Justin Forsett

Justin Forsett

Forsett with the Ravens in 2015 preseason.
No. 29 Baltimore Ravens
Position:	Running back
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1985-10-14) October 14, 1985
Place of birth:	Lakeland, Florida
Height:
Weight:
Career information
High school:	Arlington (TX) Grace Prep
College:	California
NFL draft:	2008 / Round: 7 / Pick: 233
Career history
Seattle Seahawks (2008) Indianapolis Colts (2008) Seattle Seahawks (2008–2011) Houston Texans (2012) Jacksonville Jaguars (2013) Baltimore Ravens (2014–present)
Roster status:	Injured Reserve
Career highlights and awards
Pro Bowl (2014) PFWA All-AFC (2014) 2× AFC Offensive Player of the Week (2014) FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week Ranked #65 in the Top 100 Players of 2015 First-team All-Pac-10 (2007)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 8, 2015
Rushing yards: 3,520 Rushing average: 4.9 Rushing touchdowns: 18 Receptions: 186 Receiving yards: 1,255 Receiving touchdowns: 1 Player stats at NFL.com

Justin Forsett (born October 14, 1985) is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at California, and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Forsett has also played for the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Early years

Forsett was born in Lakeland, Florida. He moved to Arlington, Texas in his sophomore year of high school after living in Mulberry, Florida. Forsett attended high school at Grace Preparatory Academy in Arlington, where he played football, basketball and ran track. In football, he set several school records. In his final two seasons, he had 63 touchdowns and rushed for nearly 5,000 yards, leading Grace Prep to two Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools division 4A state championships. In high school, his nickname was "The Truth". His father Rodney is a minister and a coach. Forsett plays the tenor saxophone and taught himself a little piano. He lists video games and photography as his hobbies. Reggie White is his biggest inspiration.

In track & field, Forsett competed in sprints and relays during his final two years at Grace Prep. As a senior, he recorded personal-best times of 11.07 seconds in the 100-meter dash, 23.3 seconds in the 200-meter dash and 54.1 seconds in the 400-meter dash. At the 2004 TAPPS State Championships, he ran the lead leg on the Grace Prep 4 × 100m and 4 × 200m squads, helping them capture the state title in both events with times of 43.13 seconds and 1:30.97 minutes, respectively.

College recruiting

Close to signing day, Notre Dame pulled a scholarship offer from Forsett. Notre Dame coaches later contended they had not offered Forsett a scholarship. Notre Dame's running backs coach at the time, Buzz Preston, later said that Notre Dame was looking for a taller running back. The Texas Longhorns decided not to offer Forsett a scholarship because of his size. Forsett's coach Mike Barber, a former NFL player, distributed Forsett's game tape to colleges across the country. Coach Jeff Tedford offered Forsett a scholarship after watching Forsett's game tape and receiving a tip from Cal great Chuck Muncie, and made Forsett one of the last signings of Cal's 2004 recruiting class.

College career

With a deep depth chart at running back, it appeared Forsett would redshirt his freshman year, but an impressive performance in fall camp kept him on the active roster. In the season opener, Forsett had 34 yards rushing and a touchdown in Cal's victory over Air Force. Forsett played mostly as a backup during his first three years behind J.J. Arrington and Marshawn Lynch. Nevertheless, he managed to amass a good amount of playing time. During his freshman year, Forsett was used primarily on special teams, returning one kickoff for 11 yards but usually blocking for Marshawn Lynch. On coverage units, he made 3 tackles and blocked a punt in the endzone for a touchdown against Washington.

During his sophomore year, Forsett became second on the Cal depth chart at running back. He filled in when Lynch was injured in the early season and ran for 235 yards against New Mexico State, good for the fourth highest single game rushing effort in school history. In Forsett's junior year, he continued his role as backup. He ran for over 100-yards against Oregon when injuries sidelined Lynch and in Cal's rout of Texas A&M in the 2006 Holiday Bowl.

Forsett (no. 20) at the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl

As a starter his senior year, Forsett rushed for 1,546 yards on 305 carries, and scored 15 touchdowns. He opened the season with 156 yards rushing and a touchdown against Tennessee. His 15 touchdowns led all rushers in the Pac-10, and his 1,546 rushing yards finished second, behind Oregon tailback Jonathan Stewart. Forsett's efforts earned him a selection to the All-Pacific-10 Conference first team. Forsett ended his college career on a high note, rushing for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 42-36 Cal victory over Air Force in the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl.

