Ever since the Chicago Bears signed running back Chester Taylor, a big question has been how his playing time would dovetail in with incumbent Bears running back Matt Forte. Back on April 11, Bob LeGere of the Daily Herald had word from coach Lovie Smith that performance would dictate carries in general.
Smash-cut to mid-June, and ESPN NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert has another interesting idea: creating a "faceless tandem" in the Chicago backfield. As Seifert notes, the idea that Taylor is being brought in as a third-down back just because that's what he was for the Minnesota Vikings is somewhat incorrect. In fact, Forte was actually a more prolific pass-catcher in 2009 (57 receptions to Taylor's 44), and Taylor's skills set is more conducive to his acting as the bellcow inside rusher.
The key to effectively rotating the backs might be play concealment; the defense has to be convinced of a run or a pass no matter who's lined up behind Jay Cutler. In doing so, Taylor might get his earlier-stated wish of being a "feature back" even though Forte would be heavily relied upon as well.
