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For a 2nd and a late round pick why wouldn't we pull the trigger on this trade??? Forte is one of the top 3 backs in the league right now and although he is coming off of knee surgery this is the kind of gamble we have to take. The great thing about this back is that he is still relatively young, and has plenty of good seasons ahead of him. I know that we have Vereen, Ridley, and Woodhead already in this backfield but Forte is a huge upgrade from either Ridley or Vereen (Woodhead is primarily a 3rd down back so he isn't going to get a bulk of the carries anyways). The contract wouldn't be as big of a deal if it is spread out over a number of years, when the signing bonus is due, back-loading the contract, etc (i.e., there are plenty of ways to get around the cap by fudging with the numbers).
No offense to any of the current running backs we have, but when you have the opportunity to add an elite running back to an already explosive offense, then you are really setting your team up for success. Look at what Corey Dillon was able to bring to this offense for the three seasons he was a Pat. Another big thing to look at with this is that Brady isn't getting any younger, and having a reliable workhorse back would take a ton of strain off of Brady so he doesn't have to throw the ball 40+ times a game.
Lastly, the Brady window is slowly closing. I realistically believe that he has 3-4 seasons of playing at a high level, which means its time for this franchise to make moves to win now. I'm not saying mortgage the entire future to get a player like Forte if the Bears are asking for multiple 1st rounders or what not. From what sources are saying, the asking price isn't too high and the Pats have the picks/cap room right now to make this deal work. I normally don't feel the Pats need to make huge splashes during the off-season with personal (Like Mike Wallace or Mario Williams) but the opportunity to get a player of Forte's caliber doesn't happen much in the NFL.
Forte didn't have knee surgery. He sprained his MCL.












