Only three of the 26 running backs selected in the 2005 NFL Draft are still in the league.

Furthermore, only one of them stands as his franchise leader in three major stat categories: carries, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.

Enter San Francisco 49ers workhorse Frank Gore.

The former third-round pick, who was the sixth running back drafted in 2005, has more rushing yards than any of his draft class counterparts and still carries the chip on his shoulder from being passed up at the draft. Gore, a four-time Pro Bowl running back, has gained 8,839 rushing yards in eight seasons.

“Nobody expected me to be in the league this long," Gore told 49ers.com after a recent workout at 49ers headquarters.

Only Brandon Jacobs and Marion Barber have more touchdowns than Gore and both remain unsigned. With just six more touchdowns this season, Gore will lead his draft class in that category too.

The recently turned 30-year-old running back has been on a blistering pace to start his career with the 49ers and doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon. Gore has eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in six out of eight seasons. He finished 2012, his fourth Pro Bowl season, with 1,214 rushing yards. With 37 more yards on the ground, Gore will pass Roger Craig to rank second all-time on San Francisco’s yards from scrimmage list.

At that point, Gore would only trail Hall of Fame wider receiver Jerry Rice.

It's been an already historic career for Gore in San Francisco. The hard-nosed running back slipped to the third round in 2005 because of medical concerns about his knees. Looking back, the draft-day slide might have been a blessing in disguise. Gore came into the NFL motivated to prove critics wrong.

"Every year in my career, it's been 'when' and 'if' I'll slow down," Gore said. "I look at it as a challenge."

Gore hasn't just accepted the challenge, he's used it to become one of the NFL’s top running backs. After turning 30 on May 14, there's still plenty Gore wants to accomplish.

"I want to show I'm not going by what people say about being a certain age - when you're 29 or 30, you can't do it anymore,” Gore said. “As long as I'm working, healthy and able to play this game, I can do a great job."

When Gore came to San Francisco, he split carries with running backs Kevan Barlow and Maurice Hicks. Neither Barlow or Hicks were proven NFL veterans, forcing Gore to find his own example of how to be successful.

"I didn't have anybody to look up to," Gore said. "I'm not talking bad about any of the guys who were here before me. I just didn't have a guy who had success in the league.”

Instead, Gore has provided that example for the rest of the 49ers running backs. Anthony Dixon, Kendall Hunter and LaMichael James constantly speak highly, not only for his ability on the field, but what he means to the entire group off the field.

Now, Gore has a new protégé in fourth-round draft pick Marcus Lattimore.

Like Gore, Lattimore had to fight through knee injuries in college, including a gruesome injuryagainst Tennessee in 2012. Lattimore tore three ligaments on an open-field tackle and was out for the season.

It was no surprise that Gore wanted to reach out to Lattimore after being put in contact by teammate, Chris Culliver, a former South Carolina cornerback.

"It's similar to what I went through," Gore said. "That's the main reason I called him when it happened. I wanted to reach out to him and tell him to keep his head up."

While Gore lacked role models when he came to San Francisco, Lattimore has a perfect example in the 49ers four-time Pro Bowler.

Even with his continued success, Gore continues to be a leader both on the field and in the classroom.

"It doesn't matter what you've done," Gore said. "I could easily be in practice, not doing this or not doing that. I think my teammates respect me because even though I've had success, I still treat everyone the right way. They see me practice and I practice hard. I'm paying attention in the classroom, too. They're able to see me being a pro."



Gore's advice didn't stop after his initial phone call to Lattimore. The two are often together during offseason practices, watching plays and taking mental reps. Gore makes sure Lattimore is able to make the most out of practice, even though he’s not able to participate.

If Lattimore is able to follow Gore's lead, maybe his name can also stand out from the other 2013 class of running backs.

"I think that Marcus will have a fine career,” Gore said. “I think he'll have a better pro career than college. He only really played one full year in college. He can't help what happened with his knees. I just feel like once he gets back on his feet, he'll be fine."

The chart above shows how Gore's career rushing yards stack up against the rest of the 2005 running back class. Only the next 10 closest to Gore are shown.
Ronnie Brown and Darren Sproles are the only other two running backs remaining in the NFL. Brown and Sproles have combined for 46 total career rushing touchdowns, five fewer than Gore.


(49ers.com)

Miami Dolphins RB Lamar Miller has been working out with San Francisco 49ers RB Frank Gore during the offseason. Gore, a fellow University of Miami alum, counseled Miller on lessons learned in the NFL. Miller said Tuesday, May 14, he is staying at 215 pounds, but adding more muscle mass.

