Done at 30? No way, says Chicago Bears' Forte

On Wednesday, Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte was a carefree, devil-may-care, frisky 29-year-old, full of life and energy.

On Thursday, that all changed.

"I'm dead," he said after practice. "I feel like I'm so old. (Wednesday) I was 29, running around at practice. (Thursday) it took me like one extra minute to get warmed up. It's taken a toll on me."

He was joking, but on Thursday Forte turned 30, the age when most NFL running backs, even the elite ones, experience a drastic drop in production.

It's kind of like midnight for Cinderella.

Forte was asked for his response to reporters who perpetuate the notion that 30 is the end of the line for running backs.

"They're reporters," he said. "They're not professional athletes. As long you take care of your body ... I've got a lot of people praying for me, and I pray a lot, too. I think I'll be OK."

Despite missing three games in November with a sprained knee, Forte can still achieve his sixth 1,000-yard rushing season and fourth in a row by averaging 81 yards over the final four games. The 6-foot-2, 218-pound workhorse is third on the team with 31 receptions, and his average of 8.6 yards per catch is his highest since 2011.

"I haven't been around him in the past," offensive coordinator Adam Gase said. "I just know for us, right now, he's playing really well. He's doing some things that I haven't seen many running backs be able to do because he's so good in all three areas of the game for that position."

Whether it's running, catching or pass protecting, Forte is so reliable that coaches have been reluctant to take him off the field. This year he's been able to get more down time than ever before because of the depth the Bears have with rookie Jeremy Langford and second-year man Ka'Deem Carey.

But Forte remains the main man. He had 84 yards on 21 carries last week and would have gone over 100 were it not for a holding penalty that wiped out his 26-yard run in the fourth quarter.

"We lean on him," Gase said. "This last game showed you. I feel like he's still playing at a very high level."

In his eighth season, Forte is averaging 3.9 yards per carry, the same as last season, but a shade under his career average of 4.2. He the 2008 second-round pick out of Tulane doesn't believe he's anywhere close to retirement.

"I don't know, probably 12, 13 years I think," Forte says when asked how long he'll play. I think when I was coming out of college I said I want to play at least 10. But 12 years is a long time for a running back, even 10."

Forte does have some hard miles on him - 1,989 carries and 474 receptions. He's only missed eight games in his career, and he's never had fewer than 203 carries or less than 44 receptions. But he is, as the kids say, jacked, ripped, "swoll." Basically he's in great shape.

"The guy is in unbelievable shape," Gase said. "He came in this off-season, was ready to work, and he's shown us nothing but an elite player."

Forte is in the final year of a four-year $30.4 million contract. The Bears will not duplicate that deal, since they have Langford and Carey waiting in the wings. Forte will have to settle for a shorter, less lucrative deal, and he may have to move on to maximize his earnings, but he will keep playing.

"After the last game, I felt great because we were able to rotate (running backs) a lot and (still) be successful in the run game," Forte said. "I was used to taking almost every single snap out there. As long as I don't have to do that, I can continue to stay healthy."

And continue to keep playing.

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