Cardinals believe 49ers will get back to featuring Frank Gore

Toss out the game film. Burn the stat sheet. Ignore the blather.

No evidence can persuade Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson that Frank Gore's role has diminished in the 49ers' offense.

"Let's not make a mistake. Frank is the focal point of that team,'' Wilson said.

Gore had only nine carries last week, much to the delight of the Seattle Seahawks.

In fact, the 49ers have only 42 carries over the past three weeks, the lowest number of rushes over a three-game stretch in 49ers history, according to Steve Hirdt of the Elias Sports Bureau.

To put it another way: The 49ers have never relied so heavily on the passing game, not even when Joe Montana or Steve Young were around.

Still, Wilson isn't buying it. He expects Gore, Gore and more Gore when the Cardinals visit Candlestick Park on Monday night.

"We expect him to get the ball 30 times,'' Wilson said in a conference call Thursday with Bay Area reporters. "You have to have the mind-set that he's not going to go two weeks without touching the ball at least 25 times."

Gore has 25 touches only twice this season, in a Week 1 victory against Arizona and a Week 10 victory over Chicago.

Those games came before the 49ers decided they were better off spread. They opened up the offense starting with the second half of the Packers game on Nov. 22 and have been airing it out since.

"We'll continue to run the offense that we've been running the last couple of weeks and try to include Frank to create balance for us,'' coach Mike Singletary said. "Maybe that balance doesn't mean 50-50. Maybe it's 70-30 or whatever."

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(mercurynews.com)