30 Day Challenge - Favorite Current Bears Player

While it's tough to put my brain into a Bears gear today after yesterday's resounding victory by the Chicago Blackhawks, the challenge demands my attention.  Today, we focus in on our favorite current Bears player.  A year ago, the obvious answer would be Charles Tillman, but since he sadly no longer qualifies as an answer, I'll go with an equally easy choice: Matt Forte.

In another era, Matt Forte's Hall of Fame bust might already be waiting in Canton for the inevitable crowning.  And while in today's NFL, running backs no longer get the same attention and respect once granted them, Matt Forte has quietly been the most consistent running back in the NFL not accused of a felony and not named Frank Gore.  He has literally carried the team through entire seasons despite the Bears' continual offensive struggles, and despite management putting a new "number two" option behind him seemingly every season, no other RB has been able to steal significant playing time away from Forte.

Matt Forte is not a media showboater and has never been known for hitting the "big" play, so he's always been the "best of the rest" running back behind whatever flavor-of-the-season RB stealing the show that year.  However, when it comes to work ethic, durability, quality of play, versatility, and overall character, I would put Forte up there at the pinnacle of his position.  Like Walter Payton, Matt Forte has been the rock upon which Bears offenses have been (or in some seasons, should have been) built; as such, it is only appropriate that Matt Forte will most likely end his Bears career second only to Sweetness in both yardage and touchdowns.

Who do you have as your favorite current player? As always, let us know in the comments.