Fantasy Tip: Miller is viewed by some as having a leg up in the competition for the starting tailback job in Miami, although Daniel Thomas is not ready to go quietly. Whoever emerges as the top dog will be a low-end RB2 or flex fantasy option in most formats.


(kffl.com)

Now that 49ers running back Frank Gore has reached his 30th birthday, the question looms:

Will Gore be like Emmitt Smith and Curtis Martin, who continued to be among the NFL’s best backs after age 30? Or will Gore be like so many others – including Edgerrin James and Jamal Lewis – who quickly limped away?

Gore has been an exceptional back for the 49ers since being taken in the third round of the 2005 draft out of the University of Miami. Though he suffered two serious knee injuries with the Hurricanes, he’s been a durable, productive player in San Francisco.

He’s had six 1,000-yard rushing seasons, has a career average of 4.6 yards per carry and has played 14 or more games in seven of his eight pro seasons.
Over the past two seasons, at ages 29 and 28, he’s had two of his most productive years. Last season, he rushed for 1,214 yards and eight TDs; in 2011, he rushed for 1,211 yards and eight TDs.

Gore isn’t big at 5-foot-9 and 217 pounds, but he’s a darting, low-center-of-gravity back who usually slips away from big hits and makes much of his yardage after contact, squeezing through piles of defenders.

But now that Gore on Tuesday turned 30, the 49ers have to be wondering how many more seasons of productivity they can expect from their workhorse. San Francisco has a good group of running backs behind him in 2012 draft choice LaMichael James and 2011 pick Kendall Hunter, and drafted former South Carolina standout Marcus Lattimore in the fourth round this season with intentions of putting him into the mix in 2014 when he’s had a chance to heal and rehab completely from knee injuries suffered in college.

As Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News once wrote: “There is an invisible barrier for NFL running backs that few manage to cross: 30 years old. Until a running back is 29, the yards flow; when he steps into his third decade, he steps into a football abyss.”

Former 49ers standout running back Roger Craig is one example. Craig rushed for 1,054 yards in 1989 when he was 29 years old. In his next four seasons his yardage totals were: 439, 590, 416 and 119.

According to a study by the website draftcalc.com, among those who tailed off considerably once they reached age 30 were:

LaDainian Tomlinson: He went from 1,474 yards and 1,110 yards rushing at ages 28 and 29 to 730, 914 and 280 from ages 30-32;
Brian Westbrook: 1,333 and 936 yards at ages 28 and 29 to 274 and 340 at 30 and 31;
Jamal Lewis: 1,304 and 1,002 yards at ages 28 and 29 to 500 at 30 – his final season.

On the other hand, Smith -- the former Cowboys back and league’s all-time rushing leader (18,355 yards) – continued to be one of the league’s best at age 30 when he rushed for 1,397 yards. At 31 he rushed for 1,203 yards, then rushed for 1,021 at age 32 and 975 at 33.

At ages 30 and 31, Martin had rushing seasons of 1,308 and 1,697 yards.

So, the jury is out. Gore, energized by the 49ers’ resurgence the past two seasons under head coach Jim Harbaugh and perhaps the best-blocking offensive line in the NFL, could still have another couple of great years ahead. Certainly, the 49ers’ diversified offense has many other weapons, and the team doesn’t have to run Gore 30 times a game to be effective.

Harbaugh, who in his two seasons as the team’s coach has gained a great appreciation for No. 21, is likely betting that Gore still has something left.

“Every day my admiration for Frank Gore as a football player, every time you think it’s as high as it can be, he finds another rung on the ladder to go in my esteem,” Harbaugh said last season, when Gore rushed for 119, 90 and 110 yards in three postseason games. “And then even more so as a person. He’s just one of the finest guys you’d ever want to be around.”


(nbcbayarea.com)

The folks at Pro Football Focus asked which running back faced the highest percentage of eight defenders in the box. The 49ers very own Frank Gore took home top honors:

We have a winner. 42.3% of plays w/ at least 8 men in box. League average is 23.3% @MarkusEricsson: @PFF Gore?

There were various follow-up tweets with various details that provide a little more context. For example, Gore faced eight men in the box 37.8% of the time when Alex Smith was starting, and 46.6% of the time when Kaepernick was starting.

