"Matt Forte has been running hard to prove people wrong since he joined the Bears in 2008 as a second-round draft pick.

Now he's three days away from starting the season intent on proving general manager Jerry Angelo wrong as contract negotiations have reached an apparent dead end.

Angelo said July 31 his "intent" was to sign Forte to a long-term extension before the season, but discussions with agent Adisa Bakari were not fruitful and Angelo announced Monday that talks have been tabled to shift the focus to the season ahead — beginning Sunday with the opener against the Falcons. He suggested the Bears will revisit the situation after the season, when they can dangle what could be a pricey franchise tag in front of Forte.

"I don't think he lied about (his intent)," Forte said Wednesday. "We tried to get a deal done. Maybe they have a different view of the type of player that I am than the type of player that (I) think I am.

"(I'm) a little surprised and disappointed it wasn't (done). Coming into the league, you feel like this is supposed to be production-based. When you produce in the offense, you expect the organization to actually notice that compared to other guys. We just couldn't meet in the middle, I guess.""