49ers' Gore wants to win NFL rushing title

Sep/22/08 11:30 PM Filed in: Frank Gore
Frank Gore moved into seventh place on the 49ers' all-time rushing list over the weekend.

That's nice, he said.

But hold the champagne.

"I want to be No. 1, you know?'' Gore said. "That would be great."

Anything seemed possible to the running back Monday, a day after another productive game under offensive coordinator Mike Martz.

Gore rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown and caught four passes for 32 yards.

That helped the 49ers beat the Detroit Lions 31-13 and top 30 points and 300 yards for a second consecutive game.

"It just seems so easy,'' Gore said.

A year ago, it seemed so hard. Gore fell woefully short after publicly declaring his goal was to break Eric Dickerson's single-season NFL rushing record of 2,105 yards.

He avoided similar proclamations this season — until Monday. In the span of a few minutes, Gore said he wanted the franchise's all-time rushing record, the NFL rushing title and the league lead in total yardage.

Oh, and he wants to be the NFL's best blocking running back, too. Gore managed to say these things without a hint of brashness. He's soft-spoken by nature.

He was just trying to give a sense of how the universe has opened up with the arrival of a new offensive coordinator.

"When I talked to Martz before the season, I asked, 'Can you help me be the best back in the league?' '' Gore said.

Heading into play Monday night, Gore led the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 412. (He has 287 rushing yards and 125 receiving yards.)

He is also delivering as a blocker. Gore and tight end Vernon Davis were called upon to pass protect against the Lions' blitz late in the second quarter. They bought quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan enough time to hit tight end Delanie Walker for a 24-yard touchdown.

"Whoever you're playing against, you have to do all three things — run, catch and block,'' Gore said.

He said he checks the league leaders every week to see how he stacks up against the NFL's other top threats. He noticed, for example, that the Dallas Cowboys' Marion Barber rushed for 142 yards Sunday night.

"I thought, 'OK, next week I have to do this,' '' Gore said.

(mercurynews.com)