is the rest of the world nuts or just us?

[Connorbear]

ok then tell me why it would have "sucked just as much."

 

you would have basically traded an EXTRA 3rd round pick we had for mendy. the 7th rounder we could have sweetened the deal with doesn't mean jack S$#!& because we have THREE OTHERS in the same round!!!!

 

as i didn't watch college ball this year i assume you did. so tell me how much better or worse mendy is compared to forte and why that pick would have sucked.

 

hey if they picked another OL i'm with that. if they thought a QB warranted that pick, fine i'm ok with that. but if these D!%$# just wanted a RB then why in the holy C$%!#@ didn't they pick one who COULD be an every down back and one who COULD be good???????????????????????????????/

You're assuming someone would have traded with us so we could move back up into the first.

 

I completely disagree with taking a QB in the 2nd. Our 2 greatest needs were O-line and runningback. We addressed both today. Haugh said the Bears had been targeting Forte and were extremely happy to get him.

 

I am not sure what guides you are reading, but I always get the ProFootball Weekly draft guide. Here is there summary on him:

 

A big, strong hard charging, one cut runner with the vision, instincts, and toughness to be effective running inside. Has shown he could carry an offense and has the ability to develop into a workhorse.

 

Peace

[Lucky Luciano]

You're assuming someone would have traded with us so we could move back up into the first.

 

I completely disagree with taking a QB in the 2nd. Our 2 greatest needs were O-line and runningback. We addressed both today. Haugh said the Bears had been targeting Forte and were extremely happy to get him.

 

I am not sure what guides you are reading, but I always get the ProFootball Weekly draft guide. Here is there summary on him:

 

A big, strong hard charging, one cut runner with the vision, instincts, and toughness to be effective running inside. Has shown he could carry an offense and has the ability to develop into a workhorse.

 

Peace

 

i don't know which edition you have of ProFootball Weekly Draft Guide you have but my ProFootball Weekly 2008 Draft Guide says this for his downside:

 

"Runs upright. Takes time to build speed and can be slow to reach the perimeter. Struggles to make defenders miss in the open field. Loses his base and could do a better job sustaining blocks in pass protection. Does not naturally adjust his body and struggles to catch anything thrown behind him. Lacks top-end speed and is not a home-run threat. Production is inflated having faced marginal Conference USA competition."

he was ranked to go in the 3rd or 4th round. listed as the 7th best rb in this magazine.

 

here is what is in Pro Football Draft Guide '08:

 

Downside - "Forte is anything but a burner, and his physical running style won't be nearly as effective in the NFL. He's also not very elusive. Forte is really more of a three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust type whose best chance might be to bulk up and play fullback in the NFL.

 

Bottom Line - Forte will likely have a spot in the NFL if he can add fullback skills and become more versatile. He'll likely be a situational hybrid back who could see planty of action on third down and in single-back sets. He could also be an asset on the goal line."

 

as far as trading up at around the 20-25 spot in the first there WERE trades happening. i think the skins? actually traded out and the cost was similar if not smaller than what i stated.

 

Edit: he was also ranked in this magazine as the 15th best running back in the draft.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

The only people who don't like the Forte pick are people who've never watched him before, and because he doesn't go to some elite school and isn't talked about on ESPN 5 minutes.

 

Forte was an excellent choice. Stop being stupid. Just because you've never heard of him means he sucks. Get a grip.

100% agreed.

[Connorbear]

i don't know which edition you have of ProFootball Weekly Draft Guide you have but my ProFootball Weekly 2008 Draft Guide says this for his downside:

 

"Runs upright. Takes time to build speed and can be slow to reach the perimeter. Struggles to make defenders miss in the open field. Loses his base and could do a better job sustaining blocks in pass protection. Does not naturally adjust his body and struggles to catch anything thrown behind him. Lacks top-end speed and is not a home-run threat. Production is inflated having faced marginal Conference USA competition."

he was ranked to go in the 3rd or 4th round. listed as the 7th best rb in this magazine.

 

here is what is in Pro Football Draft Guide '08:

 

Downside - "Forte is anything but a burner, and his physical running style won't be nearly as effective in the NFL. He's also not very elusive. Forte is really more of a three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust type whose best chance might be to bulk up and play fullback in the NFL.