Statistics

Rushing

Year	Team	Games-Games Started	Carries	Yards	Average	Long	TDs
2004	Cal	3-0	11	49	4.5		1
2005	Cal	12-	132	999	7.6		6
2006	Cal	12-	119	626	5.3		4
2007	Cal	13-13	305	1,546	5.1		15
Totals		41-13	567	3,220	5.7		26

Receiving

Year	Team	Games-Games Started	Receptions	Yards	Average	Long	TDs
2004	Cal	3-0	0	0	0	0	0
2005	Cal	12-	7	68	9.7	22	0
2006	Cal	13-	12	116	9.7	25	1
2007	Cal	13-13	22	202	9.2	49	0
Totals		41-13	41	386	8.8	49	1

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	40-yd dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20-ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP
5 ft 8 in	194 lb	4.62 s	1.51 s	2.62 s	4.46 s	6.96 s	31 in	9 ft 9 in	26 reps
All values from NFL Combine and Pro Day

First stint with Seahawks

Forsett with the Seahawks in 2009.

Forsett was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 7th round in the 2008 NFL Draft. He scored his first NFL touchdown on August 16, 2008 in a preseason game against the Chicago Bears. A game in which he also totaled 261 all purpose yards, 136 rushing and 125 on return yards. The total was 55 yards more than the entire Chicago Bear offense for the night. One game into the regular season, Forsett was waived by the Seahawks on September 5, 2008.

Indianapolis Colts

A day after being waived by the Seahawks, Forsett was claimed off waivers by the Indianapolis Colts on September 10, 2008. He was waived on October 8.

Second stint with Seahawks

A day after being waived by the Colts, Forsett was re-signed to the practice squad of the Seattle Seahawks on October 9, 2008. Forsett was then signed from the practice squad on October 14, 2008 and became the return specialist. For the 2009 season, he was slated to compete with Julius Jones and Edgerrin James for touches in a crowded Seahawks backfield. After the release of Edgerrin James, Forsett became the teams No. 2 back which gave him an opportunity to get more touches and make a bigger on-the-field impact. On November 15, Julius Jones, the starting running back for the Seahawks, left a game against the Arizona Cardinals with a bruised lung. Forsett filled in for Jones, rushing for 123 yards and his first regular season touchdown. He started as the primary running back on November 22 game against the Minnesota Vikings, scoring his second touchdown on a 9-yard run. With the Seahawks' running game struggling, Forsett also caught 8 passes for 80 yards. On November 29 against the St. Louis Rams, he rushed for a career high 130 yards and two scores. With the return of Julius Jones in week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers, Forsett was relegated back to the position of 2nd-string running-back. He saw only 8 touches, rushing for a net gain of 9 yards, reception of 25 yards, and one touchdown. When asked if Forsett will be elevated to the position of the primary running back for the Seattle Seahawks, Coach Jim Mora responded,"You'll see them both and we like them both." But Mora confirmed that Forsett will see more touches, "Are we going to see more of Justin? The answer is yes, absolutely."

In the 2010 season, Forsett had 523 yards on 118 carries, with 2 TDs. In 2011, Forsett was only able to amass 145 yards on 46 carries, with 1 TD.

The Seahawks did not re-sign Forsett after his contract expired following the 2011 season.

Houston Texans

Forsett signed with the Houston Texans on June 2, 2012. In the Texans' final 2012 NFL preseason game, played against the Minnesota Vikings, Forsett broke Arian Foster's preseason record of 110 yards rushing. On Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2012, Forsett scored an 81-yard touchdown, the longest running play in Texans history. Replays showed that Forsett was down by contact before making a first down, but the play was not reviewed due to Lions coach Jim Schwartz throwing the challenge flag on an automatically reviewable scoring play. Forsett has admitted he was down by contact. The Texans would eventually win the game against the Detroit Lions in overtime 34-31.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Forsett signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars on March 15, 2013.

He was placed on injured reserve on December 9, 2013 due to a foot injury.

He was released on March 11, 2014.

Baltimore Ravens

Forsett signed a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens on April 4, 2014. Initially signed as a likely third stringer behind Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce, Forsett was thrust into the starting role at the beginning of the season due to the suspension and subsequent release of Rice, and injuries to Pierce. Forsett performed well enough to keep the starting job even after Pierce was healthy again.

Forsett playing in 2014.

