Chicago Bears: Matt Forte already among Bears greats

Forte shows out in first game

After Matt Forte’s eye-opening first NFL game, ex-Chicago Bears guard Roberto Garza remarked, “You got a chance to see what we’ve been seeing all the time.“

Ten years later, those words look prophetic. We saw that type of performance seemingly week in and week out as long as he wore a Bears uniform.

The 123-yard, one-touchdown debut he put up in 2008 set the tone for a record-setting rookie season and an excellent career.

Plus, Forte didn’t seem to mind that he was just the first rookie running back to start for the Chicago Bears since a certain legendary man by the name of Walter Payton. And it didn’t rattle him that his first game was a nationally televised Sunday Night Game on NBC.

Nope, that was just another opportunity to show everyone what he could do.

Showing off his vision and smooth moves, Forte added a dimension to the Chicago Bears offense that they lacked in the days of Cedric Benson. And his natural pass-catching ability was something the Bears hadn’t had in a starting running back arguably since Walter Payton.

And despite not being known much for his speed, he was plenty fast enough to torch the Colts on his 50-yard touchdown run.

By the time this game ended, it was hard to be worried about the future at running back. Bears fans already knew that they were watching something special.