Bears Blitz

Published by Seth Boster on June 12, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Between Matt Forte and a hopeful turn-around year stands Chicago’s new offensive coordinator, Mike Martz.

Or at least, that’s what it would seem.

The pass-happy play-caller is well-known for installing a pass-heavy playbook and flipping the page on the running game. Eight of Martz’s 10 seasons have finished with the club’s rushing offense placing in the bottom of the league. Quarterbacks have seen their careers flourish with Martz by their side, while running backs have seen just the opposite.

In 2005, Martz was with the Rams and Steven Jackson. Besides his rookie year, Jackson’s average carries per game were the lowest in his career. Once the run-reluctant coordinator left St. Louis, Jackson had a career season with 1,528 yards on the ground and 13 touchdowns. He became the dominator we know today.

Maybe that wouldn’t have happened if Martz stuck around…

Mad Martz landed in the Motor City the next year and led the Lions’ 32nd ranked rushing attack. Now, the number one problem for Detroit’s man at the time, Kevin Jones, was injuries. In the 12 games he played, Martz may have been the second problem after only giving the back a total of 181 carries.

In the two seasons Martz was there, he guided journeyman Jon Kitna to back-to-back 4,000-yard passing campaigns. Jones, like a forgotten son in the offense’s family, saw the beginning of the end of what would be a lousy career.

Maybe it was injuries. Maybe it was Martz. Who knows, maybe Jones just didn’t want it bad enough…

In 2008, the next running back in Martz’s food chain was San Fran’s Frank Gore.

The undrafted standout was coming off of two impressive seasons where he landed in the top 10 in total yards among running backs.

Martz tried very hard to resurrect the passing game with the 49ers and actually came very close to doing so. Meanwhile, Gore’s season was best characterized as a disappointment after just reaching 1,000 yards. Gore also fumbled the ball more than anyone in the NFL.

Martz had nothing to do with that…

There is one exception to Martz’s running back victims.

Marshall Faulk took advantage of his position in Martz’s spread offense, completely innovated for a vertical passing game. His all-purpose numbers were the best the NFL had seen until Chris Johnson came along.

In 1999, Faulk posted over 1,000 yards both rushing and receiving. The next year, he ran 253 times, precisely like the previous season (precisely) and averaged the exact same five-and-a-half yards per carry.

He saw the same amount of opportunities in ’01 with a strikingly similar outcomes: 250 carries, 1,300 yards, and 80-plus catches. Faulk was one of the league’s top five rushers for those three years.

He carried the ball less than anyone in the top five…

In Martz’s history, Faulk is the only runner to shine.

Maybe it’s because Faulk had immense talent surrounding him in the form of Kurt Warner, Torry Holt, and Isaac Bruce, or maybe it was the bigguns up front, led by tackle Orlando Pace, that blocked for him.

Or maybe Faulk was patient.

Perhaps he was diligent in Martz’s schemes and figured out where his skill set could fit in. My guess is that Faulk had an understanding of the passing offense and knew where he could be involved as a receiver. Fit in he did, by becoming the team’s leader in receptions twice.

So, here we have Forte heading into his third season in the NFL.

In his rookie year, Forte was spectacular, displaying both rushing and receiving abilities (not to bring up absurd comparisons, but dare I say, Faulk-like?). Last year, not so much. Place the blame wherever you want, the poor blocking or the nagging injuries. Bottom line, Forte underperformed.

The 24-year-old enters the 2010-11 season with a play-caller who prefers the pass and is reputed for career-freezing his running backs. But that may not be the only obstacle Forte sees these days.

The line in front of him is hardly revamped, and there’s another running back in town breathing down his neck, threatening to take carries.

“He’ll love it,” Faulk told ESPN of Forte playing in Martz’s world. “If he can just understand and come to grips with the fact that a screen pass or a check down is just like getting a handoff and breaking the line of scrimmage. If you can fix that in your head, and not expect to get 30 carries a game, then you can play and play well in Mike’s offense.”

Here’s to Forte hearing that loud and clear.

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