MINNEAPOLIS – Bears running back Kyle Long provided one of the few bright spot in Sunday's dismal 13-9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, etching his name in the NFL record book.
With eight receptions, Forte increased his season total to 102, breaking Larry Centers' record of 101 set in 1995 for the most by an NFL running back.
"Later on, long down the road, when I look back at my career it will mean a lot more to me than right now," Forte said. "Anytime I break a record it's not just me, obviously it's a team effort. I just appreciate all my teammates blocking for me and also Jay [Cutler] for throwing me all those balls that I caught this year. It was a great accomplishment and I think our team and our offense can actually hold onto that for a little while even though the season didn't go how we wanted it to go."
Cutler was excited that Forte broke the record in Sunday's season finale.
"He's a heck of a player," Cutler said. "I couldn't be more proud of him. Every single day we've talked about it numerous times about the way he comes to work, his dedication to the Chicago Bears, and all he's done throughout his career. That's a heck of record. That's a lot of balls, that's a lot of catches, that's a lot of production from him. It just kind of tells you how good of a back he is."
Coach Marc Trestman said that the Bears did not make a concerted effort to get Forte the record.
"It happened during the natural course of the game," Trestman said. "I never asked anybody how many catches he had during the course of the game."
Trestman believes that Forte's accomplishment is a reflection of his determination and character.
"I think it's just a credit to him as a player and as a person, the way he approaches his craft," Trestman said. "It's a year-long job with him; he never stops. We have to try to slow him down.
"Just the way he comports himself with this football team, he has such unique leadership skills because he hardly ever says a thing, but he can communicate with everybody on the team. He also does that in his actions and his work ethic and so forth. I'm incredibly proud and feel privileged to work with him every day."
Forte also rushed for 51 yards on 17 carries Sunday to finish the season with 1,038 yards, topping the 1,000-yard mark for the fifth time in seven years. In the process, he became only the second player in league history to rush for 1,000 yards and catch 100 passes in a season. He joins LaDainian Tomlinson, who accomplished the feat with the Chargers in 2003.
One-liners: Quarterback Jimmy Clausen (concussion), kicker Robbie Gould (quad) and safety Chris Conte (back) sat out Sunday's game with injuries. … Other Bears inactives were cornerback Al Louis-Jean, tackle Charles Leno Jr. Jr., defensive end Austen Lane and defensive tackle Brandon Dunn. … Linebacker Christian Jones, defensive tackle Jeremiah Ratliff and defensive end David Bass all recorded sacks. … The Bears scored first in just four of 16 games this season. … The Bears failed to score in the first quarter Sunday for the 10th time in their last 11 games. … The Bears did not score a touchdown for the first time since Nov. 11, 2012 in a 13-6 loss to the Texans at Soldier Field.
