Chicago Bears Position Review…Running Back
Big things were expected out of Chicago Bear’s running back Matt Forte last season and he disappointed many of us including himself by the things he is saying. He failed to make many tacklers miss and was unable to hold onto the football in the redzone.
With all of this being said, the Chicago Bears went into last season with Forte as the only proven running back on the roster. Kevin Jones’ injury during the final preseason game did not help things, but the Bears failing to get even a below average back-up running back made things even worse. In today’s NFL, having two running backs has become an industry standard.
Thank goodness the Chicago Bears recognized this issue and signed Chester Taylor from the hated Vikings. Taylor is a really good running back that became an afterthought with fumble king Adrian Peterson in the mix. But the Vikings loss will be the Bears gain.
Taylor is a really good NFL running back. He was a team player with the Vikings and he has continued to say the right things with the Bears. Let’s face it, he obviously knows that Forte does not have the upside of Peterson, so he figures that the Chicago Bears give him a real shot at starting. Even if Forte remains the featured back, Taylor will be counted on for big things.
From all reports, Forte struggled with some nagging injuries last season. People feel that he is healthy and ready to roll. If this is the case, he will run with a lot to prove. But with a questionable offensive line, he may continue to not miss tacklers. Taylor will have the same issue of course.
The Verdict
The good, the bad and the ugly. We could be looking at any one of these three scenarios if the Bears fail to block for these guys.
Player Profile…Matt Forte
I would really like to think that last season was nothing more than a Sophomore Slump for #22, but my gut tells me that it was not. He looked like he was running in quicksand and he couldn’t make anyone miss. OK, but I will try to be positive here. Forte will have a better offensive coordinator and that should help him become more productive. The offensive line should improve (gulp) and he will have receivers with more experience. But let’s be realistic here, the guy has a lot of proving to do.
Prediction…
We will see a lot of Chester Taylor and Forte will be another in a long line of flash in the pan running backs to wear a Bear’s uniform.
Five Reasons to Be Pessimistic about the Bears
The Chicago Bears had an extremely disappointing season in 2009 with a 7-9 record and a franchise-type quarterback that threw the ball to the other team as often as he threw touchdown passes. While the Bears defense performed as to be expected in the front seven minus Brian Urlacher, the secondary (except Peanut Tillman) were horrible. Here are five reasons why the Bears may be horrible next season.
1. The Return of Lovie Smith
As the famous saying goes, “coaches are hired to be fired”. Well Lovie certainly tried his best to make this statement a reality last season. If I was not at the famous timeout/challenge/timeout game against the Packers, I would not have believed it. Based on that brilliant move alone, he should have voluntarily resigned. So instead, we are stuck with him for another season. While I do not suggest that Lovie owes us anything, his smug attitude and condescending tone seems really out of line for a coach that turned a Super Bowl team into a mid-level draft pick contender.
2. The Front Office (more…)
Week 5 Predictions: Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions
The Chicago Bears head to Detroit this week with a depleted receiving corp and beat up secondary. Kyle Orton’s go-to wide out Brandon Lloyd is out, and Marty Booker is a game time decision. As for the secondary, Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman were each injured in last weeks battle against the Eagles, but each practiced Friday and should be ready to go Sunday. Matt Forte will probably carry the load against a poor Lions rush defense. Lets take a look at how others predict the match up between the Bears and Lions this Sunday.
- Four out of the five experts at ESPN.com predict a Chicago Bears victory. The Bears are going to need their starting cornerbacks in order to stop top Lions receivers Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson. The Lions had two weeks to prepare for this match up after a bye in week 4.
- At Yahoo.com, the Bears got a clean sweep for victory from all three experts and fan votes. The fan votes at Yahoo! give the Bears a 88% chance of victory.
- The guys at CBSSports.com split the match up between the Bears and Lions at 4-4. Six of those picks were against the spread, Lions +3.5. The Harmon Forcast points to Matt Forte’s running abilities against the lousy Lion’s run defense. Pete Prisco, who picked the Bears to beat the Eagles, picks the Bears to get upset this week. His pick is based on the Lion’s bye week and the beat up Bears.
- At the Chicago Trib, the Bears got a clean sweep. All four predictions went to the Chicago Bears, and none of the scores were that close.
Here at BearsHQ we also predict a Chicago Bears victory. Matt Forte’s presence out of the backfield, both as a runner and receiver, has given opponent defenses a headache during the first month, and shouldn’t change in week 5. The Lions have the worst rush defense and the Bears are short at wide receiver, so look for Forte to get plenty of touches. The Bears take the game 27-17.
Week 5 Preview: Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions
The Bears go into week five with their heads held high. The Bears defense looked very sharp last week against the Eagles and they hope the momentum will carry over into this week . Kyle Orton will need to limit his turnovers and Matt Forte should expect close to 30 carries, with Brandon Lloyd out and Marty Booker questionable. Greg Olsen should expect to get a few more passes this week also.
The Lions go into week five without a win and hope the firing of Matt Millen will produce some positive change. Look for Rudi Johnson and rookie Kevin Smith to split the carries until one shows they can break the Bears defense. Jon Kitna and Calvin Johnson will need to have some big hook ups, if they hope to match up against the Bears.
The Bears are the promising team in this match up and if they can limit the amount of turnovers, they will prevail. Look for Matt Forte to destroy the Lions defense and and possibly have a career day. For the Lions to have any chance, they will need to get the run game going early, which will open up the passing lanes for Kitna.