Here was another interesting stat:

Big reason Gore faced so many 8 in the boxes? 53.5% of rushing snaps with 1 or fewer receiver split out wide. Most in league

And Joe Staley had his own retort on all this:

@PFF good thing we got away from the running game with all those 8 man fronts ha! We laugh at 8 man fronts

It will be interesting to see how defenses handle the 49ers multi-faceted offensive attack in 2013. Defenses can load up in the box, but if it opens up the edges for the read option, they will continue to struggle against the 49ers. I imagine Greg Roman is keeping plenty busy preparing for how the 49ers will counter defensive adjustments.


(ninernation.com)

The 49ers nabbed South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore with their second pick of the fourth round. The beastly running back sustained a horrific torn ACL, LCL and the PCL while blocking downfield against Tennessee and missed the rest of the season. The injury resulted in a knee dislocation. He also tore an ACL a year earlier against Mississippi State.
He shares similarities with Frank Gore, who also dropped in the draft because of repeated knee-ligament tears. Lattitmore also has the same determination, both in his running style and attitude for the game. He even wears Gore’s number (21) and as you will see in the clip has the same jump cut ability. He could be the heir apparent.

Lattimore is likely to open the season on the non-football injury list and may need a year to completely rehabilitate the injury. The non-football list is for players coming to teams with preexisting injuries. He said he is already sprinting and jumping on boxes. Part of his inspiration for his extensive rehabilitation came from Gore, who called him a few days after the injury.

“He told me to keep my positive attitude,” Lattimore said. “I doubted myself, I did do that and I lost hope. But now it’s just a great, great situation to be in.”

At 5-11, 221 pounds, Lattimore was highly productive in college, scoring 41 touchdowns in 29 games. Like Gore, he’s considered a complete back with receiving (74 catches at South Carolina) and pass protections abilities. Considered quick, but not fast, the issue will be overcoming his significant injury history.

Lattimore’s injury was seen often on television and around the internet. We have a clip of it here, not to be sensational but to show what Lattimore is now up against in his rehabilitation. Lattimore spent some time Pensacola, Florida rehabbing the injury at a clinic and is now back in Columbia, South Carolina to continue that work.


(sfgate.com)

INDIANAPOLIS – The 2013 NFL Scouting Combine is just about to begin. We’re all set in the media work room inside of Lucas Oil Stadium to cover the top college prospects for the next three days. First, 49ers General Manager Trent Baalke will speak with reporters as several GMs and head coaches will take turns talking to reporters this week. Jim Harbaugh will talk to the press on Friday.

As for players, it’ll be offensive linemen, tight ends and kickers talking with the press on Thursday. We’ll share some of their comments throughout the day, but first, let’s take a look at some of the top 49ers related headlines before the start of the NFL Scouting Combine.

Robert Klemko of USA TODAY Sports shared an interesting anecdote in a pre-combine story on South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore. The injured star running back was given a lot of advice after suffering a second major injury to his knee, most notably from 49ers rushing king Frank Gore.

“By his count, about 15 NFL players who have suffered similar injuries have contacted him to offer encouragement and advice,” Klemko wrote. “San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver, a former Gamecock, asked running back Frank Gore to call Lattimore.”

Gore dealt with knee injuries in college and was drafted in the third round back in 2005. Lattimore has been pegged as a third-rounder by many draft experts before the combine. Although Lattimore won’t be able to participate in drills, getting the opportunity to meet with coaches and NFL doctors this week will be crucial for him.


(49ers.com)

With the lights (mostly) back on and the 49ers ripping off a 17-0 run in the second half, the Ravens looked like they were about to collapse and lose the Super Bowl matchup they had all but won Sunday night. San Francisco couldn’t finish the job, though, and after Baltimore’s defense held firm one more time, the Ravens were the victors. Some people thought the 49ers were lucky to make the 34-31 loss as close as it was — but not 49ers star running back, Frank Gore.

He was more in the mood to be the ungracious loser after the game. “They got away with one,” he said, according to The Associated Press. “We showed we were the better team. It was just a couple plays here, a couple plays there.”

The 49ers certainly looked like the better team in the second half, when they finally started clicking on both sides of the ball and staged their comeback. But when it mattered most, the 49ers again failed to shut down the Ravens’ Joe Flacco-powered offense, and Colin Kaepernick couldn’t take advantage of defensive holes with his arm or legs.

Even with a controversial non-call on a possible hold near the end of the game, San Francisco still botched several chances to take the lead and put the game away. That didn’t seem to faze Gore, though. In what was San Francisco’s first loss ever in a Super Bowl, he seemed less worried about the outcome and more concerned about who was winning that “better team” gold medal.


(nesn.com)

NEW ORLEANS -- Less than an hour after the 49ers' last gasp of Super Bowl XLVII, Frank Gore sat back quietly behind a podium, eyes glistening. He shook his head and looked down at bright yellow shoes that stood out amid a fitting all-black wardrobe.

