Matt Forte: May 2008 Archives

Does Matt Forte know something about the highly drafted back before him that didn’t go so well?

``The quickest way to get on the field is to learn your pass protections,’’ he said Friday at the conclusion of the first rookie minicamp practice. ``If you can block and protect the quarterback, then you can run your routes and catch the ball. It's really the fastest way to get on the field.’

Pass protection, or a lack of it, is exactly what kept Cedric Benson off the field at times in 2005 and 2006. Then, when he blew an assignment in Oakland last season, quarterback Brian Griese was injured. For those who don’t have their Quarterback Turnstile Chart handy, that led to QB Switch No. 32 since Week 6 of the 1999 season.

If there’s been one person who has stood out in rookie minicamps over the last several seasons, it’s Matt Forte.

He looked the part Friday afternoon in the Walter Payton Center as the Bears assembled with 50 players on the field. Yes, 50. All 12 draft picks, 10 undrafted free agents and 28 players in town on a tryout basis were on the field. The big numbers allows the coaching staff to come as close as possible to simulating a real practice with players that have never set foot on an NFL field.

The running back from Tulane, drafted in the second round, stood out immediately.