Rookie Profile - Week 17 (Matt Forte)

Posted 12/24 by Jeff Tefertiller, Exclusive to Footballguys.com

Player: Matt Forte

College: Tulane

Drafted: 2nd round, 44th overall

College Stats

Year	Att	Yds	Avg	LNG	TDs	Rec	Yds	Avg	LNG	TDs
2004	140	624	4..5	48	4	20	180	9.0	47	2
2005	169	655	3.9	26	4	23	163	7.1	24	1
2006	163	859	5.3	64	8	28	360	12.9	49	2
2007	361	2127	5.9	77	23	32	282	8.8	28	0
Career	833	4265	5.1	77	39	103	985	9.6	49	5

College Highlights

College Career: A four-year letterman and three-year starter who played in 43 career games with 30 starts...completed his career as Tulane's leader in rushing yards per game (99.186), rushing touchdowns (39) and total touchdowns (44) while ranking second in all-purpose yards (5,261), rushing yards (4,265), rushing attempts (833) and 100-yard rushing games (16), third in total points (266), and fourth in yards per carry (5.12)...points total is the most by a non-kicker...career receiving totals include 103 receptions for 985 yards and five touchdowns...saved best season for his senior year when he rushed for 2,127 yards and 23 touchdowns...became just the 11th player in NCAA Division I-Bowl Subdivision history to run for 2,000 yards in a season and the first since Cal's J.J.Arrington accomplished the feat in 2004...2007 rushing total ranks seventh in NCAA single-season history while his 177.2 rushing-yards-per-game average is 17th...selected to play in the 2008 Under Armour Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Saturday, Jan. 26, in Mobile, Ala.

2007: Started all 12 games as a senior, 11 at running back and one at quarterback when he took a direct snap on the game's opening play...named second-team All-American by Sports Illustrated (SI.com) and third-team All-American by the Associated Press and Phil Steele Publications...claimed first-team All-Conference USA by league coaches and media, Rivals.com and CollegeFootballNews.com...also named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker and Maxwell Awards, and earned a spot on the Walter Camp Football Foundation's "15 Players to Watch" for the National Player of the Year Award...led team while ranking second in Conference USA and the NCAA in rushing yards (2,127), rushing yards per game (177.2), scoring (11.7 ppg) and rushing touchdowns (23)...also ranked third in C-USA and fifth in NCAA in all-purpose yards (2,420) and all-purpose yards per game (201.7)...was one of two non-quarterbacks to rank nationally in total offense, finishing 87th in the NCAA with 177.58 yards per game...became just the fourth non-quarterback in Tulane history, and the first since fullback Ronny Quillian in 1955, to lead the team in total offense with 2,126 yards (2,127 rushing, four passing)...posted school single-season records in rushing attempts (361), rushing yards, rushing yards per game, rushing and total touchdowns (23), all-purpose yards, total points (140) and 100-yard rushing games (nine)...set school record with eight consecutive 100-yard rushing games to close out the year, including a school and C-USA record 342 yards on 38 carries vs. SMU (10/20)Also had 303 yards on 40 carries vs. Southeastern Louisiana (9/22), 278 yards on a school-record 44 carries vs. Memphis (10/27), 209 yards on 32 carries at UAB (10/13) and 202 yards on 32 carries at Army (10/6)Set Tulane and tied C-USA single-game record with five touchdowns vs. Southeastern Louisiana and Rice...named Walter Camp Football Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week and C-USA Offensive Player of the Week for his performances against Southeastern Louisiana and SMU...set career-high with a 77-yard touchdown run in part of a four-score day at SMU...had three of the top eight single-game rushing performances among NCAA Division I-Bowl Subdivision backs with a nation-best 342 yards at SMU, 303 vs. Southeastern Louisiana (fourth) and 278 vs. Memphis (tied for eighth)...during the course of the season, set three of the top four single-game all-purpose yard performances and seven of the top nine single-game rushing performances in school history...finished second on the team in receptions (32) and third in receiving yards (282)Also completed one pass for four yards and had an 11-yard kickoff return...voted one of two permanent team captains for the season.

