| 12 January 2012
Talk going into the season was would failed contract extension negotiations effect Matt Forte’s play?
Answer it only enhanced his play even if he only managed to play in 12 games due to injury.
There is really no way to describe Forte’s value to the Bears so you have to put it in perspective. Forte is starting his career off by accomplishing something no other running back in the history of the NFL has done. That’s honestly all the perspective that’s needed is for that statement to be made and to let it stand on it’s own.
Let’s dig a little bit deeper though to further add to the perspective.
In today’s NFL it helps to have a running back who is both equally adept at running the football and catching the football. Forte is more than competent at accomplishing both these needed tasks. He is truly an all-around productive RB.
Here however is the stat to back it up:
First player in NFL history with 900 rushing yards and 400 receiving
yards in each of his first four seasons.
There it is the simple stat that shines the light on just how good Matt Forte is.
After that stats there are other notes on Forte’s season that should be mentioned:
Forté had 1,487 yards from scrimmage in 12 contests during the 2011 regular season season. His 123.9 scrimmage yards per game ranked third in the NFL in 2011. RB Matt Forté had 997 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 203 carries (5.0 ypc) in 12 games during the 2011 regular season. His 83.1 rushing yards per game was sixth in the NFL this season.
So as expected Matt Forte has developed into one of the top RBs in the NFL. More than the simple results though are the clear future predictions. Forte is only going to get better as he gets more comfortable in this offense and the offensive line continues to gel. Forte will be the biggest benefit to Mike Tice staying on as the offensive coordinator.
As I’ve stated previously Tice’s scheme is ideal for Forte’s talents. Forte has great vision great cut back ability and explosion through the hole. All key aspects that make for the ideal zone blocking scheme that Tice utilizes.
The only question is how much money are the Bears willing to pay Forte and for how many years? The new GM will have the task of re-signing Forte and fitting his deal within the structure of the salary cap. With $50-million to spend this off-season however Forte could get a big chunk of that cap money up front as part of an extension. Somewhere in the neighborhood of $20-million up front in the first year of the deal wouldn’t be out of the question when considering Forte’s value.
After Forte the production overall was still pretty solid. Marion Barber was a strong short yardage back and an upgrade over Chester Taylor when he was healthy. Barber however struggled to stay healthy playing in only 11 games.
In his first season with the Bears, RB Marion Barber had six first downs on third-and-one or fourth-and-one, tied for 16th in the NFL, in eight attempts (75 percent first down conversion rate). His 6.3 yards per carry (50 yards on eight attempts) on third-and-one/fourth-and one was 10th highest in the NFL among players with multiple carries in those situations. Barber paced the team with six touchdowns (all rushing). His six rushing touchdowns were tied for 18th in the NFL.
Barber likely won’t be asked back for a second season as the Bear will likely promote Khalil Bell to the backup spot behind Forte.
Bell himself proved his worth in the final three games of the season. Bell has always shown potential in pre-season games, but never emerged when given the opportunity in the regular season. That all changed in the three games he started.
Bears RB Kahlil Bell had 240 rushing yards in the final three contests of the 2011 season, including a career-high 121 yards rushing on 23 carries (5.3 ypc) in Week 16 at Green Bay, the fi rst 100-yard rushing contest of his career. Over the fi nal three weeks of the season, Bell’s 240 rushing yards, were 11th most in the NFL. For the 2011 season, Bell had 337 rushing yards on 79 carries (4.3 ypc) and 133 receiving yards with a touchdown on 19 receptions (7.0 ypr).
Bell is a free agent who wants to try and prove himself in a starter’s role in the NFL. Whether or not he’ll get that opportunity is debatable. Running backs are that highly sought after in free agency. The only thought is if Bell tries to price his way out of a backup job here in Chicago.
On the season the Bears rushed for over 2,000 yards for only the second time since 1990. That production level is strong and should remain high if Forte returns. With free agency starting in mid-March if the Bears are unable to re-sign Khalil Bell it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Bears try to find depth in the draft.
There is only one slight hang up I have with the Forte contract negotiations. While I recognize just how great he is as a RB for the Bears. He shouldn’t overestimate his own value to the Bears this off-season. Forte can be among the top five back in the NFL in terms of total rushing yards over the next four seasons without question he is in line to have a big time career.
What Bears fans should not lose sight of however is even without Forte the Bears likely could still have a productive enough rushing attack to win games and be among the better teams at running the football.
This primarily is due to the system implemented by Tice. Tice’s creativity with the run game and his focus as the offensive line coach rates better than most coordinators in the NFL. While Mike Shannahan’s run game strategy is legendary in the NFL it would not surprise me to see Tice start to develop that type of reputation moving forward, no matter who lines up in the backfield.
*Bold type denotes official Chicago Bears statistical information from the 2011 season.
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