Chicago Bears 2014 Outlook: Five Most Important Players On Offense
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The importance of Matt Forte cannot be understated. He is one of the top running backs in the league, not only running but also catching.
Last year Forte was also just about the entire running game for the Bears. The offense ran 404 rushing plays. Forte ran 289 of them. That comes out to 71.5 percent of the running plays all by himself. The Bears had 1,828 rushing yards, and Forte had 1,339 of them (73.2 percent).
As the team heads into training camp, Forte’s backups appear to be Ka’Deem Carey, Michael Ford and Jordan Lynch. The three combined for ZERO NFL carries. Carey was one of the top backs in the Pac-10 so he may have the inside track on being Forte’s main backup.
Forte needs to stay healthy if the running game is to be successful. There is no experience behind him, so he may have those big percentages of the running game again. If he goes down, it could shut down the offense.