During the month of July, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will determine which three players deserve to be considered the faces of each franchise. For this series, we will only consider active players. In this edition, the Chicago Bears are the focus.
Faces of the Chicago Bears
Matt Forte
In a league of phenomenal running backs, the Chicago Bears have had their share. Halas Hall has produced great athletes such as Walter Payton and Gale Sayers, both setting the standard for running backs. Chicago has not failed to produce in this generation with Matt Forte.
A second-round pick out of Tulane University in 2008, Forte is a two-time Pro Bowler averaging 1,000 yards per season. During his career, he has rushed for 7,704 yards, accumulated 3,727 receiving yards, and scored 57 touchdowns. Forte ranked fifth in rushing attempts with 266 in 2014 and fourth in receptions with 102. He also ranked third overall in 2014 with 1,846 yards from scrimmage. When given the opportunity and six inches of daylight, he will take off and not look back.
Given new head coach John Fox’s love for the running game, Forte should be the workhorse in the offense and have the best year of his career in 2015. His character on the field is the same off the field and his desire to help Chicago’s inner city kids gives him the top honor.
Jay Cutler
There is an absolute love-hate relationship with quarterback Jay Cutler and his fans. Despite his lack of leadership skills and ability to hold on to the ball, he has qualities that cannot be questioned when it comes to making plays, hitting his targets, and scoring points. Granted, he managed to throw numerous interceptions, but half of those can be attributed to years of a non-existent offensive line and receivers not being at the place they were supposed to be.
However, if you look at his accomplishments, they speak for themselves. Even though he has appeared in only one Pro Bowl, Cutler has managed to lead the franchise with a career passing rating of 83.1 with 1,258 completions, 2,090 attempts, and 222.6 passing yards per game. He is the first quarterback in Bears history to post three 3,000-yard passing seasons and the first quarterback to post back-to-back seasons with 20+ touchdown passes. He also holds the franchise record for single-season attempts at 555 and completions at 336.
Cutler is one of three players in NFL history to accomplish the feat of posting two rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns in a playoff game. The other two were Otto Graham of the Cleveland Browns and Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers.
Who knows which Cutler is going to come out of the tunnel. But it is safe to say that with the right formula and consistency, Cutler may very well have his best season yet. He is the face fans and media will see every week and whether fans like it or not, he is the Bears quarterback.
Kyle Long
Though it can be argued that tight end Martellus Bennett could be one of the three faces, his uncertainty with the Bears still looms in the balance. So with that being said, it would be appropriate to put a player as the third face who has proven to be an asset to the Bears so far.
The son of Hall of Famer Howie Long and brother of Chris Long (Rams defensive end) is considered to be the most athletic of the three. As a first-round draft pick in 2013, Long was humbled by the honor and swore to embrace the franchise that chose him.
In three short years, he has appeared in two Pro Bowls and has a deep love for his team. Since his arrival, he has improved the offensive line, giving quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte space to work with. He has become a versatile player as predicted by NFL Analyst Mike Mayock. During the 2013 NFL Combine, Mayock had this to say about Long: “He is one of my favorite players in the draft. He’s immediately a starting guard that down the road is a starting tackle.”
And so it begins for Mr. Long, as Fox is already testing him at both the right and left tackle positions. He has proven to be a strong anchor and aggressive on the line. Already a fan favorite, he looks to be a long-term asset for the Bears. Don’t be surprised if he ends up in the end zone sometime in his career.
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