No NFL team has more players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame than the Chicago Bears, and they have a number of candidates who are on the short list for next year’s nomination.
Last week, more than 100 former NFL modern-era players took a step towards football immortality when they were officially nominated for the Hall of Fame, including former Bears such as cornerback Charles Tillman, linebacker Lance Briggs, wide receiver Brandon Marshall, and center Olin Kreutz. There was one notable Bears player who was omitted, however, and he’s surprised to not see his name among the others at his position.
Former Bears running back Matt Forte missed the cut for the nomination and was not included among the 21 players at his position in last week’s announcement. In an interview with Bears Wire last week during Chase’s Coaching for Impact commencement, Forte shared his disappointment regarding the news.
“I am [surprised], but I’m not at the same time,” he said, as he believes the lack of Pro Bowl trips and All-Pro nods hurt him, even though his numbers tell a different story. “A lot of it comes down to these awards and accolades. I have two Pro Bowl nods, and there are plenty of times where I think I had 1900 all-purpose yards, and I didn’t even get second team [All-Pro] for that. So it’s kind of a popularity contest thing too.”
Forte also mentions the lack of overall success his teams had likely contributed to the omission. “If you’ve played on a team that was really good, sometimes you get a little bit more attention than those teams that struggle.” The two-time Pro Bowl back believes it’s time the Hall of Fame voters rethink the criteria for his position, too.
“I think the criteria for running back for the Hall of Fame should be a little different,” he said. “Going back in history, there weren’t many pass-catching running backs. It was only about rushing yards. So if you’re at 10,000 rushing yards, that’s when you scratch the surface of the Hall of Fame. But if you are a running back, you are required to run, block, and catch. So if you look at the full body of work of somebody like myself, that’s close to 15,000 yards and 70+ touchdowns. I don’t like to make my own case, but I would say, if you look at the full body of work when it comes to a running back, it’s a little surprising not to be on there.”
It’s one thing to not make the Hall of Fame, but it’s another to not even make the nomination list. Most of the backs who were nominated don’t have a good chance of being inducted anytime soon, but at least they have a seat at the table. Forte deserves one, too. He was one of the best dual-threat players at his position in the 2010s, and he has better numbers than a few of the nominated backs.
In 10 seasons, Forte totaled 9,796 rushing yards and 4,672 receiving yards with 75 total touchdowns. Forte is 30th in NFL history with 14,468 yards from scrimmage, sandwiched in between Hall of Famers such as Marvin Harrison and Franco Harris. He’s just five catches behind Walter Payton’s Bears career record and has taken hold of the second-best running back in team history title.
The modern-era running backs nominated were Shaun Alexander, Mike Alstott (FB), Tiki Barber, Larry Centers (FB), Jamaal Charles, Corey Dillon, Warrick Dunn, Arian Foster, Eddie George, Frank Gore, Priest Holmes, Steven Jackson, Chris Johnson, Thomas Jones, Jamal Lewis, Marshawn Lynch, LeSean McCoy, Eric Metcalf (also WR/PR/KR), Lorenzo Neal (FB), Fred Taylor, and Ricky Watters. It’s worth noting Forte has more rushing yards than players like Charles, Foster, and Johnson, who all played during the same era.
With more players being added to the list, Forte’s chances of being nominated aren’t great going forward. But his numbers and impact on the game deserve more respect. Forte believes it, too.
