Forte played hurt, but how did his 2009 numbers look?
by Dane Noble on Jan 8, 2010 10:06 AM CST
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Throughout the 2009 season, people were pondering "What is wrong" with Matt Forte; his output just wasn't stacking up to his rookie season a year before. Many speculated it was the underwhelming effort of the offensive line, while others attributed it to recently ousted OC Ron Turner's playcalling.
And, a handful of folks mentioned it could be an injury that no one knew about. Maybe it was a combination of everything, but the Bears did come out and say after the season was finished that Forte had been battling an injured MCL throughout the year.
When we look at Forte's rookie numbers, we see-
Rushing: 316 rushes, 1238 yds (3.9 avg), 8 TDs, 1 fumble (1 lost)
Receiving: 63 catches, 477 yds, 4 TDs
Combined: 379 touches, 1715 yds, 12 TDs
Let's take a look at his final 2009 numbers-
Rushing: 258 rushes, 929 yds (3.6 avg), 4 TDs, 6 fumbles (3 lost)
Receiving: 57 catches, 471 yds, 0 TDs
Combined: 315 touches, 1400 yds, 4 TDs
Obviously, the biggest difference between his rookie and sophomore years is the TDs. We also have to keep in mind, we threw a lot more in the Red Zone this season than last year, and had a lot of RZ INTs that negated scoring opportunities.
Forte's total touches went down, which is something that we knew would be necessary after the 2008 year. Outside of the TDs, and the increased fumbles, Forte's injury (and the OL play, and the playcalling) only reduced the yardage by about 300 yards.
My prediction for 2010: Forte will return to his 2008 production, if not more. The reasoning is simple: the OL will be better, Cutler and the WRs will have a year under their belt together, Forte's injury should be healed up, and we should have all the makings of a well-balanced offense. No 8-man fronts to deal with.
Oh, and a guy named Kahlil Bell should be back to help take the load off of Forte as well.
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not convinced
I saw pretty much the same from Forte that I saw in 2008, and 315 total yards isn’t that much of a drop off. If The First Adrian Peterson is a goner, and Kevin Jones as well, runningback should be a priority. spend a late round pick on one.
Ronnie Brown or Carnell Williams could also be an option, barring this mess from the players union.
Camp ifuwanna, we hold you in our heart...
by ifuwannacrownem on Jan 8, 2010 10:32 AM CST reply actions
Agreed
Forte looked the exact same!! Let’s be realistic here, it’s not like he ran the ball all that great his rookie year(3.9 ypc)!! What made him so special his rookie year was his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield(63 rec)!! He had very comparable receiving stats this year to his rookie year!! He carried the ball 50 less times this year. You give him those 50 carries with that same average and he’s at 1100 yds!! TDs was the biggest drop off and thats because this offense sucked ass for 90% of the season!! He was the same exact player he just didn’t get as many touches as last year!!
yes
Forte just isn’t the next great running back, and certainly not my first round RB in fantasy ever again
he’s alright, a 3.9 ypc back, and probably all he’ll ever be, in Chicago
"Hey, the offensive linemen are the biggest guys on the field, they're bigger than everybody else, and that's what make them the biggest guys on the field." -Madden
by BearNecessities on Jan 8, 2010 11:09 AM CST up reply actions
Doh!!
I took him with my first pick this year too but I still won my championship. He’s good in a reception league for sure!!
Yeah, Forte can be a good RB!! He needs a line better than what the Bears had this year!! He can be a force in this offense, especially if Martz becomes OC!! Everybody knows how much he likes using the RB out of the backfield!!!
!!!!!
Censorship of anything, at any time, in any place, on whatever pretense, has always been and will always be the last resort of the boob and the bigot.
—Eugene O’Neill
by 14theofleury on Jan 8, 2010 1:11 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
meh..
he’ll be back next year, bring back kahlil bell and either try to grab kevin jones on an uber discount, or bring in a vet #3
We've already got Jones under contract.
(Asshole Sr) "If you learn one thing here, NEVER pass out in Ohio."
Doh!! v 2.0
I took him first too (3rd round pick) and still won. I just benched him. Here’s hoping for a better year from him next year. Hopefully he’ll be more of a challenge for the pack.
When I said a return of production
I was more talking about the TDs, which is why I mentioned the improved OL, passing game, etc. Also, I through in the kicker of “…if not more” because I honestly believe that a balanced, effective offense could propel Forte back into a top-10 RB.
