Running Back?

[ZenBear34]

i'll preface this by saying i am a huge matt forte fan. that said, he(along with just about every other bear obviously) had one of his worst seasons in the NFL. forte averaged just 3.9 yards a carry. he hadn't averaged less then 4.4 a carry since 2009 when he ran behind a terrible line under a terrible coordinator. forte saw a massive drop in his big plays as well, managing just 1 20 yard run after logging 9 the years before. since turner left forte has averaged 9 20 yard carries a season. it was also the first time he's not broken a single 40 yard run in a season. he had 4 in 2013.

forte will be 30 by the end of the 2015 season. now, it's possible that is fall off was due to other factors, but it's also possible he has already begun the inevitable decline running backs face as they close in on the age of 30.

couple that with fox's desire to commit to the run and an incredibly deep and talented running back draft class and i think the bears might end up addressing running back earlier in the draft then most are expecting. that will also depend on what they think of carey, who i like, but haven't seen enough to say he could step up if forte were to get hurt.

i wouldn't be surprised to see the bears dip into this class as early as the 3rd round.

(by the way, i understand running back is not a priority but it's a dead time for news and the main topics have been discussed to death at this point.)

my quick take on the 2015 running back draft class:

the best: melvin gordon-wisconsin, todd gurley-georgia
both are elite running back prospects. both are likely first round picks. i think minus the injury gurley is the slightly better prospect but both are potential all pro running backs. gurley runs like lynch. maybe not as powerful but faster. gordon looks like a bigger jamaal charles.

under rated: jay ajayi-boise st.
really fluid, aggressive runner. i think ajayi is closer to the top 2 prospects then most people give him credit for. he's a complete back with a lot of uspide.

workhorse: david cobb-minnesota
cobb is not flashy but he is a solid all around back who runs hard. reminds me of travis henry.

speed back: duke johnson-miami
super elusive and explosive, johnson lacks power but runs hard. he will struggle as an inside runner. in most systems a complimentary back. a guy who could be dangerous in the right hands.

power back: matt jones-florida
jones is a no nonsense downhill runner with surprising burst, speed and quickness. he has good hands as well. would be ideal in a two back system.

best of the rest:
tevin coleman-indiana: upright runner with speed and power. early 2nd rounder with pro bowl potential.
ameer abdullah-nebraska: undersized but tough runner with great all around game. 1st round talent but size will kick him to the 2nd.
t.j. yeldon-alabama: tall back with great feet and smooth acceleration. not powerful but runs through arm tackles.

 

[OnemanWolfpack]

I can't argue against taking a running back. I like Forte but I don't think Carey is going to be a full time runner at the NFL level. If Pace truly goes BPA it's hard to imagine that at some point in the draft that wouldn't be a running back. I know there are more holes on defense than a slice of swiss cheese but its hard to believe a they wouldn't have a running back rated higher on their board at some point during the draft.

 

[onebud34]

I say we extend Forte 2 years, if a RB is the BPA in the 2nd or 3rd I'd say go with it.

 

[NCChiFan]

Take a flyer on Ray Rice?

 

[AuCN]

I admittedly don't watch a ton of college football other than csu. Does anyone more knowledgable than I have an opinion on dee hart? He looked great to me. He was always churning and picking up big yards after contact. Was it a function of the poorer quality of teams? He graduated from Alabama in three years. And then transferred to csu. Any idea where he is projected to go and would he be any good in the nfl?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JoSeCuERvO]

i'll preface this by saying i am a huge matt forte fan. that said, he(along with just about every other bear obviously) had one of his worst seasons in the NFL. forte averaged just 3.9 yards a carry. he hadn't averaged less then 4.4 a carry since 2009 when he ran behind a terrible line under a terrible coordinator. forte saw a massive drop in his big plays as well, managing just 1 20 yard run after logging 9 the years before. since turner left forte has averaged 9 20 yard carries a season. it was also the first time he's not broken a single 40 yard run in a season. he had 4 in 2013.

forte will be 30 by the end of the 2015 season. now, it's possible that is fall off was due to other factors, but it's also possible he has already begun the inevitable decline running backs face as they close in on the age of 30.

couple that with fox's desire to commit to the run and an incredibly deep and talented running back draft class and i think the bears might end up addressing running back earlier in the draft then most are expecting. that will also depend on what they think of carey, who i like, but haven't seen enough to say he could step up if forte were to get hurt.

i wouldn't be surprised to see the bears dip into this class as early as the 3rd round.

(by the way, i understand running back is not a priority but it's a dead time for news and the main topics have been discussed to death at this point.)

my quick take on the 2015 running back draft class:

the best: melvin gordon-wisconsin, todd gurley-georgia
both are elite running back prospects. both are likely first round picks. i think minus the injury gurley is the slightly better prospect but both are potential all pro running backs. gurley runs like lynch. maybe not as powerful but faster. gordon looks like a bigger jamaal charles.

under rated: jay ajayi-boise st.
really fluid, aggressive runner. i think ajayi is closer to the top 2 prospects then most people give him credit for. he's a complete back with a lot of uspide.

workhorse: david cobb-minnesota
cobb is not flashy but he is a solid all around back who runs hard. reminds me of travis henry.

speed back: duke johnson-miami
super elusive and explosive, johnson lacks power but runs hard. he will struggle as an inside runner. in most systems a complimentary back. a guy who could be dangerous in the right hands.

power back: matt jones-florida
jones is a no nonsense downhill runner with surprising burst, speed and quickness. he has good hands as well. would be ideal in a two back system.

best of the rest:
tevin coleman-indiana: upright runner with speed and power. early 2nd rounder with pro bowl potential.
ameer abdullah-nebraska: undersized but tough runner with great all around game. 1st round talent but size will kick him to the 2nd.
t.j. yeldon-alabama: tall back with great feet and smooth acceleration. not powerful but runs through arm tackles.

