The Facts:
Overshadowed in the landing of Brandon Marshall last offseason was the massive investment the organization made in running backs: $32 million over four years for Forte, $14 over four years for Michael Bush. The organization committed money to running backs but not always the football. Forte finished with the lowest reception total (44) of his career and a key to 2013, beginning in training camp, is to change that. “We were kind of one-dimensional last year, I would say,” Forte said. “So it’s going to be an emphasis for us this year to spread the ball around so that it works, it’s balanced. The defense can’t just focus on one guy or one position.”
Reported by CSNChicago.com
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
The good news? As CSNChicago.com's John Mullen notes, running backs have traditionally done very, very nicely in Trestman offenses, particularly as receivers, which gets them away from the mauling they take on interior runs. In 10 NFL seasons with Trestman in coordinator and/or quarterback-coach positions, his lead running backs averaged 65.4 receptions per year, from a low of 48 for Charlie Garner with the Oakland Raiders to a high of 91 for Garner one year earlier. And there can be a lot of footballs to go around for backs: Garner’s 91 catches came in an offense that included Jerry Rice (92 receptions), Tim Brown (81) and Jerry Porter (51), and which got the Raiders to a Super Bowl. “I would expect [to be used more],” Forte said. “Coach Trestman, I think he said he watched a lot of film on me and has seen me run different routes. So we’ll get back to catching the ball out of the backfield like we did the prior years. ..." It's a reasonable expectation.
Profile
Home
