Former Bears tight end Greg Olsen has seen Matt Forte rip up the field this season. He views his former teammate as one of the hardest workers in Chicago, a throwback type who's earned success through his intense training and preparation in the shadows -- when the cameras are off.
Forte's caught in a increasingly ugly public contract dispute with the Bears' front office (these never go well, see: Hillis, Peyton) and Olsen -- traded to the Panthers in July -- remains as perplexed as the next guy as to why Chicago is unwilling to seal up their back long-term.
Olsen, however, is not entirely surprised.
"Obviously, you know, I think it's a little crazy they won't reward their best player. ... Especially offensively, he has been pretty much the whole offense," Olsen told WMVP-AM in Chicago on Wednesday.
"I mean, he single-handedly beat us (in Week 4). Him and (Devin) Hester. ... He's been like this since he was a rookie. He's come in and carried a heavy load under two different offensive coordinators, and his play has just continued to get better. Those are the guys you want to see rewarded, the guys that do it the right way.
"You've got to hope that they do the right thing, but, as we all know, sometimes they make decisions that are a little crazy."
Olsen told the station he's happy to be in a tight end-friendly offense in Carolina, but he was turned off by Bears general manager Jerry Angelo's handling of the trade.
"I just felt like the way they approached it was a little -- in my opinion -- a little unprofessional," Olsen said, echoing the concerns of more than one Bears player this season.
