05:07 AM) That didnt take long http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=14437263 Didn't take Sampson long to get hired into the pro game either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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