I watched some UTube cuts of him in Jan and thought he looked pretty good in the highlights. I did a bit of research and saw some concerns about his speed and running style. However, after the combine, his speed looks fine. He has great feet, good visionm solid power and above average speed. Seems like a solid guy...would really like to get a kid like this than invest in Turner. Here is the analysis from NFL.COM... http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/matt-forte?id=234 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bbaIF22NGQ&feature=related 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. Injury Report 2006: Sat out the final three games vs. Southern Mississippi (11/11), Central Florida (11/18) and Tulsa (11/24) and missed 2007 spring drills after suffering a left knee torn meniscus and posterior cruciate ligament late in the Marshall (11/04) clash. Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange. Q & A Growing up, who was your favorite NFL player and why? Emmitt Smith, because he was a great player and he played football for the love of the game. He was also a great role model. In college, what player hit you the hardest? Who was the recipient of your best hit? I hit the safety from Auburn the hardest. What TV-show marathon will keep you on the couch all day? Fresh Prince of BelAir or Martin. What are the five most-played songs in your iPod? What's the one song you hope nobody ever finds out is in your iPod? I get money, No one, Like you'll never see me again, Lesson learned, I need you What celebrity would play you in the movie version of your life and why? Will Smith, because we have similar personalities and resemble each other in looks. What is one thing your teammates don't know about you? That I am very religious. What reality TV show would you like to be on and why? I would go on Fear Factor to challenge myself. What's your proudest moment in football? Proudest moment off the field? My proudest moment in football is gaining 2,000 yards and going into the record books; Proudest off the field moment is being able to attend college, get a valuable education and represent my family. When you play Madden, what team do you use? Do you put yourself on the team? I use the Cowboys because they were my favorite team as a child. Yes! Who has been the biggest influence on your football career and how? My father has because he has always given me valuable advice on and off the field that has made me a better person.
