The Bernstein Brief: Matt Forte Injury Is No Big Deal For Bears
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) Fantasy football skews some reaction to injuries, because our football world is increasingly about the individuals more than the teams.
Those of us not participating in the new national pastime are free to evaluate these situations without considering their effect on any personal stakes, and it's clear that the Bears losing running back Matt Forte for some time isn't particularly damaging -- and it may even accelerate their rebuilding.
The Bears are unlikely to re-sign Forte, who will turn 30 in December, despite his hugely productive career and continued importance to the offense. They drafted Jeremy Langford this year with the expectation that he could develop.
This team is going nowhere this season, so there's no downside to seeing what Langford can do with a starter's preparation and workload. He needs to learn pass protection and route running, too, and now he can get started.
If he rises to the occasion, great. If he doesn't, that helps, too -- it allows the Bears a more informed decision on the position. Count it as one of the luxuries afforded by a 2-5 record.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.