Bloggers, sports yakkers and your co-workers are all talking about the Bears, and more specifically the lack of production from Matt Forte.

The O-line is brutal. Forte isn’t getting the holes he had last year. That’s everybody’s main concern. It’s kind of hard to put the decrease in production on Forte until he gets some consistent, solid blocking up front. However, Forte does look different on the field. Here’s what I see:

• He goes down more on first contact
• He’s running into the line with his head down (aka The Aging Neal Anderson)
• When he gets to the outside, linebackers catch him
• Even though he was never a speedster, he looks a bit slower than last year, even on his big runs.

Could Forte’s health be a factor? Forte had a hamstring injury in the preseason. And then he got hurt in the Seattle game and said this:

“That’s part of football: You have to play hurt. You’ve got to be smart about it. But if you can play, you play. (The knee) doesn’t feel natural, but you still have to go out there and make the most of it. Part of that is on me. I’ve got to break a few tackles. I’ve got to make something happen. Once I make a little move, I have to gain 20, 30 yards. I have to pop the big one.”

I had hoped to see a more explosive Forte after the bye, but that didn’t happen. If the Bears O-Line could protect Cutler long enough so the Bears could work more passes downfield, perhaps it would open up some much needed room for Forte. But Cutler is seemingly forced to get rid of the ball quickly on every play. Plus, the Bears run wildcat with Hester. Why not with Forte?

The Bears season has been exciting to date. But we are dying to see the rookie version of Forte.

More on Matt Forte:

What’s Wrong With Matt Forte i94 Sports

How I Learned to Hate the O-Line NQTC

Bears Sloppy in Ugly Loss to Falcons Bear Goggles

Forte had another mediocre performance yesterday, though he did top 100 combined rushing and receiving yards. I’m not saying we will not see the rookie version of Forte this season. But we certainly haven’t seen him yet. And while the run-blocking is less than stellar, I have noticed a few things about #22 that concern me.

1. Forte does not seem as quick as last year. He has looked slower trying to get around the corner. There were a few runs yesterday where I thought he could have turned it and got up field, but he was taken down by a linebacker.
2. The holes are there. At least yesterday they were. But Forte has not been able to work the small ones like he did a year ago. Many of his runs yesterday reminded me of an aging Neal Anderson: into the line with his head down.
3. Forte isn’t breaking many tackles. He’s taken down too often on first contact, and he seems to go down much easier than last year.

Next week he may come out and go crazy against the Lions. That would be great. But for now the results aren’t pretty:

There are many ready-made excuses available. New QB, more passing, new O-linemen, less carries and more. But I’m not buying any of them, and I doubt Forte is either.