Thread: Forte and his health

Right now it'd be Armando Allen imo(If we sign him which I think we'd), but we got more importen roles to fill out in the next years than a RB imo. Forte will be able to put some great numbers up if we get an oline that can block for him this offseason and a HC/OC that knows how to use him. I'd like to have seen more passes to Forte this season. Bush is great for what Forte can't bulldoze right into the middel and get a first down on 4&inches. I can only see RB as a postion to worry about in 3 years time.

RB is a strenght of our team, not a weakness. RB is the last of our problems and really, really the only position we don't have to add a player. Just keep Allen and we are fine.

I'm not worried and we have other holes on the team that exist when our starters are healthy, so I'm suggesting attention to those positions before having this conversation.

Originally Posted by Ditka1985

When are we going to be looking at drafting a new heir to Fortes throne? Forte can never put together a full season, and Michael Bush and Kahlil Bell are not the long term answers either... what is our future at running back?

Forget it. After that deal he signed he's not going anywhere for at least two more years and Bush for at least one more. Armando Allen is a nice scat back type who can make some big plays and although Bell most likely won't be around anyway he's decent north/south between the tackles runner whose biggest problem is putting the ball on the ground which is why teams cut him.

You can find RBs with NFL skills late in the draft and as rookie UDFA or off someone else's PS. Forte gets hurt but he's also been willing to play hurt his entire career and he did again this year in the Lions game and still gained over 100 yards. He was misused and underused most of this past year because Tice wasn't clever enough to take advantage of what he does extremely well and like he did with other had him doing what he doesn't do as well. Even Martz was smarter than that and so will the next guy be.

Forte is your number one RB in 2013 and beyond as long as he can play. And if the next OC is a lot smarter than Tice was Bush will become more useful and get more carries so that Forte can become more effective as a receiver again. We had two of the best RBs in the NFL last year and Tice still couldn't use them right!

Originally Posted by Grizzblue

I've been pissed at forte since his little hissy fit last summer and I do think he is overrated BUT the lack of production is not soley on him

Forte is the kind of back that will only go as far as his Oline will take him. He is not going to break any tackles in tight areas. He is not going to even fall forward.

What he can do is his ability to set up blocks and kick on the afterburners in the open field. I mocked a gaurd (warford) to us just beacuse of his ability to pull, THAT is the kind of plays that forte needs to excell

Forte is not going to help us with the stupid iso tice would try to run every single first down. Nor i the power motion backside gaurd lead play going to work very well with him either. (ran that a ton until we put spencer at LG and Louis was down)

If we can get the line to give forte creaces and open field to run at (screen and swings as well) THEN he can become the back we saw a few years ago again. But to give him the ball and know that there will be no push, and sloopy blocking schemes without a single crisp lane is setting him up for faliure, he simply is not going to "do it himself" llike some backs can.

How many more times does it need to be said. It all starts up front, and we SUCK there. It is simply not fair to ask him to run behind this line, nor is it fair to ask cutty to sit back there knowing he is going to be railroaded.

I've got just three words for all of this..............Zone Blocking Scheme.

You are dead on here Grizz. Forte needs space around him to accelerate and work his mojo and when he doesn't get that he's cooked. The whole idea behind that scheme is to create space and cutbacks lanes a RB can read and then it's one cut and go. That's the type of runner he is and even Martz recognized. Tice puts in a mano a mano power blocking scheme that may have benefited a RB like Bush but he never used him with it enough. Forte struggled behind and I could see his frustration with it as the season progressed. That's where his "attitude" was coming from. He hated what we were doing.