Forte: Toe will be healed by Monday
By NICK HUT – nhut@nwherald.com
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LAKE FOREST – Bears running back Matt Forte is confident he will be healthy for Monday night’s game against Green Bay after a toe injury limited him against New Orleans.
Forte suffered a toe sprain on his first carry Thursday against the Saints. He returned to the game in the second quarter but finished with only 11 carries for 34 yards and a goal-line touchdown.
Forte rested during Tuesday’s short practice and hopes to be able to participate when the Bears return to work Thursday.
“The extra time is “definitely good,” Forte said. “[We’ll] get a lot of people healed up and especially get my foot healed up so I’m ready to go Monday.”
Toe injuries sound minor, but they can hamper players and even force them to miss multiple games. The hindrance can be toughest for a running back.
“A lot of people think it’s just a toe, but a toe’s very important when you’re a running back because you have to make cuts and things like that,” Forte said.
Orton sidelined: Quarter-back Kyle Orton joined Forte in watching Tuesday’s indoor practice. Orton has had a sore ankle since going down in the Nov. 2 game against Detroit and sitting out the next week’s contest against Tennessee.
“We kept out quite a few of our players today just to heal up,” coach Lovie Smith said. “We’ll get on our regular game-week routine on Thursday, and I expect we’ll have all of our players out there then.”
The Bears are off today.
Best-case scenario: The Bears’ playoff hopes could be all but dashed before they take the field Monday night, depending on the outcome of Sunday’s games.
That’s not a concern as Smith’s team ramps up preparation for the Packers, a team that routed them last month at Lambeau Field. The Bears will approach the next few days as though their game will decide everything.
“We have a lot to play for, and [the Packers are] next up on our schedule,” Smith said. “We need to get a win in the worst way.”
Ordinary yet extraordinary: Defensive end Adewale Ogunleye saluted linebacker Lance Briggs’ Pro Bowl-caliber performance this season, while noting Briggs is not quite a physical specimen.
“I don’t know how he does it,” Ogunleye said. “He’s not the best-shape-looking guy, but on Sundays he plays like an all-pro.”
Ogunleye was asked whether he gives Briggs a hard time about his physique.
“Oh, he knows,” Ogunleye said. “He’s a good dude, but he won’t win any Mr. Olympia competitions.”