I wouldnt underestimate Carey, he had huge college numbers and very little opportunity under Trestman. He is a work horse type of back that can handle first team reps. I cant wait to see how John Fox uses him next season. Maybe we can see lile a Stewart/Williams type backfield with Forte/Carey

 

[Smokey Robinson]

I heard Forte made too many appearances on NFL network on his off days this year for his teammates liking. He should probably be cut.

 

[dreadpirateroberts]

This off-season, I would sign a veteran on a one-year deal to compete with Carey.

Then next off-season, look at drafting Ezekiel Elliott, Derrick Henry, or James Conner.

 

[Mongo_76]

(by the way, i understand running back is not a priority but it's a dead time for news and the main topics have been discussed to death at this point.)

So you created a thread about taking a RB in the draft even though you agree taking a QB in the draft makes absolutely no sense - because... you're tired of reading/posting in real threads...

Well done.

So on that note, who should the Bears go after as a Head coach? I know we have one, but still. It's slow this time of year.

 

[Bearfanfromnewjersey]

I woukdnt draft a rb this year. We have carey who might not be a full time back but we dont know that yet. What we do know is that he averaged more oer carry than forte and is very young. Also forte is really healthy and thou he is slower he still is a solid rb. Have them split carries and get another rb off the street. So many rbs who can be decent dont even get drafted because off how rbs are used now.

 

[ZenBear34]

So you created a thread about taking a RB in the draft even though you agree taking a QB in the draft makes absolutely no sense - because... you're tired of reading/posting in real threads...

Well done.

So on that note, who should the Bears go after as a Head coach? I know we have one, but still. It's slow this time of year.

well i clearly said the bears would probably be drafting a running back.(and went through why) and i never said anything about not wanting to read/post in "real" threads(whatever that means.) just thought it wouldn't hurt to have another topic of discussion going. if people want to talk about it, they're welcome to. i like discussing prospects with other people and getting their input. i think the bears will be looking at running backs and tried to get the ball rolling with a post about the overall class.

but carry on being a useless tool. thanks for adding so much to my thread!

 

[Old Dirty Curtis]

Over 1800 yards from scrimmage and an nfl record of 104 rec and that is one of his worst years in the nfl? Was it a stellar year no, but not a bad year at all.

I might be in the minority but I would like to draft coleman out of Indiana. He is upright runner like forte and is a good receiver and blocker but also has rediculious break away speed for a back of his size. Could come in and fill fortes role if necessary.

 

[Mongo_76]

Over 1800 yards from scrimmage and an nfl record of 104 rec and that is one of his worst years in the nfl? Was it a stellar year no, but not a bad year at all.

Well said.

I think those of you who understand the actual game probably also understand what happened this year with Forte's YPC average in the run game.

If not, I'll break it down:

1) He was primarily used as a release valve and pass blocker.

2) Jay was in the shot gun a lot where handing off is often a draw play. Meaning he doesn't have the head of steam as he would on a normal hand-off.

3) Play-calling was very predictable.

4) Jay's inability to use/sell the play-action also added to predictability.


Forte put up over 1840 yards from scrimmage with over 1000 on the ground - including a game when he was only given the ball 5 times. Truth is, he'd been used the right way, he'd easily be in the 4.2 to 4.3 YPC range - and I expect that next year.

Given we have Forte and a solid back-up that we drafted in the 4th, and the success teams have had with journey-man RB's, and given the holes we have all over the D, drafting one this year make ZERO sense.

 

[Colonel_Buendia]

i wouldn't be surprised if we drafted a RB, Forte is 29 and has a lot of touches over the course of his career. if Fox wants to get more run-heavy it makes sense to take some of the burden off Forte and build a stable of backs for the future.

 

[Mongo_76]

i wouldn't be surprised if we drafted a RB,

I would because our new GM isn't supposed to be a moron and we have tons of other major issues on this team. RB doesn't even make the top 20.

In fact, most analysts think Forte was snubbed as a pro-bowler.

 

[Colonel_Buendia]

I would because our new GM isn't supposed to be a moron and we have tons of other major issues on this team. RB doesn't even make the top 20.

In fact, most analysts think Forte was snubbed as a pro-bowler.

that's nice for 2015 but how much longer are we going to count on Forte? lots of value for RBs in the mid-to-late rounds, maybe the best position to score a home run on late in the draft. at some point we have to build a team instead of constantly trying to fill the holes of the previous GM's mistakes

 

[Mongo_76]

that's nice for 2015 but how much longer are we going to count on Forte? lots of value for RBs in the mid-to-late rounds, maybe the best position to score a home run on late in the draft. at some point we have to build a team instead of constantly trying to fill the holes of the previous GM's mistakes

Great...

Let's waste late draft picks on people who have zero value in the short term and likely have zero value ever.

Sorry..

Let's focus.

 

[KittiesKorner]

rb in first round? no thanks. second? yes please.

 

[Colonel_Buendia]

Great...

Let's waste late draft picks on people who have zero value in the short term and likely have zero value ever.

Sorry..

Let's focus.

huh? you want to go with a zero-RB roster? RBs never pan out for the team that drafts them? i don't understand what point you're trying to make, but whatever it is I'm pretty sure I don't agree with it.

IMO we've got 3-4 building blocks: Long, Fuller, Jeffery, and maybe Bostic. Paea would be one if he fit our new scheme / wasn't a FA. With so few building blocks, I wouldn't be surprised to see any position drafted if it presents good value at that point in the draft.

 

[TreedBear]

It all starts with the line. Get some good blocking and Forte/ Carey will be fine.