LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Long before his impressive debut with the Chicago Bears, Matt Forte had to wait to get on the football field.
His dad wouldn’t let him play.
Seems strange considering Gene Forte starred at Tulane in the 1970s, but he was adamant when his son asked his permission.
“I was 5 years old,” Matt Forte said.
So he had to wait another year.
He wasted no time making an impact in the NFL, though.
As debuts go, Forte couldn’t have scripted a better one. The first rookie running back to start a Bears opener since Walter Payton in 1975, he showed speed and toughness while rushing for 123 yards.
The second-round pick from Tulane broke through the middle thanks to a big block from right guard Roberto Garza and beat 2007 defensive player of the year Bob Sanders on a 50-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. And he showed his toughness in the second quarter, missing only a few plays after a hard hit by Sanders and Clint Session after a reception.
Forte gave one of several notable performances by rookies in their debuts last week.
Philadelphia receiver DeSean Jackson backed up boasts that he should have gone in the first round of the draft, not the second.
Denver receiver Eddie Royal had some crowning moments against Oakland, and Tennessee running back Chris Johnson shined along with quarterbacks Matt Ryan of Atlanta and Joe Flacco of Baltimore.
Defensive players came through, too.
New York Jets cornerback Dwight Lowery, Giants safety Kenny Phillips and Forte’s teammate, Marcus Harrison, all delivered big plays.
With Reggie Brown bothered by a sore left hamstring and Kevin Curtis recuperating from sports hernia surgery, the Eagles turned to Jackson in a 38-3 win over St. Louis. He excelled.
Jackson caught six passes for 106 yards and returned eight punts for 97 yards, electrifying the crowd with a spectacular catch and punt return.
“I just stepped in and did what I needed to do to help this football team,” Jackson said. “I felt very confident out there. I was just ready.”
So was Johnson.
He ran for 93 yards on just 15 carries and caught three passes for 34 yards, including a touchdown for Tennessee in a 17-10 win over Jacksonville. It was the best performance in an opener by a rookie running back for the franchise since Earl Campbell ran for 137 yards in his debut against Atlanta in 1978.
“I wanted to come in and have a good game, miss no blocks and make all my reads,” Johnson said. “I had a better game than I thought I was going to have. I didn’t know how much I was going to play. I feel like I exceeded my expectations.”
The Titans were criticized for not taking a receiver with the 24th pick, but they liked what they saw from Johnson at East Carolina, where he finished with 6,993 all-purpose yards.
“He’s very explosive, he’s got great speed and it’s a good 1-2 punch,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “We’ve felt that way, we’ll keep him healthy and he’s going to be a great combination.”
Ryan, the third pick, became the first quarterback in eight years to throw a touchdown on his first pass, and the Falcons turned the page on the Michael Vick era by beating Detroit 34-21.
“It’s just one performance and I think that’s the biggest thing,” said Ryan, the former Boston College star.
But it was an impressive showing.
Ryan threw just 13 passes but completed nine for 161 yards, and his first attempt was most impressive.
He hit Michael Jenkins on a slant over the middle for a 62-yard touchdown on the opening drive.
Like Ryan, Flacco led the Ravens to a 17-10 win over Cincinnati. He was 15-for-29 for 129 yards and scored a TD.
And on Monday, Royal had his way with $70 million free-agent cornerback DeAngelo Hall in Denver’s 41-14 win over Oakland, finishing with nine catches for 146 yards. The second-round pick from Virginia Tech caught a 26-yard TD pass.