 

Bottom Line - Forte will likely have a spot in the NFL if he can add fullback skills and become more versatile. He'll likely be a situational hybrid back who could see planty of action on third down and in single-back sets. He could also be an asset on the goal line."

 

as far as trading up at around the 20-25 spot in the first there WERE trades happening. i think the skins? actually traded out and the cost was similar if not smaller than what i stated.

 

Edit: he was also ranked in this magazine as the 15th best running back in the draft.

The ProFootball Weekly 2008 Draft Preview. This is actually like a book in that it runs $19.95. I have been getting this for the last 10 yrs. Ships at the beginning of April. In the the preview, they have him ranked as the 6th best running back.

 

Please explain the following:

 

he was ranked to go in the 3rd or 4th round. listed as the 7th best rb in this magazine.

 

Edit: he was also ranked in this magazine as the 15th best running back in the draft.

 

Which is it 7th or 15th?

 

Bottom line, this is the guy they targeted. That's fine if you don't like him. I do. I have been talking about him for the past 3 weeks. I would have loved to get Mendanhall but I felt the most pressing need was OT. If we had waited to get OT, we would have been screwed. I was hoping we would trade up and snag Mendy but it didn't work out that way. Forte was the next RB I was interested in (given who was off the board already) so, as I said, I am happy with the pick.

 

Peace

[Lucky Luciano]

The ProFootball Weekly 2008 Draft Preview. This is actually like a book in that it runs $19.95. I have been getting this for the last 10 yrs. Ships at the beginning of April. In the the preview, they have him ranked as the 6th best running back.

 

Please explain the following:

 

he was ranked to go in the 3rd or 4th round. listed as the 7th best rb in this magazine.

 

Edit: he was also ranked in this magazine as the 15th best running back in the draft.

 

Which is it 7th or 15th?

 

Bottom line, this is the guy they targeted. That's fine if you don't like him. I do. I have been talking about him for the past 3 weeks. I would have loved to get Mendanhall but I felt the most pressing need was OT. If we had waited to get OT, we would have been screwed. I was hoping we would trade up and snag Mendy but it didn't work out that way. Forte was the next RB I was interested in (given who was off the board already) so, as I said, I am happy with the pick.

 

Peace

 

look, the pro football weekly guide is a magazine that cost seven bucks and is on the news stands. if you have some special edition of this magazine that i don't let me know and i will demand my money back.

 

as far as the items you asked about...

 

the PFW guide on page 38 in the RB section forte is listed RB #7. at the bottom of the page is listed "ROUND" and has numbers 1-7 next to it. the highligted numbers in white are rounds 3 to 4 at where he is projected to be drafted.

 

the other guide has a RB section at which forte is the #15 listed back. i assume that is quality of player and if not the magazine is run by cretins.

 

here is what it boils down to... no i have not seen this guy play and am not questioning anyone who has other than to ask relevant questions. i can ONLY judge him at THIS POINT by what i have read in these draft guides. if you disagree with what these writers say then explain it in detail why they are wrong. in fact if forte is NOT and will NOT become a fullback to stay in the nfl and is projected to be a full time half back i will be at least ready to see what happens before i label him. if he IS at best a glorified FB then this pick is horrendous and nobody will convince me any different. FB's just are not this valuable that you waste mid 2nd round picks on them.

[bradjock]

I bought the Sporting News Draft Guide (for $7.00 off the newstand) and they have Forte listed as the 11th RB overall, and projected him as a 3rd rounder. Of course they projected Chris Johnson as the 7th best RB and a late 2nd rounder, and he went in the first to Tennessee. They said Jonathon Stewart was the 5th RB and a 2nd rounder, and he went as the 2nd to Carolina at #14.

 

What is comes down to is this: What the hell does Sporting News, Profootball Weekly, or anybody else know? We met with Forte on at least 2 occassions, I'm sure we poked and prodded him, and watched every second of game film available. Based on that, we felt he was the best RB available for our system.

 

Considering we needed a RB, that's tough to argue with IMO.

[Connorbear]

look, the pro football weekly guide is a magazine that cost seven bucks and is on the news stands. if you have some special edition of this magazine that i don't let me know and i will demand my money back.

