Thread: ESPN the Magazine- Matt forte and the hills..

Originally Posted by soulman

What's Lou Rawls doing at a Pop Warner Football Banquet?

you'll never find...another love like miiiiiiiineeeee.. : 0

back to football and forte : )

NFl.com ranks him the 13th best runner in league( personally think he's ahead of benson, mccoy,bradshaw and mcfadden)

Running the show: No surprises atop list of NFL's best RBs

<LI id=article-hdr-meta-author>By Pat Kirwan NFL.com
As in the past, I prefer to group players in sections of five, in alphabetical order, so please don't view the last back in Group B as the 10th-best back. There will also be an arrow up (^), down (v) or flat (>) indicating where I think a player might end up at the end of the 2011 season if he stays healthy and plays 16 games.
Here are the running back groupings in alphabetical order:
GROUP A (1-5)

1. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars (>): Jones-Drew was fifth in rushing while playing in 14 games. He plays with a bull's eye on his back due to the lack of a great passing game in Jacksonville.
2. Arian Foster, Texans (^): A rising star who did it all in his first season as a starter, finishing first in rushing yards and second in runs of more than 10 yards.
3. Chris Johnson, Titans (>): Johnson was fourth in rushing yards, but fell well short of his prediction to have the greatest rushing season ever. Things could get tough when Jake Locker takes the field and defenses focus on the run game.
4. Adrian Peterson, Vikings (>): The best back in the NFL, but he too could be paired with a rookie quarterback, which spells extra defenders near the line of scrimmage.
5. Michael Turner, Falcons (>): A solid workhorse who finished third in rushing and tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns. The Falcons' passing game creates conflicts for defenses and Turner will benefit from a lot of run audibles against two-high safeties. He could have a big year.

GROUP B (6-10)

1. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs (^): Charles needs the ball even more this year. He led the NFL in explosive runs with 45 (carries of 10-plus yards), and his ratio of 10-plus yard runs to carries was off the charts at 1:5. He averaged 6.4 yards per rush last year.
2. Steven Jackson, Rams (v): A big, workhorse back who gets the tough yardage, he finished second in carries at 330. Jackson really needs the passing game to grow and another back to lighten the load, or he is going to run out of gas.
3. LeSean McCoy, Eagles (^): McCoy led the NFL in receptions (78) among running backs and was fourth in yards from scrimmage. Like Charles, he's on his way to big things.
4. Darren McFadden, Raiders (>): A dual-threat as a runner and receiver. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry and could become a bigger threat in the passing game with Hue Jackson as the coach.
5. Ray Rice, Ravens (>): A workhorse who would benefit from a reduction in the 307 carries he had last season.

GROUP C (11-15)

1. Cedric Benson, Bengals (>): A very productive back since joining the Bengals. He will still give you 18-20 carries and 100 yards.
2. Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants (^): Bradshaw is explosive, has more power than many think and is a threat as a receiver. He moved into the feature role last season ahead of Brandon Jacobs and had a ratio of 1:8 in 10-yard runs per attempt. He could be a free agent this year.
3. Matt Forte, Bears (>): Forte gets his 1,000 yards behind a questionable line and scares defenses more as a receiver. Not flashy, but really solid in all phases of the game.
4. Frank Gore, 49ers (v): A very physical runner and no one works harder. Gore scored only three touchdowns in 11 games. He still generates a ratio of 1:10 in 10-plus yard runs.
5. Peyton Hillis, Browns (>): Burst onto the scene last year and wound up on the cover of the "Madden" game. He was third among running backs in receptions and tied for sixth in touchdowns.
5B. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers (>): Injured last year and only played in six games. Williams rushed for 2,632 yards and 25 touchdowns in the last two full seasons he played (2008-09).

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d...-nfls-best-rbs

Hill Runs = Greatness
As soon as I read this I also thought of the Sweetness.
Anytime a football player can take anything away from Payton's workout regiment and add it to his own, its bound to workout!
Beardown

Originally Posted by soulman

I think Forte's year two slump in stats may have caused him to rank lower. Once he starts stringing 1000 yd plus running and 1500 yd plus total yardage number together for another couple of years he'll rise pretty quickly. Despite his ranking he's far more valuable to the Bears because of his all around ability than some who rate much higher.

forte "seaoson" was 1,400,, put up 1,715 rookie year and 1,616 yards in 2010, and still above a 1,500 yards a season avg... Just don't think players like mcfadden bradshaw or mccoy ahead of him

Originally Posted by Dagan81

I'm of the mind that believes that Forte could potentially put up Walter Payton-esque type numbers if he ran behind a decent offensive line...and also plays under a different OC than Mike Martz.

Aim a little lower there dagan, i'd be very happy with marshall faulk #'s and think that is much more realistic