A few weeks ago Chicago Bears legend Devin Hester retired. That allowed me to entertain the inevitable debate to come. Is he a future Hall of Famer? It was concluded that in the context of the position he played and the impact he had on the league, he should make it to Canton one day. Now the time has come again. Another Bears great is hanging up the cleats. Should Matt Forte get consideration in the future?
No franchise has a richer legacy when it comes to the running back position than the Bears. Bronko Nagurski, Red Grange, George McAfee, Gale Sayers and Walter Payton already reside in Canton. This isn’t counting the host of other great players who had success at the position during their time in Chicago like Rick Casares and Neal Anderson among others. Forte is merely the latest to enter that conversation and might be the most unique.
His style was never about being great at one thing. He wasn’t the strongest back in football. He wasn’t the fastest or quickest either. So how is he even in this conversation? The same as so many others. He took the athletic gifts he had, added a relentless work ethic and gave defenses headaches for almost a decade.
That said he’s not going to the Hall of Fame.
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Matt Forte was most versatile player of his era but didn’t produce enough
Canton is one of the most difficult Hall of Fames to get into. The requirements are strict and more than a little biased. However, it does have an overarching theme driven by one question. Can football fans remember the era you played in without mentioning your name? The sad fact is this is true for Forte. Of course, Bears fans remember his greatness vividly, but it seemed like somebody else was always shining a little brighter.
Early on it was Chris Johnson, then it was Adrian Peterson or LeSean McCoy or Jamaal Charles or Le’Veon Bell. Those guys got the headlines while Forte quietly stacked up great season after great season. He’s only been to two Pro Bowls in his career and never played in the Super Bowl. Those sort of things matter. Then there are the stats.
Forte was a marvel of consistency in his career. He went over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in all but the last season of his career and scored 75 touchdowns. He also set an NFL record in 2014 for most receptions by a running back in a season with 102. All told he finished with 14,468 total yards in his career. That’s a lot. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stack up as well as people think.
Forte lack of accolades ruin his total production
The good news is his yardage mark is in the same ballpark as guys like Peterson, Marvin Harrison and Franco Harris. The problem is each of those men has something he doesn’t. Peterson has way more touchdowns (104) and has a 2,000-yard season. Harrison and Harris have Super Bowl rings. Such things are what sway the voters and Forte, despite his best effort, has neither.
It’s not an easy thing to accept because he was a great player but facts are facts. His overall production is right on the fringe but he doesn’t have the awards or the jewelry to give it that final push it needs. If and when the Bears ever install a Ring of Honor, he should be a first-ballot addition. Sadly though his dreams of Canton are likely never to happen.
