When Will Matt Forte Join the Fun?
Hate to interrupt the grand Bears and Jay Cutler celebration, but I’ve noticed someone has yet to put on their party hat: Matt Forte.
Forte had another mediocre performance yesterday, though he did top 100 combined rushing and receiving yards. I’m not saying we will not see the rookie version of Forte this season. But we certainly haven’t seen him yet. And while the run-blocking is less than stellar, I have noticed a few things about #22 that concern me.
- Forte does not seem as quick as last year. He has looked slower trying to get around the corner. There were a few runs yesterday where I thought he could have turned it and got up field, but he was taken down by a linebacker.
- The holes are there. At least yesterday they were. But Forte has not been able to work the small ones like he did a year ago. Many of his runs yesterday reminded me of an aging Neal Anderson: into the line with his head down.
- Forte isn’t breaking many tackles. He’s taken down too often on first contact, and he seems to go down much easier than last year.
Next week he may come out and go crazy against the Lions. That would be great. But for now the results aren’t pretty:
There are many ready-made excuses available. New QB, more passing, new O-linemen, less carries and more. But I’m not buying any of them, and I doubt Forte is either.
