Most Bears fans didn’t know what to expect when Matt Forte was drafted with the 44th overall pick. Playing outside the limelight in a non-BCS conference, Forte quietly amassed 2,127 yards and 23 touchdowns at Tulane University in his senior year but remained a somewhat faceless image alongside the other, more celebrated running backs of the 2008 draft. Names like Darren McFadden, Jonathan Stewart, and Rashard Mendenhall garnered most of the buzz while Forte’s college and Scouting Combine stats did his talking for him.

Now, with a record-setting rookie season under his belt, everyone in Chicago knows Matt Forte’s name. Rushing for 1,238 yards and eight touchdowns, the back single-handedly fueled the Bears’ offense, drawing comparisons to Walter Payton and Gale Sayers in the process. He also displayed great versatility by leading the team in receptions with 63 for 477 yards and four touchdowns. It is no surprise that Forte eclipsed Sayers’ franchise rookie record for total yards from scrimmage—1,374, set in 1965—in just thirteen games, and finished the season with a whopping 1,715 total yards from scrimmage, third-best in the league. Perhaps most telling of Forte’s impact on the team is the fact that he accounted for exactly 34.99% of the Bears’ entire offense, the highest such percentage of any player last year.

At 6’2”, 216 lbs., Forte is a moderately-sized power back with tremendous burst, allowing him to hit the hole hard on inside power runs. He speed is incredibly deceptive; against the Colts and Rams, he scored on runs of 50- and 47-yards, respectively. In five other games, he broke runs of 20 or more yards. This is not to say Forte is a breakaway threat because it’s clear the former Green Wave lacks top-end speed. However, Forte’s lower body strength, incredible balance, and quick acceleration make up for this, giving him the ability to power through tackles and make smooth, timely cuts.

Hands are another big part of the back’s success. As a receiver out of the backfield, Forte provided a new dimension to Ron Turner’s offense as a reliable safety valve for Kyle Orton as well as a short- to mid-field threat. The rookie executed inevitable screens and swing routes with deft footwork, ably manipulated hot options, and was always there for the check down. All of this adds up to increased efficiency on third-down and a tendency to, as the pundits put it, move the chains.

Despite these glowing accolades, there are some bothersome statistics. The first, a 3.9-yard-per-rush average, is somewhat deceiving. Though relatively close to a decent four yards per carry, Forte’s game log tells a story of inconsistency. In games against Indianapolis, Detroit (home), and St. Louis, he averaged 5.3 yards or higher; against Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Detroit (away), Minnesota (home), Jacksonville, New Orleans, and Green Bay (home), he averaged 3.3 yards or less.

Consistency is the key here. Sometimes he has it, sometimes he doesn’t. But can you really blame him considering the Bears’ offensive woes for much of the year? Defenses honed in on him first in order to stall the offense. If Forte can avoid being shut down completely in games and carry the ball for four yards late in the fourth quarter, he’ll be golden. See the game against Green Bay, where he rushed seven times for 48 yards on a late drive to tie the game and send it into overtime after being stuffed all game, for evidence of this potential.

The other concern is workload. Forte touched the ball a total of 379 times, an incredibly high number for a back of any age, and certainly wouldn’t last long in the league doing that every year. The Bears need a trusted running back to take the load off Forte and spell him for brief periods. There is a reason teams are spreading the carries around a lot more these days: It prevents the defense from getting comfortable, thereby making each individual back more effective.

The organization believes they have this change-up man on their roster, whether it be Adrian Peterson or the criminally-underused Garrett Wolfe. Or perhaps it’s Kevin Jones, who the Bears recently re-signed to a two-year, $3.5 million deal. Whoever it is, they will end up playing a very important role in ensuring the longevity of the next great Chicago Bears tailback.

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