Not that Bears RB Matt Forte needs to make himself any more valuable to his team, but in doing a bit of research, we discovered that not only has Forte been racking up plenty of rushing and receiving yards, he's also among the leaders in the NFL in games with big plays from scrimmage (20+ yards) since being drafted in 2008.
When you think of big-play running backs in the league the last few years, names that come to mind include Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson, Darren McFadden, Frank Gore, Stephen Jackson, LeSean McCoy, Michael Turner, etc. Let's take a look at some big play numbers since 2008...
Total games with a play from scrimmage of 20+ yards since 2008:
Peterson: 37
Johnson: 33
Gore: 29
Forte: 28
Jackson: 28
Turner: 27
Being ranked #4 in that category since entering the league is quite impressive. But, since the NFL is known to be a What have you done for me lately league, let's narrow it down even further.
Total games with a play from scrimmage of 20+ yards since 2010:
McCoy: 17
Forte: 16
McFadden: 16
Peterson: 15
Johnson: 13
Turner: 13
Matt Forte has admitted that he is looking for a big pay day from the Chicago Bears, and GM Jerry Angelo has been vocal that the two sides aren't exactly on the same page when it comes to a contract extension, but there is still a lot of football to be played this season. Forte has already established himself among the elite RBs in the league, and while his overall numbers will continue to rise in both the rushing and passing games, his big play ability seems to only be getting better.
Games with a 20+ yard play so far in the 2011 season (through seven weeks):
Forte: 7
Fred Jackson: 6
McCoy: 5
Turner: 5
McFadden: 5
Tomorrow, we'll break it down even further, and look at the total number of big plays from scrimmage Forte has, and how those numbers stack up against the league's best. Stay tuned...