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The Chicago Bears reportedly are concerned about the knees of running back Matt Forte, which in turn is influencing their willingness to give him huge money.

Matt Forte has a message for the Bears:  His knees are just fine.

“100Lbs sled up hill i think my knee will be ok,” Forte said on Twitter, attaching a video of him running uphill with, presumably, a sled weighted down by 100 pounds.

The Bears have applied the franchise tender to Forte, under which he’d make $7.7 million for 2012.  It’s unknown whether he’ll ultimately accept the tender and earn the guaranteed salary.  In 2013, it would cost the Bears $9.24 million to keep him for another season.

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Mike Florio talks with Fort Worth Star-Telegram Cowboys Beat Reporter, Charean Williams about Jerry Jones’s comments on the window closing for the Cowboys, Tony Romo’s future as a Cowboy, and Cowboys receiving and rushing core. Florio also take calls, tweets, and emails from PFT Planet.

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AP

The former high-school football star and USC recruit who was jailed based on false testimony wants a shot at the NFL.  Brian Banks also seeks compensation for his wrongful imprisonment.

According to the Associated Press, Banks will seek $100 per day for every day of his five-year imprisonment from the state of California.  It’s a sum less than $200,000 — a far cry from fair compensation for five years behind bars.

Per the report, Banks won’t sue his accuser, Wanetta Gibson.  She recanted her claim of kidnapping and rape, allowing Banks to be fully cleared of all wrongdoing.  Prosecutors have no immediate plans to pursue criminal charges against Gibson, but the door hasn’t been closed.

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AP

Alex Smith raised some eyebrows this week when he used Cam Newton as an example of how great statistics from a quarterback don’t always translate to wins. Now one of Newton’s teammates is firing back.

It started when Smith got defensive about his stats, saying that he’d rather be judged by his team’s record than his passing yards.

“I could absolutely care less on yards per game,” Smith said. “I think that is a totally overblown stat because if you’re losing games in the second half, guess what, you’re like the Carolina Panthers and you’re going no-huddle the entire second half. Yeah, Cam Newton threw for a lot of 300-yard games. That’s great. You’re not winning, though.”

There’s some validity to what Smith said there: A quarterback’s passing yardage is often dependent on the score of the game, and in most of the 49ers’ games last season they were protecting leads in the second half. That’s part of the reason that Smith ranked 27th in the NFL with 196.5 passing yards a game.

But then Panthers linebacker Jon Beason took to Twitter with a valid point of his own. Beason told Smith to keep quiet about Newton, and he took a shot at Smith over the fact that the 49ers tried to sign Peyton Manning this year before settling on bringing Smith back.

“Alex smith, don’t hate on Cam Bc your stats would’ve gotten u cut if Peyton decided to come 2 San Fran.Truth b told..That’s after a 13-3 yr,” Beason wrote.

Beason is blunt, but he has a point: The 49ers tried to sign Manning, and the Panthers didn’t try to sign Manning, and the reason for that is that the 49ers aren’t as confident that Smith is their long-term answer as the Panthers are that Newton is their long-term answer.

And when Smith says to Newton, “You’re not winning,” he seems to be suggesting that Newton is to blame for the Panthers’ 6-10 record last season, and that Smith himself deserves the credit for the 49ers’ 13-3 record. And that’s nonsense.

The reason the 49ers won more games than the Panthers last season was because the 49ers’ defense and special teams were better than the Panthers’ defense and special teams. It’s ridiculous for Smith to suggest that he did more for his team than Newton did for his team when the Panthers’ offense was better than the 49ers’ offense.

Smith did a fine job last season of playing not to lose by cutting down on his turnovers and avoiding mistakes on a team whose defense and special teams were among the best in the league. But Newton did an amazing job last season of arriving on the worst team in the NFL and instantly making it competitive. Beason is right: Smith shouldn’t compare himself to Newton.

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While taking an initial look at the collusion lawsuit filed this week by the NFLPA against the NFL, two paragraphs in the 20-page document caught my eye.

In paragraph 22 and paragraph 25(b), a PFT report is cited.  At paragraph 22, the collusion suit cites our March 12 article, in which we reported that the NFL warned teams “at least six times” against dumping salary in the uncapped year of 2010.  At paragraph 25(b), the collusion suit quotes the same article for the proposition that the league threatened “serious consequences.”  (The collusion suit incorrectly characterizes our report as claiming that there would be “‘serious consequences’ for any Club that violated [the $123 million] secret salary cap.”  Our report merely states that serious consequences were threatened as to any team that used the uncapped year as an occasion to dump salaries.)

Assuming that the collusion suit survives the league’s inevitable argument that all legal claims, known or unknown, were released as of August 4, 2011, the NFLPA likely will want me to disclose my source.  Without the source’s consent, I simply can’t do it.  And so, if I’m subpoenaed to testify and if I’m asked to identify the source and when I decline to identify the source, things could get interesting.

Fortunately, things likely won’t get too interesting.  Last year, West Virginia joined a 40-state majority that has passed shield laws protecting reporters from disclosing confidential sources.  Without getting into the nuances, the law looks to be more than broad enough to prevent me from having to post PFT updates from the wrong side of an assortment of steel bars.