They got everything here from a diddled-eyed joe to damned if I know.
Agreed
My point was more that, to me, the injury didn’t really have much to do with his production decline as much as the shitty state of the offense this year!! If he touched the ball this year as much as he did last year, he’d have pretty comparable stats, aside from the TDs. I think Forte can be good, as long as he has the line, and he’s in a system that utilizes the RB out of the backfield!!
He's not a goal line threat. Just can't punch it in.
In Forte’s rookie season, he was the feature player on an offense with a lackluster passing game. if the offense does maintain balance, I don’t see Forte as anything more than a role player in a runningback-by-committee sort of thing.
Camp ifuwanna, we hold you in our heart...
by ifuwannacrownem on Jan 8, 2010 2:20 PM CST up reply actions
What made him so special his rookie year was
… as Dane recently put it, he put the offense on his shoulders. And then he had the heart to carry it into the face of constant 8-man fronts.
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt." - Bertrand Russell
"F*** everybody outside of Halas Hall. BEARDOWN" - WavyGravy
Bro...
Forte’s total touches went down, which is something that we knew would be necessary after the 2008 year. Outside of the TDs, and the increased fumbles, Forte’s injury (and the OL play, and the playcalling) only reduced the yardage by about 300 yards.
Just wanna point out… that 300 yard difference was an 18.4% reduction in yardage. That’s kind of a big deal.
"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)
Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
.
You also have to take into account,
he had nearly a 17% reduction in touches too though.
They got everything here from a diddled-eyed joe to damned if I know.
Just another reason to go after Chester Taylor.
Keep Bell and Forte, just bring in some competition and dont guarantee where each one will be as far as 1,2,3. Let them decide that with their play.
Watch me pull a hat outta this rabbit.
by Bears fan 4-ever!!! on Jan 8, 2010 11:15 AM CST reply actions
I want him too!
I said endlessly that CT would be a perfect compliment to Forte, cause he can do it all and provides more speed. In today’s NFL most teams need a two-back system.
"But it doesn't matter what I do, what I choose. I'm what's wrong. This is fate" - Dexter season 4....I mean Lovie season 6.
I'd rather Ronnie Brown.
Chester Taylor’s always had the benefit of playing with top notch O-lines. He’d be a gamble to bring to Chicago.
Camp ifuwanna, we hold you in our heart...
by ifuwannacrownem on Jan 8, 2010 2:23 PM CST up reply actions
What kind of injury did Brown have last season?
Watch me pull a hat outta this rabbit.
by Bears fan 4-ever!!! on Jan 8, 2010 2:25 PM CST up reply actions
a foot fracture
still, he’s way too talented to be passed over for Chester Taylor.
Camp ifuwanna, we hold you in our heart...
by ifuwannacrownem on Jan 8, 2010 2:31 PM CST up reply actions
Ronnie Brown is very talented.
I wouldn’t pass up either of them if given the chance to have one of them running for the Bears.
Watch me pull a hat outta this rabbit.
by Bears fan 4-ever!!! on Jan 8, 2010 2:34 PM CST up reply actions
neither would I, considering what we have
But if i had to choose…
Camp ifuwanna, we hold you in our heart...
by ifuwannacrownem on Jan 8, 2010 2:35 PM CST up reply actions
right on dude,
hopefully they do something. Tired of settling for the same old shit.
Watch me pull a hat outta this rabbit.
by Bears fan 4-ever!!! on Jan 8, 2010 2:37 PM CST up reply actions
Minn. does have a really good OL, but
Taylor runs pissed off and can catch the ball as well as anyone. Before the season, I heard a lot of fans on here talking up KJ. I couldn’t understand that since he was unproven besides his rookie year and questioned what people were saying. We all see how that turned out.
Watch me pull a hat outta this rabbit.
by Bears fan 4-ever!!! on Jan 8, 2010 2:33 PM CST up reply actions
the whole no CBA need 6 years in the league to be unrestricted FA thing
will keep Ronnie Brown from being unrestricted though. We don’t have the draft picks to get him.
we could offer up Gaines Adams, lol
with JA still on board, mine as well give them our third, fourth, and fifth.
Watch me pull a hat outta this rabbit.
by Bears fan 4-ever!!! on Jan 8, 2010 2:48 PM CST up reply actions
First of, if a new CBA deal isn’t in place he won’t be a free agent. He’d be a restricted, right?
