Forsett leads Hawks' revival

Forsett leads Hawks' revival
Running back ignores hard hits and fatigue to spark overtime win
By CLARE FARNSWORTH
P-I REPORTER

Justin Forsett seemed to be channeling James Brown on Saturday night.

In his early prime, Brown, the late/still-great Godfather of Soul, would "end" his live show by slumping to his knees. His onstage handler would wrap Brown in a cape and escort the limp-legged, slumped-shoulder singer on an exit stage left -- with the announcer proclaiming that Brown simply was too exhausted to continue.

But just as Brown was approaching the edge of the stage, his band would shift into a driving funk tempo. Brown's head would rear back, then his body would snap to attention as he threw off the cape to return for one more song. This would go on three or four times.

Just like Forsett in the Seahawks' 29-26 overtime victory over the Chicago Bears at Qwest Field.

The little back from California (he's generously listed as 5 feet came up huge in accounting for 261 all-purpose yards -- 136 rushing (on 15 second-half and overtime carries for a 9.1-yard average), 70 returning kickoffs, 47 returning punts and 8 on his lone reception.

Not, however, without more than a few Brown-esque rejuvenations.

Forsett limped to the sideline after being stuffed for a 2-yard loss at the end of regulation, only to return in overtime to supply runs of 37 and 15 yards on the drive to a game-winning 36-yard field goal by fellow seventh-round draft choice Brandon Coutu.

Forsett appeared as if he might never catch his breath following a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter, but he came back to score a go-ahead touchdown on the Seahawks' next possession.

He was wobbly-legged as he headed back to the huddle after being hit by one defender, hurdling another and then being driven out of bounds by yet another on a 14-yard run, but Forsett caught his only pass on the next play.

"I was getting kind of fatigued, but I knew everybody was counting on me," Forsett, whose mouth moves almost as quickly as his feet, said in the locker room after the game.

"I was tired, but this is what they want to see. They want to see if you're going to push through it. So I tried to go out there and push through the fatigue."

Not to mention many of the Bears' would-be tacklers. Like the 49ers' Frank Gore, Forsett's lack of stature can work to his benefit because it's difficult to see him through a maze of bigger bodies.

"Justin is like Houdini," backup tackle Kyle Williams said. "You can't see him, and there he goes. He's gone.

"Big-time players make big-time plays. And we needed all the plays he made."

Especially those that came after it appeared Forsett had made what was to be his final play.

"He was exhausted, but every time he just kept going and going," rookie fullback Owen Schmitt said. "But he's so quick. He's like a flash."

Houdini? A flash? James Brown in shoulder pads and a helmet?

Big compliments for such a short guy.

"I get that all the time," Forsett said when conversation inevitably turned to the obvious. "I'm not going to grow any taller. I mean, the doctor told me I was going to be 6-2, but that didn't happen. So I'm just working with what I've got."

Ironically, one of the things that is working best for Forsett is the stretch play. In the preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings, he broke a 15-yard run to the right side. Saturday night, he scored on a 10-yard run to the left side.

"I like that play a lot," he said. "That's one where I try to use my speed to get to the corner."

And when speed fails, there's always lowering your shoulders and ramming into bigger defenders -- as he did on his scoring run.

"I cut it back and was just one-on-one with the safety," he said. "You've just got to push though him and get into the end zone."

But when push comes to shove, will there be room for Forsett on the 53-man roster?

Coach Mike Holmgren likes to keep a combination of 11 backs and wide receivers. But with the possibility of carrying two injured wide receivers (Bobby Engram and Deion Branch) for the first few games, that could mean keeping an extra receiver, or two, and stealing one of those spots from the backs.

Julius Jones and Maurice Morris are the co-starters at Forsett's position, and T.J. Duckett also was signed in free agency to be the short-yardage back. Then there's starting fullback Leonard Weaver and Schmitt, the promising fifth-round draft choice.

The math doesn't come out in Forsett's favor.

"That will be a tough call at the end," Holmgren said when asked about Forsett's future. "He will be involved in that decision at the end, absolutely."

Pondering for a split second all the things Forsett has been able to do in the second halves of two preseason games, Holmgren offered, "The little guy can really play. He is just small by today's standards. He doesn't think he is small, and that is half the battle."

The other half just might be that Forsett doesn't play small.

LITTLE MAN, BIG NIGHT

To fully comprehend what Justin Forsett was able to do in the second half and overtime period Saturday night, it helps to compare his numbers with the rest of the Seahawks and the entire Bears team:
Forsett Seahawks Bears
All-purpose yards 261 367 385
Rushing yards 136 105 51
Kickoff return yards 70 80 105
Punt return yards 47 0 75





http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/football/375368_hawk18.html