Matt Kawahara
This story is not about Justin Forsett, but he's a good place to start. Because Justin Forsett, all 5-foot-8 of him, is "too small" to play in the NFL, just like he was "too small" to play at Notre Dame, which is how he ended up at Cal in the first place. And yet there was Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, about a month ago, raving to the Seattle Times about the pass-blocking abilities of the Seahawks' "too small" backup running back, attributing them as follows: "Whoever he had in college," Hasselbeck told the Times, "coached him up well." Forsett fell in with the Bears in 2004 after being spurned by the Fighting Irish and left Cal in 2008 as the school's No. 3 all-time rusher, dangerous on the ground in college, well-rounded enough to make it as a pro.
He was also No. 6. Sixth in a still-growing, long blue line of Bears running backs who have rushed for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons. It started with Joe Igber in 2002. Last season, Jahvid Best made it seven in seven years. Many thought Igber could have played in the NFL, but he chose to pursue a Master's degree in engineering instead. J.J. Arrington and Marshawn Lynch both went on to pro careers. Forsett, of course, followed suit. Pretty soon, Best will too. And the constant through all this has been the running backs coach whom Jeff Tedford calls " consistent," whose work ethic Shane Vereen terms "insane," and who once took a kid from Texas who was too small to play in the NFL and made him into an NFL player.
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