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.
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.
Week 4 Ratings: Second Half Defense Leads Bears over Eagles
In week 4, the Chicago Bears looked like a playoff team, at times. At other times, the Bears looked like a last place team. The Bears come out of the gates quick, putting up 7 points in three plays. Taking a 21-14 point lead into half time, the third game the Bears lead going into the half. The third quarter was a mess though, and the Bears offense turned the ball over three times, while gaining just four yards and zero first downs. The defense came through though on a huge goal line stand, forcing a turn over on downs by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Bears almost blew another fourth quarter lead, but came out on top, 24-20.
Lets take a look at how the Bears did, position by position.
Quarterback- 18/34, 199 yrds, 3 td, 2 int- Rating: 3/5
Kyle Orton started off great. Taking the Bears down the field in three plays, all passing, on their opening drive resulting in a 19-yard pass to Greg Olsen. Orton would finish with three touchdowns, a career high. All three touchdowns came in the first half though. The second half was a different story though. In the third quarter Orton turned the ball over three times, one interception and two fumbles. All three turnovers came on three consecutive possessions. In the end, Orton turned out a pretty good performance, but needs to play like he did the first half more consistently if the Bears are going to make a run at the division.
Running Backs- 26 carries, 78 yrds, 3.0 avg- 6 catches, 43 yards- Rating: 3.5/5
This was not the best rushing performance by the Bears run game, but it did the job. They picked up yards in key situations. Matt Forte carried the ball 19 times for just 43 yards. Kevin Jones spelled him three times for 16 yards. Devin Hester gained 15 yards on an end around, and Marty Booker picked up three yards on what looked to be a wide receiver option. Forte continued to be a reliable receiving option for Orton out of the backfield though, as Orton found him five times when he was getting into trouble. In the end, you would like to see the ground game pick up more yards, but in a game where Orton shined in the first half, the ground game was able to eat away the clock in the fourth quarter. Forte turned in a total 24 touches for 88 yards.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends- 12 catches, 157 yrds, 3 TDs- Rating: 3.5/5
The Chicago Bears reveiving core looked great as a group, but no one stood out alone. Hester, Booker and Olsen all caught touch down passes. Hester also dropped a pass over the middle of the field that would proably have ended in a touchdown. He redemed himself with a 20 yard grab down the sideline for a second quarter touchdown that put Chicago up 21-14. Olsen had three catches, and zero turnovers! Booker also got his first touchdown back with the Bears. Brandon Lloyd, last weeks leading wide out, had two catches for 33 yards before leaving with an injury, which he did not return from. Besides the dropped catch by Hester, the wide outs performed well.
Defensive Line- 13 tackles, 1.5 sacks – Rating: 4/5
The Chicago Bears were without pro-bowl defensive lineman Tommie Harris and did not have to face pro-bowl running back Brian Westbrook or pro-bowl guard Shaun Andrews. They held running back Correll Buckhalter to just 66 yards rushing but he averaged 4.1 yards per carry. The were able to keep Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb on the run though, sacking him 1.5 times. The line made a huge stop in the fourth quarter though. As the eagles drove 75 yards down the field with hopes of tying the, the Chicago Bears stopped them at the one yard line on 3 consecutive plays, yielding a turn over on downs.
Linebackers- 11 tackles, 1 sack- Rating: 3.5/5
The Bears linebackers played a great game Sunday, although not putting up huge numbers. Lance Briggs was continuosly chasing guys around the field, and had two crowed ‘awwing’ hits. Hunter Hillenmeyer sacked McNabb once, and Brain Urlacher was all over the field as usual, picking up 8 tackles.
Defensive Secondary- 22 tackles, .5 sack, 1 int- Rating 4/5
The Chicago Bears secondary played very well Sunday, allowing the least amount of passing yards and touchdowns by McNabb for the season. Danieal Manning got into the back field to assist Ogunleye in a sack. Kevin Payne tied Urlacher for the team lead in sacks with 8 tackles, he also returned an interception for 49 yards, almost scoring a touchdown. The secondary had a touch time trying to cover speedy rookie DeShawn Jackson who scored the only receiving touchdown for the Eagles. Charles Tillman left in the fourth quarter after being in obvious pain after missing a tackle. The Bears secondary was able to prevent any really big plays, something usually tough for the opposing teams to do against the Eagles offense.
Overall Team Rating: 4/5
The Chicago Bears were the clear underdogs against the Eagles, as nobody was really giving them a chance. The Bears showed early that they were a team that should not be looked over. The second half play by the Bears offense, mainly Orton, was clear to why they blew second half leads the last two weeks and are only 2-2. The defense showed its true character with their goal line stand, which was definitely the focal point of the second half.
While it was first half offense that got the Bears going in week 4, it was traditional Chicago Bears defense that finished of the game in the second half.
