Forte wants Bears to 'throw him a bone' with new contract

Running back Matt Forte will seek a contract extension from the Chicago Bears after the NFL lockout ends.

Although the fourth-year pro from Tulane has a good argument that he's underpaid, he told the Chicago Tribune this weekend that he believes he's "going about it the right way" and wouldn't be interested in a holdout over money.

"My agent, Adisa Bakari, talked to (general manager) Jerry Angelo and Cliff Stein last season, just letting them know that we've been producing," Forte said. "And now that it's close to training camp, we don't have much time to negotiate."

"Any time a player has been producing very well," Forte added, "they're going to come back and say, 'Hey, throw me a bone here.' "

Forte is due $550,000 in the final year of his rookie contract. His backup, Chester Taylor, is scheduled to make $1.25 million after pulling in $7 million last season while totaling 267 yards and averaging 2.4 yards per carry. Forte finished with 1,069 yards and 4.5 yards per carry.

Forte ranks fifth in the NFL in yards from scrimmage (4,731) since 2008. And he is the only player in Bears history with 1,400-plus yards from scrimmage in each of his first three seasons.

Forte said he wants to sign an extension before the start of practice.

"A long-term deal would be, I guess, five years," he said. "That's a long time for a running back to play. "Five years? That's beating the odds."

"Right now, I think I'm one of the best in the game."

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Agent says Polamalu wants to finish career in Pittsburgh

It has been a busy offseason for Troy Polamalu.

He has been rehabilitating an Achilles' tendon injury in Los Angeles. He earned his bachelor's degree in history from USC. He'll have a maximum 99 rating in the "Madden NFL 12" video game when it's released next month.

But has the Pittsburgh Steelers' star safety also been planning a request for a contract extension once the NFL lockout is over?

"The Steelers always have done this sort of thing the year before a contract is up," Marvin Demoff, Polamalu's agent, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review when asked Thursday about the possibility. "There's been no discussion yet, but I'd say it's highly likely that was because of the lockout. We'd be open to it, sure. Troy's played there eight years and wants to finish his career in Pittsburgh."

Polamalu, who signed a four-year, $30 million extension in 2007, never fully recovered from the Achilles' tendon injury he suffered during a Week 14 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals when he approached the end zone to score a touchdown off an interception return. He missed subsequent games against the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers before returning for the regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns.

Following treatment and rehab under the care of an orthopedic surgeon with ties to the Steelers' medical staff, Polamalu was expected to be ready by training camp -- whenever that might be.

"Troy tends to be pretty hard on himself emotionally and physically," Demoff said, "and he feels really good about where he is."

Now 30 years old, Polamalu has fully played a 16-game schedule in just four of his eight seasons because of his physical style of play. He has missed 13 regular-season games the last three seasons but still has 17 interceptions and 35 passes defended.

With the Steelers' defense rock solid but aging -- nine of the unit's 11 regular starters last season are either over 30 or about to turn 30 -- the question of a long-term contract might be troubling to the front office. But Demoff doesn't see his client just hanging around to collect a paycheck.

"That's not Troy," Demoff said. "He's not the type to keep playing when he's not at a high level. No offense, but he's not going to be Brett Favre."

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Vikings' Ponder wants to start but willing to learn from veteran

Rookie quarterback Christian Ponder, the Minnesota Vikings' first-round draft pick, told KFAN-AM that he's gunning to become the team's starting quarterback this season, but he understands the thought process behind possibly bringing in a veteran.

"Obviously, I think everyone in my position would love to start Week 1," Ponder told the radio station last week. "It's the competitor in me, and something I've always dreamed of was starting in the NFL, and I want to do it ASAP. But obviously there are some reasons behind bringing a guy in, and obviously there's some definite pros to it. If they still bring in a guy, it's going to be someone who knows what he's doing. It will give me a lot to learn from and help me out.

"But at the same time, I want to definitely start Week 1. So, we'll see what happens, and whatever happens, I'll be completely fine with it. I think the coaches are going to make the best decision for me personally."

Ponder, a former Florida State star, said his offseason training at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., has helped him learn NFL verbiage and play-calling in a minicamp-style setting.

"There's probably 15 to 20 guys here at IMG and some guys that are in college, some guys are in the NFL and they are coming out and catching routes," Ponder said. "We had some guys that came in that were from the Vikings a couple of weeks ago and we did the same thing when they were here. (Vikings wideout) Manny Arceneaux is down here full time. ... (Vikings tight end Visanthe) Shiancoe was just down here for a couple of days this week ... I got to work with him a bit as well."

Shiancoe joined Ponder and Vikings quarterback Joe Webb, who was forced into starting as a rookie late last season because of injuries to Minnesota's other signal-callers. Ponder and Webb likely would compete for the starting job if the Vikings don't add a veteran quarterback.

"We really went over the playbook," Shiancoe told NFL Network's Jason La Canfora last week.

