LeGere: Against Dallas, Bears need to lean on Forte
Matt Forte was not pleased with the play-calling in last week's 34-17 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field because the Bears made no effort to establish a ground game.
It was even more aggravating because in the previous meeting at Detroit Forte rushed for 95 yards on 14 carries. He got just 5 attempts on Thanksgiving, however, which netted 6 yards.
“This last game, we didn't run the ball at all,” Forte said. “We didn't really get a chance to establish it.”
The Bears aren't expected to make the same mistake Thursday night against a Cowboys defense that ranks 22nd in rushing yards and 27th in average gain per rush allowed.
A year ago against the Cowboys at Soldier Field, Forte rushed for 102 yards on 20 carries and caught 7 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown.
“The offensive line did a great job of blocking,” Forte said. “It really starts up front, and that's where we've got to take this game and start with it from there.”
That should be the plan every week for a team with a feature runner like Forte.
Forte has averaged 1,111 rushing yards in each of his previous six seasons since he was drafted in the second round out of Tulane (44th overall in 2008). He also has averaged 57 catches per season, which he has exceeded by 21 this year, and is on a pace for 104.
But it's about way more than the numbers with Forte, as offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer has discovered in two years of working with him.
“When you get up close to a guy like we are, you realize his intelligence, and you realize his passion for the game,” Kromer said. “You see his skills on tape, but you realize those other two things because it's up close and personal with Matt Forte on a day-to-day basis.
“It's everything from never wanting to come out of a game and not getting tired to his attention to detail every day and his passion for the game and what a good person he is. Those are the things that you can't see on tape. That's what strikes me with him.”
The 6-foot-2, 218-pound Forte has missed just five of 108 games since entering the league, and his fitness regimen has become legendary at Halas Hall. His fanatical approach to conditioning is why he rarely misses a game and hardly ever misses a snap.
Even some of the best-conditioned athletes in the NFL often raise their hand to come out of a game because they're winded. Rarely will Forte be seen with his hand up, unless it's to catch another pass.
Forte is such a team player that he won't stay on the field when he knows fatigue could diminish his play and hurt his team. But it's difficult to find an example of when that scenario has played out.
“It just hasn't really occurred,” he says matter-of-factly. “But I've always taken myself out if I needed to. If I get tackled and something doesn't feel right when I come up, or I need a break or a breather, then I come out. Last (month), I ran a screen or something and I came out of the game then.
“Then I had a long run on the sideline and I came out, but fortunately the quarter ended, so I got my breath back and I got right back in the game. If I'm dog tired, I'm going to come out every time.”
Kromer cites a recent example of Forte's endurance and willingness to play every down.
“In a game last (month) he got tired, and he came out, but (the opponent) called timeout,” Kromer said. “So he went back in before the next play. He's a workhorse; he's always been that way, and he gets better with time. So we'll play him as much as we can.”
That's not a slight on rookie Ka'Deem Carey, who has averaged 4.4 yards per carry on 35 attempts and shown a nice burst and more power than his 5-foot-10, 207-pound frame would indicate. But Forte's versatility, durability and smarts are like a security blanket for the offense.
“He does it all for us,” quarterback Jay Cutler said. “You take him out of there, and you forget how good he is. I'm glad he's out there with me. When he's not out there, it's the first thing I notice.”
Forte prides himself on his consistency, and that's one of the qualities that others most admire about him.
“The mark of a true pro is being consistent every day, no ups and downs; and that's him,” Cutler said. “If it's Monday, if it's Friday, if it's Sunday at noon, you're going to get the exact same Matt Forte every single day.
“That's a great thing to have, especially for young guys to see. A guy that's doing it at that high of a level, day in and day out, week in and week out, it's really something.”
Why wouldn't a team want to put that on display every week?
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