Aug. 5--BOURBONNAIS -- As he stopped to answer questions for probably the hundredth time this training camp, Bears rookie running back Matt Forte couldn't help but hear teammate Alex Brown chirping in the background.
"Gosh, he hasn't rushed for no yards yet," Brown joked. "He hasn't even got a first down. Let him pick up a third-and-1."
Forte will get his chance soon enough.
The team's depth chart for Thursday night's exhibition was released, and Forte is scheduled to start at running back against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The rookie second-round pick from Tulane had been starting practices with the second team, behind Adrian Peterson, up until Monday.
"It's not like he's been running all 2's," running backs coach Tim Spencer said. "He's probably been getting more reps than anybody at the 1's. Adrian Peterson would get the first couple, then Matt would get the second half.
"Matt's done an excellent job. He's a good football player. He's smart. He can make people miss. He loves the game, and that's not to put anybody down. We know what A.P. brings. Matt has some special qualities about him, and we're hoping he can put them on the field for real."
Forte downplayed the significance of the promotion.
"Going into the game, obviously I'm going to get some reps with the 1's," he said. "I'm the rookie coming in, so of course they want to see what I can do in a game situation."
All will be curious to see how Forte responds to his first hit. He has impressed in camp with his ability to get outside, run with power, catch the ball out of the backfield, and pick up the blitz. He hopes to continue his progress on Thursday.
"I know it's a preseason game and we're going to keep it pretty basic, but I don't want to make any mental errors," he said. "I don't want to fumble the ball or miss a block."
The 6-foot-2-inch, 216-pound Forte also wants to dispel the notion that running upright will hurt him.