 

as far as the items you asked about...

 

the PFW guide on page 38 in the RB section forte is listed RB #7. at the bottom of the page is listed "ROUND" and has numbers 1-7 next to it. the highligted numbers in white are rounds 3 to 4 at where he is projected to be drafted.

 

the other guide has a RB section at which forte is the #15 listed back. i assume that is quality of player and if not the magazine is run by cretins.

 

here is what it boils down to... no i have not seen this guy play and am not questioning anyone who has other than to ask relevant questions. i can ONLY judge him at THIS POINT by what i have read in these draft guides. if you disagree with what these writers say then explain it in detail why they are wrong. in fact if forte is NOT and will NOT become a fullback to stay in the nfl and is projected to be a full time half back i will be at least ready to see what happens before i label him. if he IS at best a glorified FB then this pick is horrendous and nobody will convince me any different. FB's just are not this valuable that you waste mid 2nd round picks on them.

Nowhere have I read he is projected as a FB. In the guide I am referring to, they have him ranked behind McFadden, Stewart, Mendenhall, Jones, and Rice. I prefer Forte over Rice mainly because of size (Rice is 5'8", 197 - Forte is 6'1" 217). I don't see him having the size to play FB (he would need to put on another 25 pounds). Further, he runs a 4.46 and putting on the weight to play FB would most certainly cut into his speed and ability to cut. He was a runningback in college and he will be a runningback with the Bears. They did not bring him in because they thought he could play FB. The think he can be a load back (25 to 30 carries a game).

 

Peace

[Lucky Luciano]

I bought the Sporting News Draft Guide (for $7.00 off the newstand) and they have Forte listed as the 11th RB overall, and projected him as a 3rd rounder. Of course they projected Chris Johnson as the 7th best RB and a late 2nd rounder, and he went in the first to Tennessee. They said Jonathon Stewart was the 5th RB and a 2nd rounder, and he went as the 2nd to Carolina at #14.

 

What is comes down to is this: What the hell does Sporting News, Profootball Weekly, or anybody else know? We met with Forte on at least 2 occassions, I'm sure we poked and prodded him, and watched every second of game film available. Based on that, we felt he was the best RB available for our system.

 

Considering we needed a RB, that's tough to argue with IMO.

 

i'm NOT saying what quality forte is or is NOT because i have never seen him play in my life. i am only going on what i read. i am also NOT saying these rags know JACK about anything. if they are wrong that is what i want to know and why they are wrong. if they project him in their rag as being only a FB possibility and it's true then the pick was nuts.

 

if they were wrong then THATS what i want to know. that he is a HALFBACK that is projected as a starter when we drafted him. if for some reason he is a specialty back, if for some reason he is REALLY a fullback then angelo has brain damage drafting him in the 2nd round!!!!!!!

[BearSox]

I've also seen him listed as a FB. Him and Benson may provide that 1-2 punch that they missed without TJ.

Because he also excels at blocking, he can probably play a little FB, making it that much nicer that we drafted him. We now can carry 4 RB's with only 1 FB because we know if McKie gets injured, we can put Forte in there.

[BearSox]

Cherilus was taken 17th, Baker 21st, Brown 26th, and Rachal 39th. Some of those were projected in the 3rd round. So with those off the board, the Bears filled what they felt was their 2nd biggest need with Forte. Forte was the 6th RB taken.

 

At 44, the options were 10th OL, 6th RB, 6th WR, or 3rd QB. Obviously they felt that filling the RB need was the best value at that pick.

I gotta give Scott Wright and nfldraftcountdown credit for his prediction of Duane Brown going in the 1st. I doubt there was another draft expert around with Brown going in the 1st.

 

Obviously we would have prefered Flacco, but he wasn't there. Unless people here wanted Henne, RB was the next big need, and Forte was a perfect fit for what we needed.

 

The only guy I would have taken over Forte would have been Trevor Laws.

[ParkerBear7]

Let's face it Benson is probably done and Forte looks like a real good prospect and it fills our 2nd biggest need.

[jason]

Let's face it Benson is probably done and Forte looks like a real good prospect and it fills our 2nd biggest need.

