Frank Gore: 'We're going to the playoffs'

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- It was not quite Joe Namath lounging poolside in South Beach, but Frank Gore did take a page from Broadway Joe.

OK, maybe a liner note.

Gore, the San Francisco 49ers' workhorse running back who has become something of a forgotten man on offense of late, predicted the Niners' January plans.

"We're going to the playoffs," Gore said in the team's locker room on Wednesday.

Now, before you start Googling Jim Mora and playing clips on YouTube, put Gore in context.

He was not bragging or boasting. How could he with the 49ers riding a two-game losing streak and heading to New Orleans at just 4-4, three games behind the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals and a game back of the Seattle Seahawks?

Rather, this was the calculated talk of a player whose team has played in three straight NFC title games ... even if the 49ers' offense seems so discombobulated at the moment.

"We're going to do it. We have great coaches, we have great guys. The last three years we've been spoiled. That's where we want to go ... the postseason. Once everybody takes care of their [individual] jobs, we have a great shot."

Many, though, think Gore is being under-utilized. And if Gore is among them, he's not saying. At least, not publicly.

"It's a team," he said. "We have great players all around. Receivers, backs, I just think as a group we have to do better, more consistent. It's always one player here or there."

Meaning, one player missing his assignment has a domino effect on the rest of the offense.

"In this league, that can't happen. You're not going to win games when everybody on offense isn't clicking together."

And you can guarantee that sentiment.


(espn.com)