[CBFF] Matt Forte - RB

[Kenny Claxton]

Ran a 4.47 during the combine

On Sat, Apr 26, 2008 at 6:43 PM, Steve Behrens <steve.behrens at gmail.com> wrote:
>  Matt Forte
>  Height: 6-1 | Weight: 224 | Position:RB | College: Tulane
>
>   Overview
>
>  The Green Wave boasts one of the elite tailbacks in college football. Much
>  like his predecessor, Mewelde Moore (2000-03), Forte' is a multi-talented
>  athlete who must be accounted for by the opposition, as he can break free
>  for a long run, take the ball up the middle for tough yardage, catch the
>  ball coming out of the backfield, deliver the big tackle on the special
>  teams coverage unit or utilize his strong arm to complete the option pass.
>
>  A creative open-field runner, Forte' has drawn comparisons to Arizona
>  Cardinals standout Edgerrin James, as he shows the same balance, body
>  control and burst to gain valid yardage after the initial hit. He ranks
>  second on the school's career-record lists with 808 rushing attempts for
>  4,145 yards on the ground, while his 38 scoring runs established the Tulane
>  all-time record. Forte' also became the 11th player in NCAA Subdivision
>  (1-A) history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season during his
>  senior year.
>
>  After leading the nation in rushing for a good part of 2007, Forte
>  eventually finished second with 177.3 yards per game. He was also second in
>  scoring with 11.67 points per game and fourth with 201.7 all-purpose yards
>  per game. His five 200-yard games tied the single-season NCAA record held by
>  three players (Marcus Allen of Southern California in 1981, Barry Sanders of
>  Oklahoma State in 1988 and Jamario Thomas of North Texas State in 2004).
>
>  In 2007, Forte' gained 620 yards in a two-game span (vs. Southern Methodist
>  and Memphis), the most by a Division 1-A runner since Ricky Williams of
>  Texas gained 668 yards in 1998 (318 vs. Rice and 350 vs. Iowa State). His
>  2007 three-game span of 829 yards (vs. Southern Methodist, Memphis and
>  Alabama-Birmingham) are the most gained by a Division 1-A runner in three
>  consecutive contests since Sanders totaled 937 yards in 1988. His four-game
>  streak of 1,031 yards (vs. Southern Methodist, Memphis, Alabama-Birmingham
>  and Army) is the most in Division 1-A history since Sanders piled up 1,152
>  yards in 1988.
>
>  An Honor Roll student at Slidell High School, Forte' earned The St. Tammany
>  Parish Player of the Year Award and was named District 5-5A Offensive Most
>  Valuable Player as a senior. The All-Metro selection added second-team
>  All-State honors his final year and was a two-time All-District and
>  All-Parish choice. He also served as team captain and garnered squad MVP
>  honors his senior season.
>
>  Forte' amassed 2,432 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns in his career while
>  also catching 48 passes for 618 yards and five scores. He gained 1,375 yards
>  as a senior while averaging 6.7 yards per carry, scoring 23 touchdowns on
>  the ground. He also made 18 catches for 253 yards and a pair of scores. He
>  totaled 1,057 rushing yards with eight touchdowns and caught 30 passes for
>  365 yards and three scores as a junior. He also lettered in track.
>
>  Forte' became the third member of his family to play college football and
>  the second to suit up for Tulane. His father, Gene Forte' played for the
>  team from 1975-77, serving as team captain as a senior. His brother, Bryan
>  Forte', played football at McNeese State in 2004, where he competed as a
>  reserve linebacker, recording 20 tackles (12 solos) with 3.5 stops for
>  losses, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.
>
>  The talented youngster made an immediate impact during his first season at
>  Tulane, earning Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors. He shared tailback
>  duties with Jovon Jackson, starting the team's final three games. He
>  finished second on the team with 624 yards and four touchdowns on 140
>  carries (4.5 avg). He added 180 yards and a pair of scores on 20 receptions
>  (9.0 avg) and gained 804 all-purpose yards. He also registered three solo
>  tackles on the punt coverage unit.
>
>  Forte' and Jackson would again share the brunt of the rushing load in 2005.
>  Forte' would go on to lead the team with 169 attempts for 655 yards (3.9
>  avg) and four touchdowns, as he started the first four and final two
>  contests. He ranked fifth on the Green Wave with 23 catches for 163 yards
>  (7.1 avg) and a score, finishing with 818 all-purpose yards.
>
>  Forte' received All-Conference USA third-team honors and was named to the
>  Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-State second-team in 2006. He
>  started the first nine games, but suffered a torn meniscus and posterior
>  cruciate ligament in his left knee, missing the Green Wave's final three
>  contests. He still led the team in rushing with 163 rushes for 859 yards
>  (5.3 avg) and eight touchdowns. The team's fourth-leading receiver caught 28
>  passes for 360 yards (12.9 avg) and two scores. He attempted one pass,
>  recovered an onside kickoff and recorded seven tackles on special teams. He
>  totaled 1,219 all-purpose yards, ranking third in the conference with an
>  average of 135.44 yards per game.
>
>  Held out of spring drills as he continued to recover from his knee injury,
>  Forte' was primed for a banner senior campaign and certainly surpassed even
>  the wildest of expectations. He reeled off five 200-yard efforts, including
>  four in a row, with two of those performances compiling at least 300 yards.
>
>  He rushed 361 times for 2,127 yards and a school season-record 23
>  touchdowns. He added 32 receptions for 282 yards and returned one kickoff 11
>  yards. He completed one of 10 passes for four yards.
>
>  In 43 career games, Forte' started 30 times. He finished as Tulane's career
>  leader with 99.2 rushing yards per game, 39 rushing touchdowns and 44 total
>  touchdowns. He is second with 5,261 all-purpose yards, 4,265 rushing yards
>  and 833 rushing attempts.
>   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.
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