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Texans Interested in Forte?
- Thread starter Brando
- Start date
V3rm0nt3r
Rookie
I think he went to Tulsa so....
yeah he must be up there in the books
Nope, Barry Sanders still has the record with 2,628 yards in 1988. Forte total was only 2nd in Conference USA to Central Florida's Kevin Smith's 2,567.
Actually, Forte had a great year, finishing 2nd in the NCAA 1-A to Smith, and had one of the top 10 rushing seasons of all time. What's odd is that neither Forte and Smith will likely be the 1st Conference USA RB selected in the draft. That honor should go to East Carolina's Chris Johnson.
Maddict5
Hall of Fame
dalemurphy
Hall of Fame
I think we should probably avoid Conference USA LBs and DTs.
V3rm0nt3r
Rookie
Tulane... my bad
texasguy346
Mod Squad
NFL teams love players with elite speed. Johnson certainly has it. How many times have we seen players fall a round or two in the draft simply because they don't burn up the turf in their 40 time despite having done nothing but produce on film?
awtysst
Draft Guru
Here is some info courtesy of http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/matt-forte?id=234
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.
CloakNNNdagger
Hall of Fame
There's something about his running style and ability to blast through or drag defenders, not to mention his body build that reminds me of Eric Dickerson.
JayCee
Waterboy
i like the hit he takes around 1:25.
Hagar
Drink up yall, its the Texans!
Interesting running style. Runs with his feet very close together and doesn't seem to be making hard cuts. Just kinda leans over and change directions. Actually looks like he's riding a skateboard.
Very different the say Barry Sanders, who used to run with his legs far apart and could make very violent cuts in the middle of a run.
Reminds me more of Eric Dickerson then anyone else (without the high knee action). Particularly on the 3 play of the clip at 0:13.
The Pencil Neck
Hall of Fame
Whenever I think of a RB who took small steps, I always think of Emmitt Smith. He seemed to just shuffle through the line with both hands on the ball. I seem to recall Herschel Walker doing the same thing.
But this guy doesn't remind me of either of those guys. His steps don't look all that small to me. He just looks patient.
Playing the "reminds me of..." game, Forte reminds me of Dorsey Levens. Former Packer who was a big RB, but could get to the outside. Also was a good receiver out of the backfield. Levens would have had a much better career, but was often hit with injuries.
Kaiser Toro
Native Mod
Which brings us to Ahman Green.
P
Polo
Guest
That kid has something....
The recent boards and whatnot I looked at, he'd probably be gone by early third.
From NFL.com:
Tulane (March 13)
Fifteen NFL teams were in attendance, including the running backs coaches from Detroit, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Carolina and Houston, as nine prospects worked out outdoors on Field Turf.
» RB Matt Forte (6-1 ¼, 221): Ran position drills and kept his numbers from the combine for everything else. Note: He will have a private workout with the Falcons on March 17 and with the Bears later this month.
The more I see him the more I like. Smooth-looking runner.
From NFL.com:
Tulane (March 13)
Fifteen NFL teams were in attendance, including the running backs coaches from Detroit, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Carolina and Houston, as nine prospects worked out outdoors on Field Turf.
» RB Matt Forte (6-1 ¼, 221): Ran position drills and kept his numbers from the combine for everything else. Note: He will have a private workout with the Falcons on March 17 and with the Bears later this month.
The more I see him the more I like. Smooth-looking runner.
There is a great deal of depth in this draft at the RB position. But, there aren't a lot of big backs (220+ lbs). Forte has established himself as #3 in ranking among those bigger RBs, behind Mendenhall & Stewart. Which is why he may be rated higher than guys like Chris Johnson, Felix Jones, and Jamaal Charles on some draft boards. So the 2nd round looks like a real possibility for Forte.
I find it interesting that the Saints may be looking at a RB as early in the 2nd round, just 2 years from taking one with the #2 overall pick. Very interesting.
I find it interesting that the Saints may be looking at a RB as early in the 2nd round, just 2 years from taking one with the #2 overall pick. Very interesting.
Imatexanfan
Hall of Fame
Looks like another guy we know as D. Davis/Williams. But hey he could be goos for a lil while huh?!
Maddict5
Hall of Fame
What does that say about the greatest RB prospect in the last 25 years of the draft?
Speaking of Barry Sanders running style look at this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG-hNxjvNUA
I wouldnt mind gettin this guy in the 4th if Forte was gone before we got him.
badboy
Hall of Fame
I believe LZ stated many scouts are very excited about Mr. Forte. If we can pick up a second round selection, I would certainly look at him. i would also look strong at J.Charles who should be fantastic in ZBS especially if Brown can be productive. All this behind a new LT, of course.