49ers’ Gore trying to learn from one of the best

In his three seasons in the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers’ Frank Gore has established himself as one of the premier all-around running backs in the league. Gore is equally adept at catching passes out of the backfield as he is breaking free for long runs.

Gore may not have had the numbers in 2007 that backs like LaDainian Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson, Willie Parker and Brian Westbrook amassed, but he is definitely one of the game's top offensive threats out of the backfield. A testament to his versatility lies in the fact that Gore led the 49ers in receptions and rushing yards last season.

That’s why what Gore did on Monday is even more impressive. He went to one of the most prolific running backs in the history of the NFL and asked for advice on how to be a more productive member of Mike Martz’s offense.

Gore asked all-everything Marshall Faulk for some pointers on how he can more quickly adjust to Martz’s offensive schemes. After all, who better to solicit advice from than a man who is a future Hall of Famer and who had some of his best success under Martz in St. Louis? Faulk is a guy who won a Super Bowl, won the league’s MVP award, was a three-time league offensive MVP and set the NFL single-season record for most yards from scrimmage with 2,429.

Here are some of the things Faulk told Gore:

• Always work on things you don’t understand. Don’t just take people’s evaluation, but try to understand why you may not be as good at certain aspects of the game. If someone says that you aren’t as strong of an inside runner, try to understand why you aren’t and work on improving that part of your game.
• I always looked at myself as a football player -- not a running back, not a receiver, but a football player. So when Martz would ask me if I could do something, I would say, ‘I don’t know, but I’ll try.’ Whatever he asks you to do, try your best to get it done.
• Be there for your quarterback. Be the bail-out guy. You’re the last line of defense for your quarterback in the passing game. You can either be the key block that protects him or get open out of the backfield.

Meanwhile, Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis heaped praise on Gore.

“Between myself, Edgerrin, Willis and Frank, I always thought Frank was the best of all of us,” Portis, Gore's former University of Miami teammate, admitted. “I’m big on myself, but I always loved Frank’s attitude and willingness to learn. If you look at Frank’s freshman year and my junior year, Frank and I kind of latched onto each other. Anytime Frank got in a game as a freshman, he would go in there and have a spectacular run.”

That is pretty strong praise when you are talking about backs like McGahee. But Gore was in line to be the starter at tailback for Miami in the spring of 2002 ahead of McGahee before he tore his ACL. James has also done pretty well for himself in his NFL career. Portis has established himself as the go-to offensive weapon with the Redskins.

Portis said that Gore’s willingness to listen to Faulk is a testament to his work ethic and positive attitude. If he takes that advice from Faulk and applies it to his already established positive attributes, 2008 might be a special season for Gore in San Francisco.

(realfootball365.com)