"We were the better team," Gore said quietly.

The scoreboard said otherwise, but Gore, like the 49ers in the second half, didn't back down. He was proud of his teammates and of his contribution: 19 rushes for 110 yards and a touchdown in a 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

"I just feel like we were the better team," Gore repeated. "They got away with one today. It's tough. This is tough."

Gore's tough second-half running helped the 49ers get back in the game and nearly sparked a historic comeback. He rushed for 81 yards on eight second-half carries, including an untouched sprint to the right corner of the end zone that cut the deficit to eight late in the third quarter. Gore's biggest run came with 2:47 remaining and the Ravens desperately holding a 34-29 lead as Colin Kaepernick marched the 49ers down the field.

Gore, who adjusted his game after Kaepernick took over for Alex Smith, took a handoff out of the pistol formation and juked a Ravens defender before bursting through a hole along the left side of the line. Two more cuts took Gore toward the sideline, and after outrunning Ed Reed he bowled his way down to the 7-yard line, a 33-yard gain.

What was Gore, the eight-year veteran who has overcome so much adversity, thinking as the 49ers looked at a first-and-goal situation?

"Game over," Gore said later. "The Niners are going to win."

After a short run by LaMichael James, the 49ers came up short on three pass attempts for the game-winner.

James, a rookie, sat two lockers away from Gore in the losing locker room. Sounds from the on-field Ravens celebration echoed toward the locker room, and the 49ers sat under banners that read: "NFC Champions."

That's as far as the 49ers would get.

"I have no doubt in my mind," James said when asked if the 49ers would be back in the Super Bowl. "I have no doubt."

Gore knows it's not that easy. He was the last 49ers player to begin dressing after the loss and stood at the corner of the locker room for several minutes, eyes scanning the ceiling and hands clasped behind his head. Coach Jim Harbaugh eventually wandered over, twice patting Gore affectionately on the back.

"He told me he's proud of me," Gore said. "He loved the way I fought. I had a great game, but we just didn't get it done."

Gore said he wasn't upset that the ball didn't come his way after his 33-yard run that nearly clinched a Super Bowl. His face told a different story.

"Every player wants the ball at that big time," Gore finally admitted. "But our coaches make the decision, and we tried our best to make it happen."

He said the next step is to keep fighting, to keep pushing to get over the hump. But he knows these chances don't come often, and the scene on the field served as a reminder. As Gore was whisked along back hallways of the Superdome on a golf cart, two other former University of Miami stars -- Ray Lewis and Reed -- celebrated a title that adds yet another highlight to their illustrious careers.

Gore knows it could have been him under the confetti. He believes it should have been him.

"It's tough," he said again. "When you're in the dance, you want to get it."


(mercurynews.com)

NEW ORLEANS — The Miami neighborhood where Frank Gore grew up, in his words, is “small, rough.” He saw athletes he thought could truly excel, maybe play in the NFL, but opted for a different life, a more dangerous life.

So Gore decided he would do the opposite of what those guys had done, the guys who confronted him and thought they were better than him.

Despite academic difficulties, despite growing up poor — his single mother raised him, his two siblings, and her sister’s children in a tiny two-bedroom house — Gore used his football talent to get into the University of Miami.

With the Hurricanes, Gore tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in the spring of 2002, and then his right ACL in 2003.

He persevered, but the injuries, which meant he only played 28 games with the Hurricanes, made him a risky pick in the higher rounds of the 2005 NFL draft. The 49ers chose Gore in the third round, with the 65th overall pick.

Gore’s arrival in San Francisco came in the midst of the franchise’s first string of losing seasons in 25 years; over his first six seasons, not only did the 49ers not reach the playoffs, they didn’t get over .500.

But he quickly became the bright spot on what were some dismal offenses. In his second season, Gore had a franchise-record 1,695 yards.

He added 1,000-yard seasons in 2007, ’08, and ’09, the streak broken in 2010 when he fractured a hip in Week 12. But with 853 yards to that point, he was well on his way to another big season.

The statistics didn’t matter to Gore when San Francisco kept losing.

“It was real tough,” Gore said of his early seasons. “It was tough coming to work, especially for me, coming from a winning program in college. I wasn’t ever used to losing. I used to take it hard.”

It was even more frustrating when then-teammates weren’t as bothered when the losses were piling up.

