Taylor is ready, willing and certainly able

Chester Taylor is still waiting for his breakout game as a Bear, and Sunday against his former team would be the perfect time.

“To have it against the team I played for the last four years, it would be even better,” Taylor said. “They're like my ex-brothers. Being around those guys for four years, you get some type of connection with them. But Chicago is my team now, so I'm just trying to help them win some games. So it'll be good to try to get some big plays against their defense.”

If the 31-year-old Taylor had his way, he'd be getting a lot more opportunities to help the Bears win, but with the lack of commitment to the run game, he and starter Matt Forte have both sent heir workload shrink.

Taylor got 10 carries last week but found no running room against the Bills and picked up just 13 yards on the ground. It was just the second time this year Taylor has gotten double-figure touches in a game.

He was supposedly brought in as a complement to Forte to provide some down time for the starter. But the Bears haven't called Forte's number often enough for him to require much rest. Still, offensive coordinator Mike Martz is confident he can call on Taylor to play a variety of roles.

“There's nothing he can't do,” Martz said. “He's a physical back when he needs to be. He's such a low runner. He runs through arm tackles. He hits those little creases and blows them up, and yet he's got the speed and the hands to be a complete back. I'm very pleased with him.”

In addition to occasionally spelling Forte, Taylor has carved out a niche as the Bears' short-yardage/goal-line runner. But he's caught just 11 passes this season after making 89 receptions over the two previous seasons in Minnesota.

Even then he was underutilized, as Adrian Peterson's backup at least according to Vikings quarterback Brett Favre, who says Taylor is missed.

“I'm not going to sit here and say it hasn't had an impact,” Favre said of Taylor's departure. “We all know it's had an impact. That's why any team would have picked him up because of the things that he can bring. I thought, and I still say this, ‘Chester was very underused last year.'

“It was my first year here, but his ability to play a wideout position, run screens from a halfback position, and just his feel overall for the game, and blocking responsibilities and things like that were as good as any of the guys I've ever played with at that position. He is really an excellent football player. The trick is trying to figure out how best to use him.”

That's something the Bears are still working on.

But Taylor remains patient, even though he's on pace for his fewest touches since his first two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens where he was Jamaal Lewis' backup.

“I agree with (Favre),” Taylor said.

“Just knowing that he knows I could have gotten the job done, it's a big compliment for me. But I'm not there with him right now. I'm with Chicago. I like to do anything I can to help my team win. If they call on me to do short yardage, goal line, anything, I'm going to go out there and try my best to get it done.”

Taylor still keeps in touch with several of his former teammates, and he said he has not, as yet, heard any trash talking.

But he does expect some Sunday.

“I'm pretty sure (nose tackle) Pat (Williams) is over there talking trash, and he can't wait to try to get a tackle,” Taylor said. “I want to see what he says after the first tackle.”

Follow Bob LeGere's Bears reports via Twitter@BobLeGere. Check out his blog, Bear Essentials at DailyHerald.com