Secondly, he’s going to get franchised.
by boondock_saint812 on Jan 8, 2010 2:46 PM CST up reply actions
I don't know if the Dolphins would franchise him
he’s very injury prone. And yes it would be a longshot to grab him because of the whole CBA fiasco. I’m running on wishful thinking though.
Camp ifuwanna, we hold you in our heart...
by ifuwannacrownem on Jan 9, 2010 12:57 AM CST up reply actions
Don't really watch the 'Phins,
but isn’t Ronnie Brown their entire offense?
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
No
All I have to say is Ricky “Mother F’n” Williams.
You're being very Un-Dude right now.
by IslandBoodler87 on Jan 9, 2010 9:01 AM CST up reply actions
You mean "Sticky Icky" Ricky?
Camp ifuwanna, we hold you in our heart...
by ifuwannacrownem on Jan 9, 2010 1:44 PM CST up reply actions
My best friend is a Dolphins fan
He’d hunt you down for saying that.
Camp ifuwanna, we hold you in our heart...
by ifuwannacrownem on Jan 9, 2010 1:45 PM CST up reply actions
LOL!
Like I said, don’t really know much about ’em.
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
Brown will be expensive
where Taylor will not be.
"But it doesn't matter what I do, what I choose. I'm what's wrong. This is fate" - Dexter season 4....I mean Lovie season 6.
you could make the same argument for Cutler/Orton
but we all know who’s better ;)
Camp ifuwanna, we hold you in our heart...
by ifuwannacrownem on Jan 9, 2010 1:14 AM CST up reply actions
A big injury risk as well
I just don’t like pouring a ton of money into an injury-waiting-to-happen-RB like Brown. Pony up a lot less $ for CT, and he’ll be a “true” relief option for Forte.
"But it doesn't matter what I do, what I choose. I'm what's wrong. This is fate" - Dexter season 4....I mean Lovie season 6.
I'd like to get Darren Sproles
He’s got proven production, especially receiving. His YPC were way down this year, but SD’s entire running game has been shiite this season. He’s fast. He will be only 27 in June. He’s got all the tools we thought we’d be getting with Wolfe. CT will be 31 in September. Despite his recent low mileage, RB’s over 30 should be avoided.
I think CT would be perfect and not ask for too much $$$.
Sproles is fricken awesome. Do ya think he would be asking for too much $$$?
Watch me pull a hat outta this rabbit.
by Bears fan 4-ever!!! on Jan 8, 2010 2:04 PM CST up reply actions
He was franchised last year, so he won't be again...too expensive,
but he doesn’t have 6 years in the league. He won’t be unrestricted FA. Who knows what the market is for him, since he’s not an every down back.
That would be nice...
teams would have to account for him definitely. Kids a burner.
Watch me pull a hat outta this rabbit.
by Bears fan 4-ever!!! on Jan 8, 2010 2:39 PM CST up reply actions
everybody's gonna be better next year
i can hardly wait.
having had numerous MCL injuries
and two ACL reconstructions, my opinion is that this explains a great deal about why most of this year Forte seemed unable to generate power from his lower body to gain yards after contact, push through the line in the RZ, etc. MCLs don’t really affect your straight line speed, and tough footballers like Forte can suck it up through the instability to make open-field cuts, etc., but it’s really tough to push forward against resistance w/o a lot of pain.
I hope he’ll be better next year, but the downside of playing on ligament injuries just stretches out the tissue even more and makes it harder to recover full strength. He’ll have great trainers working with him, though, and if it wasn’t a tear, he’ll probably be back at 100%. With that and Bell looking decent, I’d rather go after a cheaper option for the goal line (Lendale or Leron Mcclain, for example) and use resources for the OL.
I think everyone is off a bit on their take on Forte
I thought it was obvious that he looked hurt throughout the year. Just because his ypc is similar does not mean he looked the same. 2008 he was was facing constant 8 man fronts which I believe was the main factor for lower ypc. He did not face nearly the same defensive fronts this year so something else was off. I think he will bounce back with a much better year next year. I also like Bell but he is not the speed back we need to add to the offense but would be a nice 3rd string back.
" Former Original WCG Power Poster!"
Speaking of RB statistics...
Did you know Barry Sanders NEVER, in his ten year career, had a season below 1,115 yards rushing and 1,320 yards from scrimmage. And those "low" numbers came in his 1993 season where he only played 11 total games. Oh, and he did that while playing for the Lions! Jeebus, I knew he was good, but not that good?!?
-------
"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
i think people in chicago
forgot what a good RB looks like.
Then here’s a “great” reminder.