 

I would argue that the Bears' second biggest need was actually OG.

[SoxFan1]

I would have preferred drafting Brohm in the 2nd then getting someone like Jamaal Charles in the 3rd, as well as a WR/OG/DT. Who knows, Forte might have even been there in the 3rd for us.

[ParkerBear7]

I would argue that the Bears' second biggest need was actually OG.

 

 

There will be a Guard in the 3rd that will provide depth and challenge for a starting job.

 

Our OL currenlty & could project as follows:

 

 

LT Williams

LG St Clair (he looked much better at G that OT last year).

C Kruetz

RG Garza / Beekman

Rt Tait

 

Plus there is Reed and Jones for depth at G.

[ParkerBear7]

I would have preferred drafting Brohm in the 2nd then getting someone like Jamaal Charles in the 3rd, as well as a WR/OG/DT. Who knows, Forte might have even been there in the 3rd for us.

 

 

I was expectcting to hear Brohm's names called but apparently they do not feel he is any different that the QB's currently on the Roster. This may also prove that RB is a bigger need than OG.

[Zod]

i'm NOT saying what quality forte is or is NOT because i have never seen him play in my life. i am only going on what i read. i am also NOT saying these rags know JACK about anything. if they are wrong that is what i want to know and why they are wrong. if they project him in their rag as being only a FB possibility and it's true then the pick was nuts.

 

if they were wrong then THATS what i want to know. that he is a HALFBACK that is projected as a starter when we drafted him. if for some reason he is a specialty back, if for some reason he is REALLY a fullback then angelo has brain damage drafting him in the 2nd round!!!!!!!

 

Here is the real simple reason why Matt Forte will NOT be fullback in the NFL. 4.46 in the forty. This makes him faster than any RB on the team.

[AZ54]

I've been reading CBS' player profiles for years and generally felt they were the accurate after seeing our draftees play. They have a lot of good things to say about Forte that make me think he can be a good 3-down RB for us including blocking and pass catching ability. Had to be brought down by multiple defenders on 99 of 314 non-touchdown runs. Plus note the high character comments about working out on his own.

 

http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/draft/559687

 

Analysis

 

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.

 

Compares To: EDGERRIN JAMES-Arizona … Like James, Forte' might lack explosive speed, but his lower body strength, balance and body control allow him to shift his weight, sink his pads and drive through arm tackles. He is an efficient receiver out of the backfield and adds to his resume as a gunner on special teams. Like James, he quietly goes about his job and is slowly developing into a solid cut blocker. He seems to get stronger as the game wears on and has made steady progress recovering from late 2006 knee problems.

[Lucky Luciano]

Here is the real simple reason why Matt Forte will NOT be fullback in the NFL. 4.46 in the forty. This makes him faster than any RB on the team.

 

ok i'm starting to believe this guy is a real running back and not another variation of wolf.

 

just to let you know where this is coming from, one of the reasons i questioned this guys value is in the same pro football weekly 2008 draft guide that said he lacked speed they posted his 40 time as 4.63. some tight ends have better speeds than what they had posted so thus the major concern on my part.

 

as some others posted i would rather have gone after another need if the quality player was there but if not this guy sounds like he can compete for the starting job which in my opinion is a must for a pick that high so i can live with the pick.

[jorgefabregas]

He better be decent. He's probably going to start the season as the number 1 RB.

[madlithuanian]

No way! MEndenhall will shred this league! He's on a team that knows the importance of a running game,and does it well... the Steelers.

 

 

 

Luckily they have brains bigger than a BB and didn't make the move up for Mendenhall. Don't get me wrong, I don't like the Forte pick, but drafting up to get Mendenhall would have sucked just as much.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Forte looks real good. The only legitimate knock you could say is that he tends to run a little more upright than you would like, but he did a lot of his running in between the tackles and that is a big plus (because that happens more in the NFL). He also looked to have good speed and vision (he really found the cut back lines a lot).

 

I like the pick, I like it a lot. I could have went with Mendy, but let me ask people this.

 

Would you rather have Mendy and the best tackle available with the 2nd round pick (and remember, the run of tackles pretty much had all the top tier of tackles gone when pick #44 came around) or Chris Williams & Forte.