Matt Forte
wasn’t deterred after the Bears struggled to get the offense started Sunday.
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Forte was the targeted receiver on the first play of the team’s second drive, when
Jay Cutler
sailed a pass that was intercepted by Colts linebacker
Jerrell Freeman
and returned 4 yards for a touchdown.
“I think we had a little first-game jitters,” Forte said. “It showed the resilience of our offense to come back, after giving up a turnover and a touchdown, to come back and put a lot of points on the board.”
Forte was a big part of the offensive attack with 80 rushing yards on 16 carries, 40 yards receiving on three catches, and a 6-yard touchdown run. He used a timely block by rookie
Evan Rodriguez
en route to a 32-yard run and even added a one-handed catch.
“That’s part of being a running back,” Forte said. “You’ve got to run the ball. You’ve got to have power; catch the ball. Block. All that stuff. So, I take pride in trying to perfect every aspect of being a running back.”
New look:
Brian Urlacher
said he was excited to see some of the new wrinkles defensive coordinator
Rod Marinelli
implemented during the preseason. The most noticeable difference was seeing defensive end
Julius Peppers
playing inside a lot more on third-down situations.
“We have a good rotation,” Peppers said. “We communicate. Sometimes, I want to go inside. Sometimes, I don’t. Sometimes, other guys want to go inside. It’s basically … it’s a decision that we all make.”
The first time the Colts faced a third down, the Bears used Peppers and
Shea McClellin
on the edges and kicked
Israel Idonije
inside with defensive tackle
Henry Melton
. Later, Melton saw a couple of snaps at right defensive end with Peppers and
Stephen Paea
inside and Idonije at left end.
Melton sacked
Andrew Luck
twice, both on inside rushes.
Corey Wootton
got Luck once. And the Bears put five hits on Luck, led by Melton with two.
Rookie mistake:
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First-round pick McClellin saw plenty of action at defensive end and was credited with a quarterback hit.
“It was fun out there,” McClellin said. “I had a great time. There are always some things you need to work on. I’m just going to go review the tape.”
McClellin was whistled for a neutral-zone infraction that negated a sack and forced fumble by Peppers.
“I thought I backed up a little bit, but they still called it,” McClellin said. “(Teammates) gave me a hard time. Rookie mistake, I guess.”
Extra points:
With Sunday’s appearance, long snapper
Patrick Mannelly
set the team’s all-time record for seasons played with 15. … Punter
Adam Podlesh
, who started the game coming off a left hip flexor, averaged 41.6 yards on five punts with a net of 35.2 His long was 50. …
Matt Toeaina
started at nose tackle although Paea was listed as the starter before kickoff. …
Devin Hester
handled the only two kickoffs fielded by the Bears and averaged 24.5 on his returns. … Inactive for the Bears were
Ryan Quigley, Dane Sanzenbacher, Jeremy Jones, Edwin Williams, Amobi Okoye
and
Cheta Ozougwu
. Quarterback
Jason Campbell
and offensive lineman
Chilo Rachal
were the only active Bears who did not see action.