“Some guys, who are not here anymore, were like ‘whatever.’ I wasn’t used to that. If we lost a game at Miami, it was like our season was over,” Gore said.
In the midst of the football losses came personal loss: Gore’s mother, Liz, died early in the 2007 season of kidney failure. A couple of months later, his close friend, Redskins safety Sean Taylor, was killed in his home.

Every time Gore scores a touchdown he points to the sky, a tribute to his mother.

“I love her,” he said this week. “She was a hard worker, and she did everything to make sure her kids [were] satisfied, and she was a smart woman.”

Finding out she had died was “like a dream, like a bad dream. It was tough.”

Gore never asked out of San Francisco, believing there were good pieces in place: himself, linebacker Patrick Willis, tight end Vernon Davis, defensive lineman Justin Smith.

All they needed was the right man to lead them.

When Gore came back from his hip injury in 2011, there was a new head coach: Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh was able to do for the 49ers what the four head coaches who preceded him were not, lead them to a winning season and the playoffs in his first year. And now he has them in the Super Bowl, Sunday against the Ravens.

“I love it. You can get up and walk around with your head up,” Gore said of being part of a winning program again. “Everybody loves you in the city. You want to practice.”

Gore has topped 1,200 rushing yards in each of the last two seasons, with eight touchdowns each year.

When he was drafted, Gore knew he was better than the five running backs taken before him, and history has shown him to be right. Of the five — Ronnie Brown, Cedric Benson, Cadillac Williams, J.J. Arrington, and Eric Shelton — only Benson has come close to replicating Gore’s success.

Benson had three straight 1,000-yard seasons in Cincinnati; Brown and Williams only got to that benchmark once, and Arrington and Shelton were busts.
Gore is 29, nearing the time when running backs traditionally start to slow down considerably. But Gore is still the player defenses have to be ready for.

“Frank Gore runs that offense,” Baltimore defensive tackle Arthur Jones said. “He’s a hard runner, and then they change it up a little with LaMichael James. It’s up to us as a front to dominate the line of scrimmage up front and stop the run.”

After quarterback Alex Smith suffered a concussion in the ninth game of the season and Harbaugh made the decision to stick with Colin Kaepernick even after Smith was cleared to return, Gore was one of the players who spoke out in favor of Smith getting his job back.

But Gore has adjusted to the “pistol” offense the 49ers run with Kaepernick, after spending his college and NFL career up to that point in a pro-style attack. He’s enjoying it now, in part because Kaepernick’s ability to run lessens his workload.

Harbaugh counts himself among Gore’s biggest fans.

“Nobody does it better than Frank Gore, nobody,” Harbaugh said. “I have the greatest respect for Frank because he has the greatest respect for the game. It’s evidenced by how he plays, every single game, every single day. Nobody does it better than Frank Gore.”


(boston.com)

NEW ORLEANS — Colin Kaepernick is the exciting young quarterback. He’s the one with the multi-dimensional skill set that has helped transform the San Francisco 49ers from a team primarily known for its defense into a team for its explosive offense as well. And he’s the one featured in the giant picture that hangs across the wall of the lobby inside the 49ers’ team hotel.

But it’s actually running back Frank Gore that Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees described as the “main focus” for Baltimore’s defense heading into Sunday’s Super Bowl matchup with San Francisco.

Said Pees: “Everyone talks about No. 7 (Kaepernick), but 21 (Gore) can beat you just as easy as (Kaepernick) can and he’s still, to me, the main focus.”

Added Ravens defensive end Arthur Jones: “That’s what it all comes down to — stopping that run. Frank Gore runs that offense. … It’s up to us up front to dominate the line of scrimmage up front and stop the run.”

Gore’s a four-time Pro Bowler. He has rushed for 1,036 yards or more during each of the last six seasons that he’s played in at least 14 games. He finished this year’s regular season with 1,214 yards and eight touchdowns.

He has added 209 yards and three scores in San Francisco’s two playoff victories.

“Frank Gore, to me, is the most important part of the 49ers’ offense,” said former Pro Bowl running back and current NFL Network analyst LaDainian Tomlinson. “He allows them, for one, to wear down the defense with that dive (play). He’s the physical guy that can wear down the defense, but he can also still take it to the house and catch the ball out of the backfield.”

For the year — including the playoffs — the 5-foot-9, 217-pound Gore is averaging nearly five yards per carry.

He rushed for 90 yards and two touchdowns in the 49ers’ NFL championship win over the Atlanta Falcons, one of nine times this year Gore has totaled 83 yards or more on the ground.

He had 119 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries — as well as 48 yards on two catches — during San Francisco’s 45-31 divisional round playoff win over the Green Bay Packers.