HT to cryohavic from the DN for the linkers.
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
Damn... 1:39 against the Bears is sick.
What a RB.
They got everything here from a diddled-eyed joe to damned if I know.
Look at #75 at 1:58... LOL!
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
What a guy...
I’ve heard it said that he could jump in the air, and juke 3 different people before returning to the ground.
They got everything here from a diddled-eyed joe to damned if I know.
lmao
Watch me pull a hat outta this rabbit.
by Bears fan 4-ever!!! on Jan 8, 2010 2:01 PM CST up reply actions
And one that’s a little closer to home.
-------
"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
i prefer this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M9amJhE1UE
that stuff is unreal.
awesome.
best open field moves in NFL history.
by PrincetonCubs on Jan 8, 2010 8:19 PM CST up reply actions
I could watch
these guys highlights all day.
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
by David Taylor on Jan 9, 2010 12:00 AM CST up reply actions
i dunno what the stats are but
football outsiders ranks forte 47 out of 50.
O-line play is folded into those numbers pretty heavily.
So I’d take them with a grain of salt. However, the Bears backup RB’s (Wolfe and Bell) both ranked pretty well… suggesting Forte was at fault to some degree. You can also look at the various types of runs on FO’s O-line rankings. The Bears were better in the open field than at the line, which suggests a more talented RB than line. Finally, if my memory is right I looked at those rankings a while ago (before they moved C. Williams to LT) and the Bears were near the bottom of the league in adj. line yards, and moved up to average by the end of the season. I’d guess that they were well above-average after that move (and after Bell started playing).
I think Forte’s injury issues this year were significant, and that he’ll perform better next year. I think the Bears will have an above-average run game if they can bring in one or two more starting-caliber lineman.
For all these reasons I’m against the “we need another RB” crowd. Bell and Wolfe are sufficient if you look at their production, especially considering all the other needs the team has. I’d address that if the team still had all its picks in place or in a normal FA year. But this year, I’d put this near the bottom of the priority list.
by Shawn Domagal-Goldman on Jan 8, 2010 2:07 PM CST up reply actions
Even with a bad OL,
you dont think we need to address the running game? I think that should be a top priority without a doubt. Keep Forte and Bell, just bring in a veteran. Wolfe has had his shot, he needs to go.
Watch me pull a hat outta this rabbit.
by Bears fan 4-ever!!! on Jan 8, 2010 2:28 PM CST up reply actions
I think they need to address the running game...
with more linemen. It’s not that I don’t value the running game. It’s not even that I don’t think they could use another pair of legs in the backfield. It’s just that I consider other needs (OL, DL, S) much more pressing. And the Bears have very limited resources this offseason.
Let me ask you this: if you could have a solid starting FS or a solid backup RB which would you choose?
RB is at best 4th or 5th on my priority list for the Bears… and it’s probably not even that high.
FWIW, I also think you’re wrong on Wolfe. He had his shot, and he was good this year. He’d be better off in a more dynamic offense, which is something I expect we’ll see in 2010.
by Shawn Domagal-Goldman on Jan 8, 2010 3:14 PM CST up reply actions
Regarding O-Coordinator:
The Sehawks have fired Mora, and ESPN reports that there is mutual interest between them and USC head coach, Pete Carrol. The report says he may even be assembling a staff, which would likely include Jeremy Bates.
Just watched the same thing.
That could be bad news for getting JB.
Watch me pull a hat outta this rabbit.
by Bears fan 4-ever!!! on Jan 8, 2010 2:08 PM CST up reply actions
I hope so...
Forigve me if I don’t want to bring in a guy that couldn’t successfully call plays for a USC team that had way more talent than the other side of the ball every week.
by Shawn Domagal-Goldman on Jan 8, 2010 3:15 PM CST up reply actions
I don't know, he looked pretty good his last year in denver.
Who would you want? Martz is a cancer and most of the others teams probably woldn’t let them go.
I'd take Martz...
especially if it’s just for a 1-2 year stint, which is what this looks like. Martz is a guy I wouldn’t ever want as my team’s head coach, but that I could live with as the OC.
by Shawn Domagal-Goldman on Jan 8, 2010 7:02 PM CST up reply actions
3 backs
waching the playoffs lots of teams jets cowboys and eagles are rotating 3 backs!!!
i agree with a post here cut kevin jones too many injuries adrain peterson and garret too small wolfe go out and get another back in free agency and let them all rotate pont that rock and take the pressure off cutler!!
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