In the Ravens' season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, Forsett carried the ball 11 times for 70 yards and rushed for a touchdown, which was the first touchdown of the Ravens' season. He also caught 5 passes for 14 yards. Despite Forsett's solid play, the Ravens lost 23-16.

In Week 4 against the Carolina Panthers, Forsett carried the ball 14 times for 66 yards and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 31 yards. The Ravens blew out the Panthers in that game 38-10.

In Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts, Forsett carried the ball a mere 6 times and ran for a mediocre 42 yards. He also caught 7 passes for 55 yards. Forsett scored the Ravens' only touchdown of the game on an 11 yard rush. Despite Forsett's solid play, neither team seemed to play well and combined for a total of 7 turnovers and 3 turnovers on downs. The Colts did end up winning the game 20-13 and continued their record of never losing to the Ravens in Indianapolis.

In Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Forsett did play well, carrying the ball 14 times for 111 yards. However, Forsett's play was outshined by Ravens's quarterback Joe Flacco, who had one of the best games of his career by passing for a career high five touchdown passes and becoming the fastest player to throw five touchdown passes (16 minutes, 3 seconds). The Ravens routed the Buccaneers 48-17 in that game.

In Week 10, the Ravens played the Tennessee Titans. Forsett has what was at that point the greatest game of his career. He ran the ball 20 times for a career high 112 yards and tied his career high with two touchdowns. The Ravens won the game 21-7, and Forsett won AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

In Week 12, following the Ravens' bye week, the Ravens played the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. Forsett had the greatest game of his career. He carried the ball 22 times, ran for a career high 182 yards and once again tied his career high with 2 rushing touchdowns. Forsett also caught 2 passes for 8 yards. The Ravens won in a very good game 34-27, and Forsett won his second straight AFC Offensive Player of the Week award.

In Week 13, the Ravens played the San Diego Chargers. Forsett passed the 1,000 rushing yards mark for the first time in his career. He carried the ball 24 times and ran for 106 yards. He also caught 2 passes for 17 yards. Despite Forsett's milestone, the Ravens lost another very close game 34-33.

In Week 14, Forsett had a game that was very similar to the Ravens' season opener. He carried the ball 13 times for 71 yards and a touchdown. He also caught 2 balls for 7 yards, as the Ravens beat the Miami Dolphins 28-13.

In Week 15, Forsett faced one of his former teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Based on the way that the Ravens and Forsett were playing, the Ravens were expected to get another blowout win and Forsett was expected to play extremely well. However, that was not the case at all. The Ravens won the game 20-12, and Forsett carried the ball 16 times for 48 yards and no touchdowns. He also had 1 reception for -1 yards. Unsurprisingly, the Ravens' defense had an extremely good day, recording 8 sacks, an interception and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown.

In Week 16, Forsett faced another one of his old teams, the Houston Texans. The Ravens were again favorites, and were looking to win for two reasons-clinching the playoffs and the fact that many of their players and staff, including Forsett and offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, used to be a part of the Houston Texans organization. The game once again went in the completely opposite direction. Forsett carried the ball 10 times for a lousy 19 yards and didn't score a touchdown. He also caught 4 passes for 13 yards. The Ravens did not play well at all and lost to the Texans 25-13.

In the season finale, the Ravens played the Cleveland Browns. They won 20-10 and clinched the final playoff spot in the AFC. Forsett contributed with a good ground game, carrying the ball 17 times for 119 yards. He also caught 2 passes for 17 yards.

In the Divisional round of the playoffs, against the New England Patriots, Forsett carried the ball 24 times for 129 yards. He also had 2 receptions for 17 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown catch. However, the Patriots would rally at the end of the game to win 35-31, which ended the Ravens season. The Patriots would go on to win Super Bowl XLIX.

Forsett finished the season with career highs in carries (235), rushing yards (1,266) and touchdowns (8). He fumbled one time, and recovered it. He also caught 44 passes for 263 receiving yards. He played in the 2015 Pro Bowl.

For his efforts during the season, Forsett was ranked number 65 in the Top 100 Players of 2015.

On March 12, 2015, Forsett re-signed with the Baltimore Ravens on a three-year deal worth $9 million.

On November 22, 2015, Forsett suffered a season ending broken right arm. On November 27, 2015, he was placed on injured reserve.

External links

• Cal Bears bio
• Seattle Seahawks bio
• Baltimore Ravens bio
• Justin Forsett on Twitter

Sporting positions
Preceded by Marshawn Lynch	Cal Starting Running Back 2007	Succeeded by Jahvid Best