Gore had a season-high 131 yards on just 16 carries against the Seattle Seahawks in mid-October.

“He’s just like a bull,” Ravens running back Ray Rice said of Gore. “He goes downhill on you really fast and I think he’s more (agile) than people think he is. I have respect for his game because if you watch Frank Gore, he doesn’t take the hits. He actually delivers them because of his low center of gravity. You go ask Ray Lewis who he has respect for in that offense, and obviously he has respect for everybody, but the main person he’ll tell you right now is Frank Gore.”

Gore has been selected to the Pro Bowl each of the last two years, rushing for a combined 2,426 yards and 16 touchdowns during the last two regular seasons.

“Nobody does it better than Frank Gore,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Nobody. I have the greatest respect for Frank because he has the greatest respect for the game. It’s evidenced by how he plays, every single game, every single day. Nobody does it better than Frank Gore. I really believe in his talent, but the greatest share is his love for the game; his love and respect for the game of football.”

On Sunday, Gore will be matched up against a Ravens defense — led by Lewis — that has limited opposing running backs to an average of just 3.6 yards per carry in the playoffs.

“They play well together,” Gore said. “The (defensive line) is very big, fast and strong. Their linebacker, (Lewis is) one of the best linebackers to ever play the game. … We are just going to have to keep chipping away and keep getting the ball to the offense. And whenever we get an opportunity to make a big play we need to capitalize and get it.”


(capitalgazzette.com)

NEW ORLEANS – Six-foot-eight-inch Bryant McKinnie, towering above everyone else in the Superdome, smiled and shared a joke about his old college team.

"We used to say if one of us didn't get to the Super Bowl," the former Miami Hurricane and current Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman said Tuesday, "we'd all take a pay cut and play for the Dolphins."

No need for that plan now. McKinnie and his Ravens teammate Ed Reed, another former 'Cane, will both play in Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday. So will Frank Gore, for the San Francisco 49ers. They were all on the same 2001 Miami Hurricanes roster that many consider the best collection of college talent of all time. And they are all stars.

In a league where the average career lasts four years, these three former college teammates continue to dominate more than a decade later.

And they're hardly alone.

That '01 Hurricanes team, which went undefeated and routed Nebraska in the BCS Championship Game, produced NFL players at just about every position. That Miami roster produced 17 first-round draft picks and 38 players were drafted into the NFL. Andre Johnson was on that roster. So was Vince Wilfork. So was D.J. Williams. So was Jonathan Vilma. So was Antrelle Rolle. So were Willis McGahee and Clinton Portis, who were both ahead of Gore on the depth chart. So was Sean Taylor, who was Reed's backup and made the Pro Bowl twice before being tragically killed in a home invasion. And so was 2012 Pro Bowler Chris Myers, who didn't start at Miami but logged significant playing time as a backup because, in his matter-of-fact words, "We were blowing teams out by 40 points." (That team's average margin of victory was actually 32.9 points.)

"Every now and then you get to coach a great one," says Tampa Bay Bucs head coach Greg Schiano, who helped recruit that Miami team and coached Reed before leaving for Rutgers in 2000. "That team was littered with great ones. I don't know that there will ever be a team assembled with all that talent again."

The heft of the credit for the millennium Hurricanes' success goes to Butch Davis, the head coach who assembled all that talent in one place before bolting to the NFL. "Butch Davis was an incredible, incredible evaluator of talent," says then-assistant Curtis Johnson, who is now at Tulane. Davis' legacy is mixed because of a two-pronged NCAA investigation at North Carolina that resulted in his firing, but in 10 years as a college head coach, he recruited dozens of future NFL players and more than 30 first-round draft picks. Most came at Miami.

"We were looking for athletic, speed guys who loved football," explains Schiano. That was a directive from Davis, who got his start coaching multiple sports and always looked for players who could excel at basketball, track, wrestling, whatever. "When you coach a lot of different sports," Davis says, "you start to appreciate a lot of skills and how they work together." He would assemble his staff in a film room, look at high school games, and wait for preps to "jump off the screen."

The recruiting ground in South Florida was fertile, but a lot of the stars on that 2001 roster came from elsewhere. Reed arrived from Louisiana. McKinnie came from New Jersey. Jeremy Shockey grew up in Oklahoma. Davis didn't much care for five-star guys as much as he wanted those three ingredients: athleticism, speed and love of football. For every Andre Johnson, who probably could have played in the NFL as a college freshman, there was an undersized talent nobody else saw. "Roscoe Parrish was a midget," says Curtis Johnson. (For the record, Parrish is 5-9.)