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"Visanthe is a freak," Ponder said of Shiancoe's athleticism.

Ponder told the radio station that he has kept an eye on labor talks during the NFL lockout, and he can't wait to get going once things are settled.

"I've definitely been following it," Ponder said. "It's just too hard to tell (when the lockout will end) because there's not enough details being released and everyone is being optimistic about it. Then you hear comments here and there that say not to be optimistic about it because we are a long way away, so it's too hard to tell. I want to be optimistic about it, and hopefully things are going to end soon. But at the same time, I don't want to get my hopes up and nothing happens. ... Hopefully it clears up in the next couple weeks. So we'll see."

Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson is waiting to see what Ponder can bring to the offense, The Star Tribune reported Monday, citing ESPN.

"I really don't know much about the guy," Peterson told ESPN earlier this month. "I've heard nothing but good things about him. I've watched him a little bit at Florida State. One thing I have noticed is he's smart with the ball, he's very accurate and just taking the surrounding cast we have as far as receivers -- Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, Shiancoe -- I feel like he'll be able to do enough to get us there.

"We all have our part to do to contribute. I'm definitely going to do my part. So I'm going to do the best I can to make it easy on him, (being as how) he's a first-year guy and we'll see how he responds."

With the lockout in its fourth month, Peterson refused to count out Webb in the team's quarterback battle -- or the addition of a veteran passer.

"Obviously (Brett) Favre is retired, we've got some guys returning -- Joe Webb," Peterson said. "When you draft a quarterback (as high as Ponder), I'm sure you would assume that he's going to come in as the starter. The lockout is still in effect, and it's still undetermined when the season is going to start. I don't know how we throw a young guy into the fire like that. To just start.

"To be able to sit here and tell you who exactly is going to start, it's a long stretch for me to pick. I'm sure whenever the lockout is lifted and we start where there is some type of training camp, the best player will be on the field."

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Group wants Bednarik statue at Penn, if money can be raised

"Concrete Charlie" might be cast in bronze one day.

Civic leaders, NFL figures and fans have been pushing for a statue of Chuck Bednarik to be erected at Franklin Field, where he played with both the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Eagles. However, the Philadelphia Daily News reported Saturday, raising money for the project, which would be the centerpiece of a sports museum honoring Penn and the Eagles, has been a problem.

"From what I gathered in talking to Steve (Bilsky, Penn's athletic director), we gave a monetary figure (to be raised) to the people who came to us with the idea of doing the Bednarik statue," Mike Mahoney, the school's director of athletic communications, told the newspaper. "The sense I get is we're nowhere near that number at this point."

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According to the Daily News, NFL Films president Steve Sabol, former Eagles coach Dick Vermeil, ex-U.S. vice president John Chaney and Upton Bell, son of the late NFL commissioner Bert Bell, are among those who support the Bednarik statue. Bednarik himself also would like to see it.

"Fantastic. Fantastic. Unbelievable," the 86-year-old Hall of Famer told the newspaper from his Coopersburg, Pa., home. "I hope I live long enough to see it."

Brian P. Hanlon, a New Jersey-based artist, said he has done sketches for the statue, and "I am prepared to start the 7-foot clay model as soon as I am contracted by the University of Pennsylvania to proceed."

When that will happen is anyone's guess, but there's strong sentiment to honor Bednarik, who played center and linebacker for the Eagles from 1949 to 1962 and is considered one of the NFL's "last 60-minute men." He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967, and the Eagles retired his jersey No. 60.

Eagles president Joe Banner told the Daily News that the team isn't "anti-statues" and pointed out that its practice facility features big pictures of Hall of Fame players, including Bednarik.

"The group that wanted to do the Bednarik statue, we had talked to them about our idea of taking one player from each decade and kind of doing a group of statues," Banner said. "They wanted to honor Chuck separately, in a time frame sooner than we were prepared to do."

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Payback? Ex-Redskin Portis wants chance to join rival Giants

Clinton Portis knows he has something to prove entering the 2011 season. He'd like to prove it to his former team, the Washington Redskins, twice per year.

Portis said Tuesday on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he wouldn't mind joining the NFC East rival New York Giants, calling the possibility "outstanding."

"I would love that opportunity," Portis said, via Comcast SportsNet Washington and RealRedskins.com.

Portis, 29, noted that the Giants pound the football with their 1-2 running back punch of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs, boast a solid offensive line and have a premier quarterback in Eli Manning. All they need is to join forces.

"I just need to be able to come out and show what I'm capable of," said Portis, who's 77 rushing yards shy of 10,000 in his career. "... I think it's revitalizing to have an opportunity and still have the drive and still have the hunger to go out and prove people wrong."

The Giants aren't the only team on Portis' wish list. The Mississippi native expressed disappointment that the New Orleans Saints drafted Alabama running back Mark Ingram last month -- "I thought that would be a match made in heaven," Portis said -- and he mentioned San Diego's Philip Rivers, Indianapolis' Peyton Manning, New England's Tom Brady, Philadelphia's Michael Vick, Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger as quarterbacks with whom he'd like to play.

