Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith makes the Matt Forte situation sound so simple.
In speaking with ESPN's Rachel Nichols on Sunday, Smith assured everyone not to worry, even as Forte himself has reached the tipping point regarding his contract status.
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"We love him, he's going to rush for a lot of yards for us," Smith said. "It's going to work out fine."
That's it. No empathy for one of the NFL's most productive running backs who feels -- and rightfully so -- like he's getting a raw deal.
Forte already was unhappy with his contract status last season, and his feelings only worsened when the Bears slapped the franchise tag on him earlier this month. Now he's downright livid after the team signed Michael Bush to a four-year, $14 million deal last week.
This is the first time we've heard from Smith regarding the matter since the Bush acquisition, and we can't imagine the coach's overly simplistic assessment will go over well with Forte. A little understanding might have gone a long way to ensuring that everything does, in fact, work out fine.