2006: Started nine straight games before suffering a season-ending injury at Marshall...earned second-team All-Louisiana honors and claimed third-team All-Conference USA recognition...named the C-USA and LSWA Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 18...produced 1,219 all-purpose yards and led the team in rushing yards (859), carries (163), yards per carry (5.3) and touchdowns (eight), and was fourth in receptions (28) and receiving yards (360)...averaged 12.9 yards per reception and hauled in two receiving touchdowns...ranked third among C-USA players in all-purpose yards and was fourth in rushing and ninth in scoring...rushed for 100-plus yards in four straight games...finished with 124 yards on 24 carries and two scores vs. Army (10/28)...turned in a 117-yard performance at No. 8 Auburn (10/21)...finished with 147 yards on 17 carries and a score at UTEP (10/14)...rushed for a season high 178 yards on 19 carries and one touchdown, and caught four passes for 57 yards and a score vs. Rice(10/7)Rushed for 170 yards and one touchdown against Mississippi State (9/16)...longest run from scrimmage was a 64-yard scamper vs. Rice, while his longest reception was a 49-yard touchdown pass from Lester Ricard at Houston (9/9) in the season opener.

2005: Led the team in rushing with 655 yards for an average of 59.5 yards per game... registered his 1,000th career rushing yard in the Navy game (11/5)... piled up a season-high 137 yards on 27 carries in the season finale against Southern Miss (11/26)... had 15 carries for 59 yards and added two catches for 37 yards, including his only TD grab of the year on an 18-yard Scott Elliott pass against Rice (11/12)... logged 20 carries for 87 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win over SMU (9/24)... added 79 yards on 21 rushes against Houston (10/8)... also tied for fourth on the team with 23 receptions for 163 yards and led Tulane in all-purpose yards with 818... his five TDs ranked fourth on the team in scoring... caught passes in nine games... snagged a career-high six passes for 41 yards, including a 24-yarder against UCF (10/21).

2004: A Conference USA All-Freshman team selection... concluded the year with 140 carries for 624 yards and four touchdowns while catching 20 passes for 180 yards... provided a solid second option in the backfield with Jovon Jackson early in the season, but after a Jackson injury, exploded onto the scene with a 34-carry, 216-yard, four-touchdown performance against Army (11/13)... his 216 yards is the fourth-best single-game effort at Tulane while the 34 carries rank second on the Green Wave lists... in the Army game, rushed for three touchdowns... finished with 48 receiving yards while catching a 47-yard scoring pass from Lester Ricard... his 283 all-purpose yards against Army ranks third all-time at Tulane... his first career TD run came on a six-yard carry in the fourth quarter against UAB (10/23) and gave the Wave a 45-41 lead... posted his first career TD reception against Navy (11/6) on an 18-yard catch... registered 97 rushing yards on 28 carries in the win over TCU (11/27) while catching a season-best four passes for 38 yards... closed the year with a 70-yard rushing effort against Louisville (12/4).

HIGH SCHOOL: The St. Tammany Parish Player of the Year and District 5-5A Offensive MVP as a senior who was also an All-Metro selection... second team all-state choice in 2003... two-time all-district and all-parish honoree... team captain and MVP his senior season... totaled 2,432 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns in his career while also catching 48 passes for 618 yards and five scores... gained 1,375 rushing yards as a senior while averaging 6.7 yards per carry... scored 23 rushing TDs and caught 18 passes for 253 yards and a pair of scores... gained 1,057 rushing yards as a junior with eight touchdowns... caught 30 passes for 365 yards and three scores... also lettered in track and was an honor roll student.

PERSONAL: Born Matthew Garrett Forté on December 10, 1985, in Lake Charles, La...son of Gene and Gilda Forté...father played football for the Green Wave from 1975-77, captaining the team in 1977...older brother, Bryan, played football at McNeese State... named the Tulane Male Student-Athlete of the Year in 2007...majoring in finance.

2008 Production To Date

The rookie has been very consistent all season. In eleven of the fifteen games, Matt Forte gained at least 100 total yards. In addition, he scored a touchdown in ten of the fifteen Bear contests. For the season, Forte has rushed the ball 302 times for 1181 yards and eight touchdowns. He has been targeted 73 times, catching 61 passes for 459 yards and scoring four touchdowns. Matt Forte has remarkably averaged over 100 total yards and .8 touchdowns a game.

Best Game To Date

Forte has enjoyed several good fantasy games. He has produced more than ten fantasy points in every games except against the Eagles in week four. Even that week, the rookie from Tulane had 8.5 fantasy points. Forte has three games with at least twenty points. The best game was in week twelve against the Saint Louis Rams. In that contest, Forte carried the ball 20 times for 132 yards and two touchdowns. He added 14 more yards on two receptions.

Situation In 2008

Forte has remained injury-free this season, with only a toe injury suffered in week fifteen. Without the star in the lineup, the offense struggles mightily to move the ball. He is the best player on a lackluster offense. His situation is set for years to come. The quarterback position needs to be addressed for the Bears.

