Forte's work ethic builds plenty of support among his veteran teammates

BOURBONNAIS - Less than two weeks into training camp, it would be easy to criticize the Bears' most recent draft, considering first-round pick Chris Williams remains unable to practice because of a strained back that he suffered almost before breaking a sweat.

Fortunately for the Bears, second-round running back Matt Forte has more than made up for the disappointment over the slow start of Williams, who was supposed to be one of the guys paving the way for the running game from the left tackle spot.

Forte has been everything his coaches expected: a multi-talented player who can run inside and out, catch the ball and block when called upon. He also has impressed teammates, coaches, fans and observers with his maturity, intelligence and level-headed demeanor.

Forte already acts like he has been here before, even though he hasn't. He's confident without being cocky.

"I wanted to come out here and compete and go into the season starting and all that stuff," he said. "It's all in your mindset, and what you want to be."

Forte wants to be the Bears' featured running back, just as he was at Tulane last season when he rushed for 2,127 yards and caught 32 passes.

He's also smart without being a smart-aleck.

"This is a job," he said. "You've got to put time in the books, study film, come out here and do even more than 100 percent every day."

He knows his place as a rookie without being subservient.

When second-year safety Josh Gattis took a shot at him in 11-on-11 recently, Forte's withering stare was more than enough to make it known that he didn't appreciate being the target of anyone's overzealousness.

Teammates have noticed Forte's proficiency at picking up the blitz, which requires a combination of knowing the play book and the situation plus the desire to perform the grunt work that sometimes comes with a skill position. It's something Cedric Benson never mastered.

Forte appreciates it when he hears that veterans have taken notice of his willingness to do the little things.

"It means a lot," he said. "It means they're paying attention (to me), and also that I'm paying attention to what's going on in the classroom and displaying it on the football field. Learning is a big part of the game as a rookie, and it's going well."

Knowing the playbook won't improve Forte's athleticism, but it will complement the speed, quickness and power he has demonstrated in practice.

"You'll know what you need to do, and you can make your decisions faster," he said. "Therefore, you can play faster."

Offensive coordinator Ron Turner was encouraged by Forte's performance from the first snap at Halas Hall in the off-season, and he continues to be impressed.

"He's exactly what we expected," Turner said. "He's going to continue to be a good player. He's very mature for his age, very intelligent, very instinctive, and just kind of even-keeled. He's got a tremendous amount of pride. He does not like to make mistakes. When he does make a mistake, he's not real happy about it. He's got a tremendous focus about him."

For now, Forte continues to share first-team reps with veteran Adrian Peterson, though he's clearly on the fast track to owning the job outright.

He's not campaigning for it, however, and he doesn't need to, because there are other people talking him up.

"Each day we see something else he can do," coach Lovie Smith said. "But for the most part, he's what we thought he would be - a guy who can run it inside and out and can catch the ball."