Matt Forte. Marshall Faulk. Not quite the same, but the same role in the Mike Martz offense, as Forte showed Sunday in leading the Bears to victory in their regular-season opener, and the debut of the revamped offense run by Martz in Chicago.
The biggest misconception of the Martz offense is that he doesn't have much use for running backs. In reality, Martz's greatest success as a coach came in his first three seasons in St. Louis (one as offensive coordinator and two as head coach), when Faulk was his running back and combined for more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage each season.
That's the role Forte, the Bears' starting running back, is now playing. Is Forte as talented as Faulk? No. But he's a diverse run-catch threat who's capable of doing many of the same things that Faulk did in the Rams' offense under Martz.
In the Bears' 19-14 win over the Lions, Forte had a total of 201 yards from scrimmage. On the ground he was mediocre at best -- 50 yards on 17 carries -- but as a receiver he was sensational. He caught a short pass and raced for an 89-yard touchdown late in the first half, and he caught the game-winning touchdown late in the second, diving in the end zone for a 28-yard score.
How important is Forte to the Bears' passing game? Consider this: When throwing to Forte, Jay Cutler was 7-for-7 for 151 yards and two touchdowns, a perfect passer rating of 158.3. When throwing to all his other receivers, Cutler was 16-of-28 for 221 yards, no touchdowns and an interception, a substandard quarterback rating of 67.7.
Chicago fans can't be too happy: The Bears struggled for much of the game, and they barely beat a bad Detroit team. But on a day when a lot went wrong for the Bears, Forte's performance was the difference.
Matt Forte Plays the Marshall Faulk Role
Sep 12, 2010 – 4:40 PM
Obama Defends 'Transparent' NSA Program
Obama Wary Of Syria Mission Creep
Supreme Court Strikes Down Arizona Voter Registration Law
Couple Accused Of Forcing Nanny Into 'Involuntary Servitude'
PHOTO: New Yorker Cover Jabs Obama Administration
Issa Keeps Selectively Leaking IRS Transcripts
Ted Cruz Attempts To Derail Immigration Bill
Supreme Court Rules That Pre-Miranda Silence Can Be Used In Court
Former Bush Adviser Defends The 1 Percent
Because No Conservative Conspiracy Theorist Has Made This Claim In A Few Hours...
Brazil's Protesters Take To The Streets Again
Jeb Bush Dismisses Conservative 'Chirpers'
Papua New Guinea Teen Beheads Father After Rape: Report
LOOK: The Mystery That's Stumped Feds For DECADES
White House Threatens To Veto Anti-Abortion Bill
Rick Perry Makes Another 'Oops'
McDonald's Franchise Allegedly Forced Fee-Heavy Debit Cards Onto Employees
Edward Snowden: I'm Not A Spy
Food Stamp Cuts Draw White House Veto Threat
Obama Administration Reveals Full List Of Guantanamo Indefinite Detainees
'I Just Don't Get What We're Doing Here'
Hitman Testifies On Bungled Murders, Crooked FBI, Broken Heart
Media's Edward Snowden Haters Club Keeps Growing
Apple Is Cooperating With The Government, But Just Barely
50 Best Employers For Post-50 Workers In 2013
Blind Chinese Dissident Says Communist Pressure Forced Him Out Of NYU
Edward Snowden's Father Calls On Son Not To Release Any More Information
Google Will Try To Eradicate All Of The Internet's Child Porn
China Asks U.S. To Explain Surveillance
