Brandon Marshall is setting the bar high for New York Jets teammate Matt Forte this season.
He says “this is the best I’ve ever seen Matt Forte,” after eight seasons in the NFL.
“The Jets hate when I do this,” Marshall said on WFAN Tuesday morning, according to Newsday’s Kimberley Martin. “Bruce [Speight], head of PR over there, I know he’s going to hate when I say this, and I’m saying this: But I really think this is the best I’ve ever seen Matt Forte, to be honest.”
“His feet are amazing. He’s in shape. It looks like he’s dropped a few pounds. He’s cut up, he’s ripped up. He just looks like he has an extra burst. I don’t know if it’s because he’s been banged up the last couple of years or what? But this guy looks really good and he’s impressing everyone.”
A two-time Pro Bowler with the Chicago Bears, Forte signed a three-year, $12 million deal this offseason to replace Chris Ivory in the Jets backfield. Last season, he set a career-low for rushing with 898 yards. But like Marshall did his first year with the Jets, Forte might be able to rejuvenate his career.
After a not-so-good year in 2014 with the Bears, Marshall was traded to the Jets and had a Pro-Bowl season, catching 109 passes for 1,502 yards and 14 touchdowns. Marshall was 31 during his comeback year. Forte, who turns 31 in December, could experience the same result as he stands to get a heavy workload this season as the Jets’ featured back.
