Bears' Forte just doing his job
Of course rookie running back Matt Forte made a great impression on his coaches and veteran teammates with a 50-yard touchdown run on a third-and-6 that gave the Bears their first score of the season and a lead they never relinquished in Sunday night's season opener.
But even when Forte got stuck by Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders, the human wrecking ball who is the NFL's reigning defensive MVP, the rookie scored points.
"He can take a hit, because he took a solid blow from the MVP of the league," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "So he showed us quite a bit."
Forte's "Welcome to the NFL" moment came midway through the second quarter after he caught a 5-yard pass and broke one tackle but was rocked by Sanders. He left the field briefly but was back five plays later.
Forte acknowledged the hit, but he low-keyed that just as he did his own accomplishments.
"I've taken hits," he said. "I've been playing football for a while, so hits are hits. I know in the NFL they're a lot harder, maybe. It was a good hit, but I've been hit before."
After the game, the 6-foot-2, 216-pound Forte had a huge ice wrap on the left shoulder that absorbed the punishment from Sanders, but he was all smiles as he received unanimous praise from all corners of the locker room for his 123 rushing yards on 23 carries and his 3 catches for 18 yards.
"He's something special," left tackle John St. Clair said. "Just look at his size; for a guy as big as he is and to run like that, it's amazing. You saw what happened. He's a great talent."
Forte's rushing total was the highest ever for a Bears running back in his debut, and third best in the league Sunday.
"He was outstanding," tight end Desmond Clark said. "He made me look good a couple times. I got beat on a couple blocks, (but) he made a couple cutbacks that made my (bad) block turn into a good block. You saw the breakaway speed that he has. Once he gets in the open field, he can go at any time."
Maybe the greatest praise of all came from those who weren't shocked by his performance but expected greatness from the rookie.
"No one was surprised by it," offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. "We have a lot of confidence in him. We're all impressed with his poise and his composure."
Forte was among those who weren't shocked by his successful coming-out party. He said he didn't exceed his own expectations.
"Actually I pretty much met them," he said. "I set high expectations for myself. I wanted to get over 100 yards rushing in my first game, and I did that. I just want to just be consistent the whole season."
With Forte, it's more than speed, quickness, agility, power and toughness. His maturity level and intelligence are exceptional for a rookie.
"They say some people have 'it.' He's got it," fullback Jason McKie said. "He came in from the first day and just picked up the offense. He's been playing like he's been in this offense for years.
"I've never seen that from a rookie. It enables him to just go out there and use his natural athletic ability. He's just as good as advertised."
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