Frank Gore ready to get back to work

Frank Gore spent the bye week in his hometown of Miami relaxing, spending time with his family and watching other NFL teams play. As soon as he returned to the team facility, one of the first things he did was find his offensive linemen.

“I told them today we gotta play catch up,” a smiling Gore told a group of reporters by his locker after Tuesday’s practice. “It seemed like nobody wanted to play defense this last week. All these guys ran for over 100 yards.”

Gore dropped to eighth in the rankings among NFL running backs after Doug Martin’s 251 yard performance and Adrian Peterson’s 182 yard outing last weekend. But the eight-year veteran is feeling good. His bruised ribs are nearly back to normal after the time off, and he gets to go back to work with what he says Is the best offensive line he’s ever run behind.

“I’m just having fun,” Gore said.  “Just having fun running through the big holes they give me.”

Even with the week off, the 49ers still put up more rushing yards per game than any other team in the league. They lead the league with 5.6 yards per rush as well. Gore’s teammates up front give him just as much credit for their runaway success.

“I love blocking for Frank. I think everybody does,” said starting right guard Alex Boone. “He’s one of those guys he’s a power back. He can be a speed back. He sees a crease and he hits it. To play for a guy like that, unbelievable.  He’s tough. He never gives up. He’s always going. His motor’s always turning. He always wants more. To play for a guy like that you gotta be ready.”

“When Frank gets hit he doesn’t always go down right away,” adds center Jonathon Goodwin. “You see him makes some pretty tough runs. And that’s one thing I love about him is he’s a physical type guy.”

The Arizona game showed how the 49ers' passing game benefits when Gore gets going early.  Boone said it also served as an example as why their running game needs to get even stronger during the second half of the season. Opponents are stacking the box to stop Gore first.

Three of the 49ers' next eight games feature run defenses ranked among the league’s top seven. But Gore is always ready to take on the challenge.

“Seeing him out there and he’s like, 'Come on guys we gotta go we gotta go,'” Boone said of Gore. "And the line responds '‘Hey, Frank’s pumped up we gotta go. Let’s roll. Gotta get more yards and keep on grinding.'”


(csnbayarea.com)