SI names Matt Forte Offensive Player of the First Half

Some people consider it a dubious honor to be named to anything Sports Illustrated’s Peter King publishes. So take it for what it’s worth that the Sports Illustrated football guru and bon vivant named Bears running back Matt Forte as his Offensive Player of the First Half as part of his mid-season All-Pro team this week.

Forte leads all NFL running backs in yards from scrimmage with 1,091. He’s sixth in running yards (672) and leads all running backs with 419 receiving yards. He’s scored three touchdowns — two rushing and one receiving.

Devin Hester was the only other Bears player to make King’s cut. He was named the team’s punt returner. Last year, Julius Peppers was the Defensive Player of the Year in King’s post-season All-Pro team. Chris Harris was the free safety. So either Chris Harris lost it as suddenly as any player has in a long time. Or Peter King has no idea what he’s doing. You can make that call for yourself.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was named the MVP on King’s first-half team. That would make him most people’s Offensive Player of the First Half, but maybe not. Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis was the Defensive Player of the First Half.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of King’s team for Bears fans is that the Bears have played against seven of the 10 non-Bears on offense –Rodgers, Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith, Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, Panthers left tackle Jordan Gross, Saints left guard Carl Nicks, and Packers center Scott Wells.

Maybe the Bears’ defense, which is ranked 24th in yards allowed this season, isn’t as bad as the numbers indicate, because they’ve faced some pretty good offensive players in the first seven games. On the other hand, you could also argue that the Bears are making a lot of offensive players look like Pro Bowlers.