The "loved football" part was perhaps most important. Gore was a great example, as he came to Miami despite having to wait behind Portis and McGahee. Asked at Super Bowl media day Tuesday why he didn't shy away from that, Gore said, "Competition. If you want to be the best, you have to play with the best. I wasn't scared of competition."

Gore carried a football around campus in those days, held high and tight, because he knew his day would come. "He could care less about anything but school and football," says Mike Rumph, one of those 17 first-round picks. "Most guys are chasing girls, thinking about stuff at home. Not him. First day out to practice, most guys have special sleeves or new shoes. He's out there with no gloves. Just a jersey, shorts, and helmet. He was like Mike Tyson."

There were several players on the team with that mentality. "We had tackling going on in walk-throughs," says Curtis Johnson, and that was on purpose. Davis wanted practices to be more difficult than games, even if it meant grueling workouts and ferocious drills.

"The toughest battle was Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday," says Schiano. "That's the thing I remember – the competition." Asked if it was as intense as the NFL, Schiano said: "In some ways even more so. At the U of Miami, we were trying to bring the program back. There was such a hunger there. That's one of the reasons they practiced so hard against each other."

Schiano remembers being disturbed in his office one spring by "a loud noise" and looking out the window to see a rowdy 7-on-7 game that included Michael Irvin, who had retired from football, and Sinorice Moss (Santana's younger brother), who was 15 at the time. Irvin, Ray Lewis and Warren Sapp had long since left campus, yet there was an unspoken expectation that the bar needed to be raised every single year. There's even a book written about the building and sustaining of the Miami program: Cane Mutiny.

"The level of work ethic was established," says Myers. "We wanted to keep that going. You wanted to prove to yourself you could keep doing what was done before."

Former players credit not only the strength coaches, but also the fact that the facilities weren't all that great. Today, major schools have professional-grade equipment. At that time, Miami had something resembling a boxing gym. That only seemed to motivate players more.

"It was the work ethic," Reed said Tuesday. "With the people we had, we tended to get the best guys."

It all culminated with a one-loss season in 2000, an undefeated season in 2001 and another one-loss season in 2002. But the 2001 team was especially dominant. The final score for that entire year, with point totals from all games added up, was Miami 512, Opponents 117.

"I really felt like we could have beaten the Cincinnati Bengals that year," says Rumph, who played five seasons in the NFL and now coaches at American Heritage High in Boca Raton. "It wouldn't be a blowout game!"

The most remarkable aspect of that team is only now coming into view. Nearly 12 years later, Gore is maybe the most dangerous player on the 49ers roster. The same could be said about Johnson in Houston, and Wilfork is a rare stalwart on a constantly rotating Patriots defense.

Yet when forced to pick a player or two from that '01 squad, two names come up: McKinnie and Reed.

Former 'Canes love to talk about the much-hyped matchup that season between "Mt. McKinnie" and defensive end Dwight Freeney, who starred at Syracuse and is building himself a Hall of Fame career with Indianapolis.

"Bryant is the best lazy player I've ever seen in my life," Rumph says. "He don't like to work out, his back is bothering him, that kind of thing. But even on his laziest day, he would not give up a sack. Dwight Freeney came to town, and Bryant literally rolled him down the field."

Miami beat No. 14 Syracuse that November day, 59-0.

While McKinnie is revered for his strength, Reed is awed for his smarts. The signature play from that championship season came when Miami struggled with Boston College into the fourth quarter and defensive lineman Matt Walters intercepted a pass deep in Miami territory. Reed raced up on his 270-pound teammate, ripped the ball out of his hands and ran 80 yards to the end zone. He was such a ball hawk that he forced his own teammate to fumble. "He had ball skills like an elite receiver and footwork like a top DB," Rumph says. "He was a coach on the field."

Davis, the architect of all this, admits he looks back at his Miami days wistfully. "In retrospect, obviously I would have loved to stay for eight, 10, 12, 15 years and maybe still be there," Davis says. "It was ridiculous how much success we had."

And it wasn't just on the field. Chuck Pagano was a secondary coach who left in 2000. Rob Chudzinski was an offensive coordinator. Schiano was defensive coordinator until the 2000 season. All three are now NFL head coaches.

In the college ranks, head coach Larry Coker is now the top guy at Texas San-Antonio. Mario Cristobal became a head coach at Florida International. Randy Shannon was in charge at Miami for a time. Curtis Johnson is now head coach at Tulane. Mark Stoops is head coach at Kentucky.

And Ken Dorsey, the quarterback on that unbeaten team, is now the quarterbacks coach for the Carolina Panthers.