Long-term Situation

Forte will the unquestioned starter in Chicago for years to come as long as he can remain healthy. Kevin Jones is a free agent this offseason, leaving only Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe as the backups. Matt Forte is the cornerstone of the offense. Only Matt Forte and Greg Olsen are young and talented, with the rest of the skill position starters unsure of their future.

Potential Upside

Forte has good speed for his 6'2", 222-pound frame. He ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. In addition, the former Green Wave star was the fourth best running back in the 3-cone drill at the Combine. He shows that lateral quickness in the hole. Forte is able to run over or sidestep defenders. He is a very good receiver out of the backfield, as well as a decisive runner. Forte should have a career, littered with multiple Top 10 finishes.

College Profile from NFL.com

Positives: Has a well-built frame with thick thighs and calves, V-shaped upper torso with muscular arms, tight abdomen and broad shoulders...Shows good initial quickness and adequate elusiveness for a rare sized halfback...Has the ability to take a hit and keep his feet to break arm tackles...His catching ability is above average, as he is sudden out of his breaks and shows good hand extension to catch outside his frame...Has an adequate burst of speed, but is precise in his cuts and hits the holes aggressively, squaring his shoulders to execute through trash...Shows good vision and field awareness, as he is developing into an efficient cut blocker...Does a good job being patient and waiting for blocks to develop and has the vision to easily locate the cutback lanes...Is very decisive through the holes, picking his feet well while displaying the body lean to fall forward and gain additional yardage after the initial hit...Is very alert to stunts and blitzes, doing a nice job of facing up to the defender in pass protection...His effort and drive is good taking the ball up the middle and also demonstrates the second gear to elude along the perimeter...Runs hard and ends most of his carries going forward...Is an adequate in-line blocker, but shows good effort to sustain and control, keeping his hands active and with proper placement...Hard worker on and off the field and is the type who plays until the whistle...Not a real vocal guy, but is very good leader by example...Can be relied upon to get his workouts done without being watched and usually does extra work in the training and film rooms...Shows good ability to hit the hole hard and getting up to full speed in a hurry once he clears the line...Runs with good balance and does a fine job of setting up his blocks...Does a good job of seeing the field and locating coverages to settle underneath in passing situations...Has good strength and power and has become more of a bruiser when running the ball during his senior year...Consistently finishes his runs going forward and shows the ability to consistently break tackles, even when he has to power through the pile...Has vision and quickness to make first person miss and builds his acceleration nicely, reaching full speed when turning the corner...His body control and balance are evident by his ability to make hard cuts and get defenders off balance...Had some fumble issues in 2007, but generally does a good job of protecting the ball in traffic...Used mostly on controlled routes and screens, but has the moves and route running ability to go up the seam for the long throws...Doesn't shy away from contact and is very good at squaring up to mirror defenders or make cut...Has steadily improved his ability to create separation between him and the defender as a senior, keeping his pads low and showing very fluid cutback agility, showing no ill effects from 2006 knee surgery...Comes out of his stance with good hip snap, doing a nice job of locating the cutback lanes...Is a load to bring down in isolated coverage (had to be brought down by multiple defenders on 99-of-314 non-touchdown runs in 2007 and on 53-of-155 carries in 2006)...Has also become an efficient in-line blocker, keeping his hands within his framework to latch on and sustain...Drives hard with his legs in limited attempts as a lead blocker, squaring his shoulders well to widen the rush lanes.

Negatives: Does a good job hitting the hole and reading his blocks, but isn't the type of player who can suddenly explode past the smaller defenders (better moving the pile than trying to elude. Does have the hip swerve to quickly redirect to the cutback lanes)...Lacks the sudden burst to hit the corner, but builds his acceleration nicely, using his power rather than a second gear to break long runs...Has very good hands as a receiver, but the system does not call for him to be split out, nor is he expected to run wide-out routes, but you can see on film that he has the vision and hand extension to catch outside his frame.

Keep An Eye On

Adrian Arrington

Since this is the last article for the season, I want to mention a receiver to watch this offseason. Adrian Arrington was playing well in preseason before being lost for the season due to injury. He was the WR2 for Michigan last season and can be a legitimate NFL wide receiver. He is big (6'2", 203 pounds) and is in a great situation. Arrington was drafted in the 7th round of April's NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. He is a guy to watch this offseason with Devery Henderson and Lance Moore becoming free agents at the end of the season. This could open the door for the former Wolverine.

Past Rookie Profiles

Quarterback

Running Back

Wide Receiver

Tight End