Over the weekend, I threw up the first two segments of this series, and you the readers have spoken!
For the Running Back position, by eleven mere votes (217-206), Matt Forte has defeated Thomas Jones.
Over his ever-so-short three year career to this point, Matt Forte exceeded 1400 yards from scrimmage in each season, and last season broke the 1000-yard rushing, 500-yard receiving barrier. Forte currently sits at seventh on the Bears' all-time rushing list (behind four-year Bears Thomas Jones and Anthony Thomas) in yardage, and could easily jump to fifth after just four games next season, as he trails Jones by only 257 yards.
In the battle for the #1 Wide Receiver, Marty Booker ran away with 62% of the vote.
Booker's 3,895 receiving yards as a Bear rank him sixth all-time behind some guys named Morris, Payton, Ditka... You get the idea. Booker is also tied for third in receptions with 329 behind only Payton and Johnny Morris, and tied with Curtis Conway. In 2003, Booker was traded to the Miami Dolphins for defensive end Adewale Ogunleye; Booker re-signed with the Bears for the 2008 season. 2008 may not be the most memorable year of Booker's career, but we remember it as the year Lovie called an odd challenge with seemingly no other intent than to get Booker an amazing one-handed catch. His lone Pro-Bowl season was with the Bears in 2002, when he rang up 97 receptions for 1189 yards and 6 TDs.
Congratulations to Matt Forte and Marty Booker!
Now, for the next vote, we'll look at the tight end position. And the nominees are...
As usual, there's an "Other" option. Don't like any of the ones I've given? Vote this option and be sure to state it in the comments!
Dez Clark: Played for the Bears from 2003-2010. Caught 242 balls for 2639 yards and 18 TDs over his eight seasons with the Bears.
Greg Olsen: First round pick in 2007. Over four seasons, has caught 194 pases for 1981 yards and 20 TDs.
John Gilmore: A 2002 draft pick of the Bears; played six seasons before moving to Tampa. Caught 21 passes for 194 yards and 3 TDs.
Dustin Lyman: Drafted in 2000; played through 2004. Caught 36 passes for 274 yards and three TDs.
I think I know who this is between... But now I open the voting to you.