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Chester Taylor


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One of the primary questions after the Vikings drafted Adrian Peterson with the seventh pick in last month's draft was how fellow running back Chester Taylor would react.

After four seasons as a backup with the Baltimore Ravens, Taylor signed a four-year, $14.1 million free-agent deal in March 2006 to become the Vikings' primary back. He then went out and rushed for a team-leading 1,216 yards on 303 carries with six touchdowns.

"They said they were going to give me some help," Taylor said in his first public comments on the subject following the Vikings' first Organized Team Activity last Tuesday. "All they did was add depth to our running back crew. If I go down I'm confident that these guys will be able to take over and do the job."

 

Whew.... I was afraid he might lose time to Adrian Peterson. :D

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"They said they were going to give me some help," Taylor said in his first public comments on the subject following the Vikings' first Organized Team Activity last Tuesday. "All they did was add depth to our running back crew. If I go down I'm confident that these guys will be able to take over and do the job."

 

At that point, Taylor excused himself, went home and punched a hole in the wall and began sobbing uncontrollably screaming, "Why me? Why me?"..........

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Does that statement alone constitute a violation of the drug policy? I'm surprised the team didn't hand him a cup when he left the microphone and told him "fill'er up".

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Here is the rest of the article:

 

Taylor, signed as a free agent in March 2006 to become the Vikings' top running back, established a franchise record for rushing attempts in a season with 303. His 345 touches were the third-highest total in Vikings history. But Taylor did experience fatigue late in the season and also missed a game because of bruised ribs.

 

Peterson's presence should help Taylor remain fresh. "It's always good to have a one-two punch," Taylor said. "So we can come in, spell each other and as long as it's efficient and working, just keep doing it."

 

Peterson made a good impression on Taylor when the two met for the first time Monday. "He's a nice guy," Taylor said. "He looks up to me as being a vet, and I'm going to help him through all the tough times. Whenever he gets stuck, I'll help him out."

 

Said Peterson: "He told me to go out there, compete and just work hard. To help improve yourself and help the team win anyway possible. That's what I plan on doing."

 

Taylor, meanwhile, said he feels fine physically and was able to resume heavy training in April after giving his body some time to heal. "I'm feeling really good right now," he said. "I'm just ready for the season to start."

 

 

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Where is this RBBC talk coming from? If anyone wanted a vote of no confidence in Taylor, I'd say using the 7th pick in the draft on the top RB in the draft is about as blunt a statement as the team can make, short of, "Hey, Taylor, you suck & we're sorry we ever signed you."

 

A team picks up RBBC help in the 2nd-4th rounds of the draft. It picks what it thinks is its featured RB of the future with a high 1st round pick.

 

More to the point - given where Peterson was taken & what he'll be paid, Taylor keeping his starting gig will take more than just competing evenly with Peterson, he'll have to perform significantly better than Peterson. Barring injury, that's highly unlikely. Petrson is a bonafide stud-in-waiting if he's healthy. Taylor's 4 years for $14M is chump change for RBs with the salary cap set here it is now. Taylor had better get one of the blow-up donuts ready to keep his arse from getting sore on the bench.

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Chester will start the season as RB1

Chester will be RB1A by week 3

Chester will be RB1B by week 6

Chester will be RB2 by week 9

Chester will be CoP RB by week 12

 

I wonder if Chester is gonna ask his vet teammates to hammer AP like CHI did to Benson?

 

 

Please oh please do not allow Peterson to hold out like that. Please. Calvin Johnson and Marshawn Lynch too.

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Where is this RBBC talk coming from?

 

This was from the day he wa drafted, but of course things change too.

 

Change of pace should benefit backfield

A two-back system worked well for the Patriots, Colts and other teams, and coach Brad Childress thinks it also will help the Vikings.

 

By Mark Craig, Star Tribune

 

Last update: April 28, 2007 – 10:03 PM

 

Six of the NFL's top 10 rushers last season missed the playoffs. Five of them were workhorse backs with at least 303 carries.

Meanwhile, seven teams had two No. 1-caliber rushers that split time and had at least 155 carries apiece. Four of those teams -- Indianapolis, New England, Chicago and New Orleans -- reached the conference championship games. The Colts beat the Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI on the strength of a combined 190 yards rushing from Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai.

 

The Vikings obviously were paying close attention. With a No. 1 running back still in his prime (Chester Taylor) already on the roster, they still selected the best running back, Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson, with the seventh pick in the NFL draft.

 

"He and Chester will do a great job in the backfield in terms of changing things up," Vikings coach Brad Childress said. "Change of pace is something [former Wisconsin] coach [barry] Alvarez used to talk about. It was the same way in Philadelphia with a [brian] Westbrook and whoever we brought off the bench there. It's difficult on a defense. When you don't know what the pace of that guy is, it takes a little bit to calibrate."

 

Childress wants to recreate in Minnesota something similar to what he had in Philadelphia in 2003, when he was Eagles offensive coordinator. Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter touched the ball 290 times from scrimmage for 1,664 yards and 20 touchdowns as the Eagles reached the NFC Championship Game.

The expectation is the 6-1, 217-pound Peterson will be the faster (4.38), more explosive playmaker, while the more compact Taylor (5-11, 213) will wear down defenses without wearing himself out like he did last season.

