Bad News Bears: Chester Taylor Leaves Minnesota for Chi-Town

Oh no. No, no. This is not good at all. Chester Taylor, our stalwart running back, has departed for Bears country. Uh-oh.
The latest news: the Chicago Bears have picked up Taylor, tight end Brandon Manumaluena, and the very talented defensive end Julius Peppers (thank you, Mike Tice – the former Vikings head coach is now the offensive line coach for the Bears). As our team is slowly dismantled during the off-season – and we knew this was going to happen, by the way – we’re left wondering if they’re keeping the right folks. I trust Childress only as far as I can throw him (and though I’ve been working out regularly, I don’t think I could heft him), and I’m feeling like he’s making some bad choices right now. Really bad. Almost as bad as twelve men in the huddle. Personally, I would have liked to see Adrian Peterson pack his bags after the way that he’s played this past year, but unfortunately, we’re losing the one running back that we can count on to get us that next first down instead.

And the worst part? We’re losing him to our own division. Chicago. They’re already tough to play, but now they’ve taken one of our most reliable guys and added him to their ranks. First I lose my friend Julie to Chicago, and now I’ve lost Chester Taylor. What’s next – Joe Mauer to the White Sox?

Just kidding.

To be clear, I completely understand why Taylor has decided that the Bears are a better option for him, especially at this point in his career. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Taylor sat down with his agent and went through all the possible scenarios, and decided that Chicago was the best fit – both money-wise and for playing time. Since Adrian Peterson has burst onto the scene, Taylor hasn’t had the opportunity to start (which is a shame); rather, the past year-and-a-half, he’s been cleaning up Peterson’s messes with virtually no recognition or reward. And on top of it, the guy is 30 – who knows how much longer he’s going to be able to play? Running backs have notoriously short careers due to their high-impact positions, so I can imagine that Taylor wants to get in as much playing time as he can before he’s forced to retire.

So, what does this all mean for us? It means that Adrian Peterson sure better get his act together before next season, or we’re going to be in big trouble. I just hope that this doesn’t sway Brett Favre towards retirement, seeing as how we don’t really have another viable option for quarterback.

Oh, wait – we can sign an unrestricted free agent now, so I guess we do have another option. Let’s just hope that Taylor’s departure is worth what we get in return.

About Clara

Clara Martin is a social media strategist and a content editor. She likes to cover business, finance and investments. She is currently managing In Trona Ut.

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