Matt Forte Excelling as Poor Man's Marshall Faulk in Martz Offense

When Marshall Faulk entered the league back in 1994 as the No. 2 overall pick, he took the league by storm with his all around game. He could run between the tackles, had breakaway speed, elusiveness, and could catch a pass out of the backfield.  

Most backs do not possess the skills to catch passes, and were usually not on the field during third down situations. Faulk changed that with his ability to make plays after the catch and lining up in the slot as a receiver.  

When Faulk was traded to the St. Louis Rams in his prime, we saw one of the most gifted running backs ever unleashed. Under the guidance of offensive coordinator Mike Martz he revolutionized the running back position into a weapon as a receiver, Faulk took his game to another level.

Today most NFL teams run a two running back system where one back is a power back and the other is a change of pace, receiver type of back. Many backs do not possess the skills that Faulk showed us when he was part of the “Greatest Show on Turf.”  

The Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte is one of the few player to even come close to Marshall Faulk’s skill set. Forte is a back who can catch out of the backfield and is usually on the field in third down situations. Forte also has Faulk’s old offensive coordinator in Martz calling him plays.

Martz uses play calling that revolves around the running back, lining him up all over the field and calling numerous screen plays throughout the game. Last season the Bears brought in a third down back in Chester Taylor, but the Bears and Martz actually realized that Forte is very capable on third downs. So the Bears ultimately cut Taylor and signed a goal line power back in Marion Barber this season. In Forte’s second season under Martz’s offense, his abilities will be enhanced and be reminiscent of Faulk. Cutler will be throwing quick strikes to his receivers, and relying heavily on Forte.

Forte will never be a 20 to 25 carry guy in the Martz system or even rush for 2000 yards in a season, but you can always expect him to gain around 2000 total yards a season. He knows what type of back he will be in this system and will take full advantage of it.

Forte is not the prototypical back in the sense of having a lot of carries, which is probably the reason why he does not get the love and hype around the league as Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson do. Forte does not have the power that Peterson possesses or the speed of Johnson, but he can definitely catch better then each of these backs, which is perfect for Martz’s system. Forte is just like Faulk in the sense that Faulk is never mentioned in the discussion as one of the top backs ever. 

In the season opener against the Falcons, Forte had 158 total yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Of those yards 90 of them were from catches. Expect Forte to have more yards caught then gained on the ground this season. 

If Jay Cutler is really motivated and has studied Martz’s system this season then look for the Bears to be contenders, and Forte to have an MVP type season. Also don’t be surprised to see Forte as the fourth player ever behind Marshall Faulk, Marcus Allen and Tiki Barber to rush for 10,000 yards and have 5000 yards in receiving when his career is over.  

I’m not saying that Forte is as talented as Faulk by any means, but he has enough talent to succeed in Martz’s system, and he is capable and diverse enough come close. Matt Forte is one of the few and rare every down, complete backs in this league.The Bears better pay Forte soon because they have something special in their hands.