Obviously, if I’m subpoenaed, I’ll show up and testify.  And I’ll tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in response to every question asked.  And I’ll show nothing but respect for the process and everyone involved in it; even though I no longer practice law, I still consider myself to be an officer of the court.

But I won’t disclose my source.

Apparently, I also won’t go to jail.

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Bills DT Torell Troup is hoping for a redemptive season.

Will RB Reggie Bush factor on returns for the Dolphins?

RB Joseph Addai is getting used to life as a member of the Patriots.

Jets RB Shonn Greene looked slimmer at Thursday’s practice.

Ravens S Bernard Pollard called his extension with the team a blessing.

Defensive assistant Hue Jackson has been an animated presence at Bengals practices.

CB Sheldon Brown is helping Browns rookies transition to the NFL.

Steelers CB Keenan Lewis is excited about the opportunities in front of him this season.

QB Case Keenum is getting used to taking snaps from center at Texans practice.

Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com outlines dream and nightmare scenarios for the Colts.

Former Jaguars T Richard Collier, paralyzed in a shooting in 2008, spoke to the team on Thursday.

The Titans are building a performance stage at LP Field.

There aren’t too many people missing Tim Tebow around the Broncos.

DT Dontari Poe is seeing more snaps in passing situations during Chiefs practice.

Raiders rookies are feeling a bit more comfortable after two weeks of practice with the team’s veterans.

Chargers LB Shaun Phillips likes the new additions to the defense.

QB Stephen McGee could lose his spot on the Cowboys roster.

The Giants signed CB Dante Hughes to replace Brian Witherspoon on the roster.

Said Eagles coach Andy Reid of QB Nick Foles, “Lots of little things. He’s completing balls and his completion percentage is way up there. He’s doing a good job with that and knowing the limited amount that he knows right now. He’s a smart kid and we’re throwing a ton at him right now. We really like his attitude.”

Redskins WR Santana Moss wants to regain the form that eluded him last season.

Bears RB Michael Bush knows that he’s going to play a similar role to the one he played in Oakland.

Chris McCosky of the Detroit News thinks Lions WR Titus Young deserves the benefit of the doubt after the incident with S Louis Delmas.

The Packers have an over/under of 12 wins in Vegas.

A roundup of what’s been going on at Vikings OTAs.

Curtis Lofton hopes to prove the Falcons wrong in their assessment of his abilities.

Panthers WR David Gettis said he’s on schedule for his return from a torn ACL.

Said Saints QB Chase Daniel, “I’d say I’m number 1-B right now. I obviously know what my role is on this team. And right now it’s to prepare like the starter and to take the No. 1 snaps. This is Drew’s team. I’m just here to fill in and get ready and prepare like the starter, you know, like I have from 2009, when I started here.”

T Donald Penn wants to see more running from the Buccaneers offense this season.

Rookie T Bobbie Massie is working as a backup, but the team wants him to compete for the starting right tackle job.

RB Steven Jackson likes the way the Rams offense looks right now.

The 49ers won’t move T Anthony Davis to guard this offseason.

Seahawks T James Carpenter ran for the first time since ACL surgery.

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AP

While the 2012 NFL offseason has become, all things considered, the craziest stretch of bizarre news and unexpected developments in memory, no single event has been more shocking than Eagles quarterback Mike Vick’s involvement in a dogfighting ring, circa 2007.

Three years after Vick’s federal prison term ended and two years after he re-established himself as a high-end quarterback, Vick remains a controversial figure, as a car dealership in Las Vegas has learned.

Vick is attending a youth football camp in Sin City, and he made a Friday night appearance at a local auto dealership.  According to the Las Vegas Sun, the dealership ultimately dismantled its Facebook page after commenters hurled insults and threats at Vick.  Others vowed to boycott the dealership.

“People have grown to forgive me and give me a second chance,” Vick said Saturday morning.  But he also admitted some haven’t forgiven and forgotten.

Frankly, it’s surprising that Vick hasn’t experienced criticism and vitriol more frequently.  Then again, folks are more willing to lash out from behind the comfort of their computer screens.  Vick has experienced very few awkward in-person exchanges over the past three years.

All things considered, the football-following world has moved on from his sordid past, giving him that second chance and celebrating his return to prominence on the field and his maturity off it.  There always will be critics — and they always will be more likely to criticize via their keyboards and not their mouths.

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As more concerns emerge regarding the potential link between concussions and long-term brain problems, players undoubtedly will be taking more steps not only to avoid head trauma, but to figure out how to counter its potential consequences.

Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin, who never has shied away from contact in any form during his nine full NFL seasons, says he’s looking for ways to protect and preserve his long-term brain function.

“I’m doing research myself to try to find ways to rectify brain damage,” Boldin recently told CNN’s World Sport, via CSNBaltimore.com.

Boldin, who says he has suffered only one concussion (and what a concussion it was), said that a doctor has suggested that a hyperbaric chamber could protect against long-term brain problems for persons who have suffered multiple concussions.

Look for other players to try to find other ways to help themselves.  Here’s hoping that, in time, research will lead to effective strategies for helping players stay healthy after they’re done playing.

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