Bears fans were always weary of the indifferent Cedric Benson, especially his sense of entitlement and lack of accountability when it came to mistakes. He was disrespectful, according to his veteran peers, and didn't believe in paying his dues. Apparently Matt Forte is the antithesis:
Consider:
- During practice, Forte was pushed around by the defense ... namely Mark Anderson and Brandon McGowan. His response?
"The only way you can is to come out play hard and earn their respect,'' Forte said. "Every practice, you have to go hard. That stuff happens.''- Olin Kruetz hazes the rookies by making them announce their signing bonus and sing the school fight song. Forte's response?
"At least I knew the words.''In fairness, anyone who doesn't want a broken jaw would probably follow that one.
- Lovie Smith currently has Adrian Peterson running with the first string offense (Kevin Jones is still injured), so Forte has a constant reminder that he's still only a rookie. Forte openly accepts that he must pay his dues. At the same time, he's confident in his abilities.
"I just pray I stay healthy and if I do that, my goal is to get over 1,000 yards and hopefully become rookie of the year,'' Forte said. "Ultimately, our goal is get the running game out so we can get the passing game going and get back to the Super Bowl.''Respect, accepting of lesser roles, and a true man in every sense who discusses team goals? Out with the insufferable, in with the pleasant in the Bears backfield. Now fans are hoping he's just as opposite on the field.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-30-2008 @ 9:36PM
Redpill said...
He has all the great mental aspects for good HB. time will tell if he can match that on the field physically. as rookie and backup there should be less pressure and allow him to grow in the NFL.
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7-31-2008 @ 12:24AM
George B Vieto said...
Bears fans just thank your lucky stars that a Tulane graduate is now one of your running back stars and that he has shown a desire to learn how to be a team player and not a rattlesnake.
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8-05-2008 @ 2:31PM
stephen said...
Cedric Benson made some poor choices in Austin this past Summer. There is no doubt that he will and has paid a price (in the hundreds of thousands) for his bad judgment.
However, Cedric Benson is a quality running back who will emerge as a solid backup or starter on another team. Chicago's offense has been pitiful these past 5 years and CB was in a system where there was no legitimate passing game nor was there a solid run blocking scheme.
It will be interesting to watch the Bears' offense this year to discover whether the system was at fault. In my mind, Benson may be the dual victim of his poor judgment ALONG WITH a franchise who was looking for an offensive scapegoat.
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