Before the Bears’ season began, I had a disagreement with my roommate about Matt Forte’s role this year. I argued that with Jay Cutler behind center — a gunslinging quarterback — Forte was bound to see less carries this year, and thus less yards and TDs. He was the focal point of the offense last season, as he accounted for the highest percentage of downs usage for any player in football. No way that was going to happen again this year.

His argument was that with Cutler, the running game would open up more, and Forte would be just as good or better.

So far this season, looks like we’re both wrong. (Though, I’m more right. OBVIOUSLY.) The offensive line, for now, is being held most accountable for his demise. Over at Windy City Gridiron today, they have a nice breakdown of how many times Forte has run with a specific lineman as his lead.

LE: 12 rushes/ 64 yds/ 1 TD/ 1 first down run/ 5.33 yd avg. (includes a 37 yard TD run)

LT: 12 rushes/ 23 yds/ 0 TD/ 0 first downs/ 1.92 yd avg.

LG: 16 rushes/ 85 yds/ 0 TDs/ 2 first downs/ 5.31 yd avg. (includes a 61 yard run)

Mid: 18 rushes/ 40 yds/ 0 TDs/ 2 first downs/ 2.22 yd avg.

RG: 14 rushes/ 40 yds/ 0 TDs/ 3 first downs/ 2.8 yd avg.

RT: 5 rushes/ 24 yds/ 0 TDs/ 1 first down/ 4.8 yd avg.

RE: 9 rushes/ 19 yds/ 0 TDs/ 0 first downs/ 2.11 yd avg.

That right tackle spot — the only one that is a nice yards per carry average that isn’t skewed by Forte’s long runs — is occupied by Chris Williams. But at just five rushes, it’s too small a sample size for it to hold any weight just yet.

As WCG notes, this could prove disastrous for the Bears heading forward, especially because they’re without their first- and second-round picks in 2010, where they could potentially lock up some talent for years to come.

Outside of a free agent pickup or later-round snag, the Bears might not have many options to improve what’s been a weak spot so far this season.