Gritty Green vet has some left in tank

WHEN THE Jets reconvened at One Jets Drive on Monday, less than 24 hours after a gut-wrenching loss to the Dolphins in Miami, offensive coordinator John Morton reviewed film with his players and asked his unit to focus on one play in particular.

The Jets faced a 3rd-and-19 from their own 30-yard line late in the first quarter. Josh McCown received the shotgun snap and dumped a screen off to Matt Forte along the right numbers. Forte juked one man to the inside, and after advancing five yards, he appeared to be bottled up by three Dolphins. But Forte miraculously escaped while avoiding a strip attempt from defensive lineman Jordan Phillips, who was trailing the play.

Forte continued on, breaking two more tackles as he approached the marker. He sprinted ahead and lowered his shoulder into two Miami defenders, willing himself for a first down. Three plays later, the Jets scored a go-ahead touchdown.

“Watch that play,” Morton told his players. “That effort, that determination. …We got the blocks, and then he did the last 10 to 12 yards on his own. That’s the kind of drive and determination we need every single play, all the way until the end of the game.”

“That was an unbelievable play,” Morton added. “I thought that was remarkable.”

It’s a narrative that’s widely accepted in football circles: A running back hits a wall once he reaches age 30, regardless of his talent or accomplishments.

And while Forte, 31, is currently on pace to finish with fewer than 1,000 yards from scrimmage for the first time in his career, that first-down catch and run displays how much he has left, even in the twilight of his career.

“It just showed his grit and determination,” Bowles said. “That’s what his whole career stood for. That’s how he got in this league. That was vintage Matt. It was good to see.”

Forte is now in his 10th NFL season and second with the Jets. Coming out of Tulane as a second-round pick by the Bears in 2008, Forte said his goal was to play “at the least 10 years.” His role models were Barry Sanders (10 NFL seasons) and Marshall Faulk (12 NFL seasons), and he wanted to replicate the production and longevity of those two icons. Now that he’s reached the milestone, though, he understands the reality of the situation. “After playing a game, I still feel like I played a game at running back,” Forte said. “After 10 (years), you kind of take it year by year after that, see how you feel. I want to be able to walk when I’m older too.” For now, Forte is enjoying an enhanced receiving role in Morton’s West Coast offense as compared to last season under Chan Gailey. Forte has missed two games because of turf toe. Despite that, he’s been targeted 21 times, just fewer than half of his targets in 14 games last season. Forte was targeted once in every 11 offensive snaps in 2016. This season, he’s been targeted once in every seven snaps. Forte anticipated more action in the passing game this year. In training camp, he explicitly stated how excited he was to be in a system that would utilize the running backs as receivers more often. And this season has played out exactly how Forte expected. He said it’s been “a lot” more fun and satisfying as a result. “I’ve definitely been split out in different positions more this year and have been able to win matchups on linebackers or safeties or whoever comes out there,” Forte said. “Just like how I imagined in this offense, I’ve been able to catch not only screens, but down the field or intermediate routes as well.” Forte is also splitting reps with two other running backs — Bilal Powell and Elijah McGuire. Morton is a firm believer in a running-backby-committee to keep his players fresh. But Forte — who rushed for 41 yards on seven carries last week for a 5.7 yards-percarry average — feels physically capable of taking on a bigger role. He certainly proved that with the catch-and-run Morton was raving about. “That’s kind of the tip of the iceberg,” Forte said of Sunday’s performance. “If we can do that but add more into the rushing game as well, we can really get after teams that way and just keep rolling.”