One team not on Portis' list: the Oakland Raiders. That's because former Redskins offensive coordinator Al Saunders, who coached Portis in 2006 and 2007, is there.

"I don't think Al Saunders' system fit me," Portis said. Me and Al kind of clashed when we were in D.C. -- I'm not sure he was a big fan of mine, the practice habits. ... I think for myself, (I need) a clean slate, something new, a fresh start."

The Redskins released Portis in February because of his impending $8.3 million salary and injuries that limited him to just 13 games in the last two seasons. Portis pointed out Tuesday that the NFL lockout, which is in its third month, actually helps him, giving him more time to heal.

"I think I'm in better shape today than I was since, probably, my fourth or fifth year in the NFL," Portis said. "... Now I'm having some freedom and opportunity to go elsewhere and train and do my own thing and recover at my own pace. Usually by now, my back hurts from pushing sleds and doing this and doing that in the offseason program. ...

"I'm looking forward to growing completely healed. I'm benching, I'm squatting, I'm running. I feel like I got the speed back that was once dominating and scared so many other opposing teams."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Vikings DE Griffen wants to put offseason issues behind him

Everson Griffen won't deny that his offseason has been unacceptable. Now the Minnesota Vikings defensive end is trying to show his team that he's back on the right track.

Griffen was arrested twice in the Los Angeles area in January, but he relocated to Minnesota last month to focus on training for a new season, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Saturday.

"I had a little rough stretch," said Griffen, who works out daily with linebacker E.J. Henderson, linebacker Jasper Brinkley and quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. "Coaches want me back, and that's the place for me to be. ... I'm just trying to make changes. I've got big years coming up. I'm just trying to show the Minnesota Vikings I'm here for good."

Griffen was arrested for allegedly being drunk in public and resisting arrest over the course of one week (the charges were later dropped, he said). When the 23-year-old later announced that he was hosting a Facebook-advertised party in Las Vegas, Vikings coach Leslie Frazier intervened. The party was called off after Frazier delivered a clear message on what's expected from Griffen both on and off the field.

"He said, 'Know what you're here for,' " Griffen said. "I'm here to play football. I'm here to represent the Minnesota Vikings, and I want to represent them in a good way, not a bad way."

Griffen was a fourth-round draft pick by the Vikings last year after skipping his senior season at USC, and the team acknowledged his penchant for inconsistent play. But Griffen saw more playing time toward the end of his rookie season and finished with 11 tackles, also playing on special teams. The 6-foot-3, 275-pounder in line to compete for a more significant role in 2011 with starter Ray Edwards on the verge of free agency.

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Bills safety Whitner wants new deal, hopes to avoid free agency

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills safety Donte Whitner said he's having contract talks with the team in a bid to avoid becoming a free agent after this season.

Whitner said the two sides have been negotiating for more than a month, but no deal has been reached. Whitner hopes a new contract can be reached because he'd prefer remaining in Buffalo (2-10) and help turn around a team that will miss the playoffs for an 11th consecutive season.

The Bills will host the Cleveland Browns (5-7) on Sunday.

Whitner has been a starter since his rookie season in 2006, after being drafted eighth overall out of Ohio State. He's second on the team this season with 111 tackles -- the second season he has had at least 100.

The Bills have a policy to not discuss contract talks.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Ward wants Bucs stop in rearview mirror, preps to play Giants

Derrick Ward, a contributor to the Houston Texans' NFL-leading rushing attack, is working to erase the memories of last season's troubled stopover with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Ward, who signed with the Bucs in 2009 after five seasons with the New York Giants, was cut by Tampa Bay in August after rushing for just 409 yards and three touchdowns during a 3-13 year. Ward signed a veteran-minimum deal with the Texans on Sept. 4.

"I feel like I went straight from New York to Houston," Ward told The Star-Ledger on Wednesday.

Ward indirectly ripped the Bucs by calling the Texans "a team that actually wants to block for their running backs, actually wants to win and doesn't set their goals to a (lower) standard."

Bucs coach Raheem Morris didn't bite Thursday when asked about Ward's comments.

"We're not going to comment about guys that are no longer here," Morris said. "Have nothing to do with what we're trying to do. ... Have nothing to do with us dealing with adversity. Nothing to do with us being resilient, growing so we don't get into that stuff, and I just wish Derrick Ward the best."

Ward, who will face the Giants on Sunday, posted his best game of the season in Week 4, an 80-yard performance in the Texans' 31-24 victory over the Oakland Raiders.

Brandon Jacobs, Ward's former Giants backfield mate, is rooting for a comeback.

"It was tough to see him that way because he's a great back and he's been through a lot of trials and tribulations lately," Jacobs told The Star-Ledger. "He's going to come through it. He just has to hang in there and show people he can still play football."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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