Matt Forte Sits Out Practice With Leg Injury

Bears aren't saying how serious it is

By TOM FORNELLI

Updated 7:15 PM CST, Thu, Jun 4, 2009

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Just about all of the talk surrounding the Bears this offseason has centered on their acquisition of Jay Cutler, and rightfully so. We've been waiting for a quarterback in this town for quite a while now, and Cutler gives the Bears their best chance at finding one in a long, long time. Sure, some folks like Tony Dungy aren't as optimistic about what Cutler can do in Chicago, but not everybody gets to benefit from having Peyton Manning running their offense either.

Dungy is right in his assessment that there will be a lot of pressure on Cutler to succeed here, though, which is why it's incredibly important that he gets plenty of support. While a top-notch receiver wouldn't hurt at all it's also pivotal that last season's rookie sensation, Matt Forte, eases the load on Cutler. The best way to get a good passing attack going is by having a strong ground game, and Forte will also benefit from Cutler's presence.

So we should probably hope that Forte's apparent leg injury is no big deal.

Forte watched practice today after limping off the field on Wednesday and according to some sources the team is awaiting the results of an MRI.

Bears running back Matt Forte observed Thursday's organized team activities but did not participate, according to an NFL source. Forte was scheduled to undergo an MRI Thursday morning, but the Bears would not confirm that the procedure was performed.

Now according to Forte, via his Twitter page, he's all good but it's not like an athlete is going to use his Twitter page to announce to the world he's trembling in fear for his career about an injury. All we really know is that anytime a running back feels pain in or around his knee, it's not a good thing.

Now whether it's a calf strain or a hamstring injury we can't be sure, but if the injury limits Forte through the summer, it's not a good thing. Though if there's ever a good time for a football player to hurt himself, it's the first week of June while there's still plenty of time to get ready.

So let's just hope that if Forte did in fact get an MRI that the results don't show anything to worry about.

Along with writing for NBCCHICAGO.com, Tom Fornelli can also be found contributing at FanHouse, SPORTSbyBROOKS, and his own Chicago sports blog Foul Balls.