 

"Obviously, you don't draft a guy like this to sit him," Childress said. "I'm sure Chester will be pleased that we will be able to take a little bit of the load off of him."

 

Taylor averaged 22.5 carries a game during the first three months of last season. But December was a different story. Natural wear and tear, and a rib injury limited him to 13.5 carries a game and sidelined him for one game. The Vikings were 0-4 in December with Taylor on the field.

 

Taylor declined an interview request through his agent, Ken Sarnoff. But Sarnoff said, "Chester is fine with everything."

 

Peterson also is accustomed to being a workhorse back. As a freshman in 2004, when he was runner-up to Matt Leinart in the Heisman Trophy race, Peterson had 339 carries for 1,925 yards (5.7) and 15 touchdowns. That's an average of 26 carries a game.

 

Injuries cost him eight games over the next two seasons, including seven last year because of a broken collarbone. But he still averaged 22.6 carries a game when he played.

 

"It's a team, so whatever the [Vikings] said, if it's a two-running back thing, then, hey, I'm all for that," Peterson said. "I can carry the load, 20-25 carries, if that's what is needed. ... But it's not going to take me 25-30 carries to get me in a rhythm. It's full speed from step one."

 

Peterson has virtually no experience catching the ball. He had only 24 career catches and one touchdown receiving at Oklahoma. But Childress said Peterson caught the ball well at the scouting combine and in a workout at Oklahoma.

 

Childress said he envisions an offensive package that would put Peterson and Taylor on the field at the same time. "We'll probably end up calling it something like the 'pony backfield,' " he said.

 

Sorry, Brad. That's already taken.

 

The Saints use the term when they pair bruiser Deuce McAllister and playmaker Reggie Bush together. Last year, the two of them had a combined 2,562 yards and 18 touchdowns from scrimmage on 517 touches. McAllister had 274 touches, while Bush had 243.

 

"There certainly are opportunities to get both [Taylor and Peterson] on the field," Childress said. "It's important to be able to show a defense different talents, different schemes, particularly when they settle in on one guy. And then you also keep guys fresh."

 

Who knows if it will work here. But there is plenty of evidence that it has worked very well elsewhere.

 

 

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Where is this RBBC talk coming from? If anyone wanted a vote of no confidence in Taylor, I'd say using the 7th pick in the draft on the top RB in the draft is about as blunt a statement as the team can make, short of, "Hey, Taylor, you suck & we're sorry we ever signed you."

 

A team picks up RBBC help in the 2nd-4th rounds of the draft. It picks what it thinks is its featured RB of the future with a high 1st round pick.

 

More to the point - given where Peterson was taken & what he'll be paid, Taylor keeping his starting gig will take more than just competing evenly with Peterson, he'll have to perform significantly better than Peterson. Barring injury, that's highly unlikely. Petrson is a bonafide stud-in-waiting if he's healthy. Taylor's 4 years for $14M is chump change for RBs with the salary cap set here it is now. Taylor had better get one of the blow-up donuts ready to keep his arse from getting sore on the bench.

 

 

AP will be a stud when he proves it. I dont care how great anyone is in college, every year there are players that should have produced at the NFL level, but either get hurt every year, or just dont care after they get that hugh signing bonus.

 

KiJana Carter, Tim Biakabutuka, and there are plenty more. Am I comparing skills to these players? No. But they were studs in college and were supposed to be great. Where are they now?

 

While I am actually in aggreeance with you, I just feel like players have to PROVE themselves before anyone can call them a sure thing. There has just been too many busts in history to call someone, hell, ANYONE, a sure thing.

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"They said they were going to give me some help," Taylor said in his first public comments on the subject following the Vikings' first Organized Team Activity last Tuesday. "All they did was add depth to our running back crew. If I go down I'm confident that these guys will be able to take over and do the job."

 

At that point, Taylor excused himself, went home and punched a hole in the wall and began sobbing uncontrollably screaming, "Why me? Why me?"..........

 

 

 

:D Sounds eerily like Majik when Ron Wolf brought in Brett Favre.

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:D

 

That's some funny ####, David.

 

kiss arse. :D

 

I'm likely not drafting either of these. I don't buy that AP just blew Taylor out the door and Taylor will basically fade away. This reminds me of a classic DEN RB type situation, so I'll pass.

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CT actually sound pretty gracious in this to me, he's not rolling over but also not blasting the team brass, he could have thrown a temper tantrum like a cetain Philly QB...

 

plus AP is likely to have another "freak" injury by the end of training camp and this will all be a non-issue

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he could have thrown a temper tantrum like a certain Philly QB...

 

 

I'm not so sure about this, seems speculative... Granted, McNabb has definitely whined in the past on more than one occasion but he has been relatively cool regarding the Kolb pick.

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Mark it down, AD will be the stud RB in Minn by mid season. This is similar to when AD came into OU as a true frosh (as the top rated HS RB). The returning starting RB on a team that played for the NT was pushed aside by week 3. The guy is BIG TIME, and too hard to keep off the field. I was surprised the guy slipped to #7 in the draft actually. Had it not been for a freak collar bone break, AD would have been THE player in the draft this year. Those in keeper leagues should grab AD if he's available in round 4 or later. Chet is obviously a classy guy, but must know he will keep starting only until AD gets a complete handle on the offense.

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