Door Matt

Our long national nightmare is over.  The Chicago Bears's dismal season is over.  Losing the final 13-9 to the Minnesota Viking, the Bears finished the season 5-11.  But it was worse than that, in that the team was often out of some games by the end of first quarter.  I sent an email to a friend at the halftime of the Bears-Packers game saying that I wouldn't be surprised if coach Marc Tressman was fired before the third quarter started.  I was only being semi-facetious.  It was that much an embarrassment.

There were a few shining spots, most notably Matt Forte.  Yet even there, some teeth-gnashing is involved.

Matt Forte set an NFL record with 102 receptions, the most-ever by a running back in a single season.  And he became only the second player in the history of the NFL to have over 1,000 yards rushing and 100 catches.

And...he wasn't selected to the Pro Bowl...!!!

I understand that the Bears as a team stank.  But that's all the more reason to be impressed by Forte's achievements.  And there were other running backs who had good years.  Though not all those selected appear to have.  And again -- he set the record for most catches ever by a running back in NFL history and was just the second player ever in the league's history to have 100 catches and 1,000 yards.

And he wasn't picked for the Pro Bowl???

Please.

And it's not like Matt Forte is an unknown entity, who slipped through the cracks of voters unnoticed.  He's been voted onto the Pro Bowl twice before, including last year.

What more did voters want of him, especially on a terrible team -- to sell food concessions in the stands during the game, too?!