Florio: Bears Need To Make Decision On Forte
(WSCR) With the deadline rapidly approaching for the Bears to either sign or franchise tag Matt Forte, a decision could be coming soon.
One NFL expert said that should be the Bears No. 1 priority.
"The first thing I have on the list is you gotta figure out what you think about Matt Forte," Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk told The McNeil and Spiegel Show. "How do you view him? How do you value him? Do you view him as an Adrian Peterson or a Chris Johnson? I think he wants to be paid that way. I don't think Phil Emery, the new GM, sees him that way. You have to figure that out. This situation has to be resolved one way or the other. Even if it means applying the franchise tag, paying him the $7.7 million for 2012 and hoping he shows up at some point before two days before the start of the regular season."
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While running back should be the Bears main focus, according to Florio, wide receiver is a close second.
Still, Florio doesn't think the Bears should jump the gun and sign a big-name receiver right away.
"Beyond that, receiver is the biggest concern," he said. "For whatever reason, Jerry Angelo, the former GM, wanted nothing to do with going out and upgrading. This year, though, the dynamic changes. Here's how it changes: The rookie wage scale allows you an opportunity to get players and squat on them at much lower financial investments than you previously had to make, especially in round one.
"I think the smart move is to wait a week (after free agency begins,) let everything die down, see who is left and then try to get a bargain. I just think somebody is going to overpay for Vincent Jackson because they want to have the press conference and hold up the jersey and sell jerseys and hats and justify raising ticket prices 85 percent. There are different reasons why you go out and sign guys the first couple of days. Taking the longer view, you want to resist jumping into an auction for a guy who is going to get over paid."