Ironically, Davis has never reached that level of success again as a head coach. He struggled with the Cleveland Browns before leaving for North Carolina, which is now mired in scandal. Davis never won a national title as a head coach, but hopes to get one more shot. He's now an assistant with Schiano's Bucs.

Other lingering aspects of the Miami juggernaut are more subtle. Every time Myers gets ready to take the field for the Texans, he listens to the same song before he runs out into the din of the stadium: "In The Air Tonight," by Phil Collins. That was the song hand-picked by Davis to signal the entrance of the Hurricanes onto the field at the old Orange Bowl. He picked it to set a tempo and tone, but also to time a pregame stretch.

"The drum roll signified time to break down and go to the next phase of pregame," Davis says. "The tempo and mindset was now in place." Myers is not alone in his ritual. "Everybody still listens to that song before games," Myers says. "It brings me back to a little bit of Miami."

There is a little bit of Miami all over the NFL. In fact, there is a lot. And some of it will be on display in New Orleans on Sunday.

In fact, it's hard not to wonder how good those Hurricanes would have been if they could have experienced McKinnie's joke about playing together in the NFL: Gore, Portis and McGahee in the backfield, Johnson at wideout, Shockey at tight end, McKinnie blocking, Wilfork rushing, Williams at linebacker, Reed, Rolle and the late Taylor in the defensive backfield. And all those coaches.

Asked how good that team would have been in the NFL, Tulane's Johnson lets out a howling laugh before giving a one-word answer:

"Dynasty."


(sports.yahoo.com)

When the San Francisco 49ers coaches approached veteran running back Frank Gore midway through the season and told him they'd be making some changes to the offense, Gore didn't take the news all too well.

For a player who had made his living and established himself among the league's top backs by lining up in a pro-style offense and running the football behind a fullback, Gore didn't initially welcome the idea of switching to the Pistol formation.

In fact, he downright hated it, saying at least once that the offensive formation -- which called for the quarterback to line up four yards behind the center and the running back another few yards behind the quarterback -- was not real football.

But after helping the 49ers rank fourth in the NFL in rushing offense and leading them to Sunday's Super Bowl 2013 against the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Super Bowl, Gore appears to be warming to the offensive system.

"I didn't like the Pistol at first, but I am a team guy and it helped us get here," Gore said. "We are doing great things with it so I am with it now."

San Francisco Coach Jim Harbaugh said he knew it wouldn't take long for Gore to get over his apprehensions. Gore, whose time in a pro-style offense dates back to his college days at Miami, studied the philosophies of nuance in the Pistol and read-option offense.

And while he went the final nine regular season games of the regular season without a 100-yard rushing game, Gore has proven in the playoff that he still is a major factor in the offense.

After rushing for 119 yards a touchdown on 23 carries in the 49ers' 45-31 divisional playoff win against the Green Bay Packers, Gore followed up the performance with a 20-carry, 90-yard, two-touchdown performance in the NFC Championship game win against the Atlanta Falcons. Gore scored both touchdowns in the second half as the 49ers overcame a 17-point deficit on the way to a 28-24 victory.

"Nobody does it better than Frank Gore, nobody," Harbaugh said. "I have the greatest respect for Frank because he has the greatest respect for the game. It's evidenced by how he plays, every single game, every single day. Nobody does it better than Frank Gore. I really believe in his talent, but the greatest share is his love for the game; his love and respect for the game of football."

Gore, who has rushed for at least 1,000 yards in six of his eight seasons on his way to becoming the 49ers' all-time leading rusher, is finally seeing the fruits of his hard work.

Despite individual success in his first six seasons, Gore experienced few team triumphs before Harbaugh arrived before the 2011 season.

In his first six seasons, the 49ers failed to make the playoffs. And Gore was repeatedly dogged by an assortment of injuries.

But now his team's fortunes have changed, even if the offense had to change with it.

"It's big," Gore said of finally advancing to the Super Bowl. "It's big, especially going through so much with this organization. I was drafted in '05 and I had a lot of struggles. We had some players in the locker room, but now we have a chance to play in the big game, so it's big.

"I've dreamed about playing in this game a long time. I'm excited and ready."

While 49ers' upstart quarterback Colin Kaepernick is clearly San Francisco's most talked-about player here at the Super Bowl, Gore is their rock.

"He's a great player," Kaepernick said. "He's a great leader. He's a workhorse. He's going to do whatever it takes to win and we need Frank Gore to be Frank. That will be good enough on Sunday. I think you can put Frank in any offense and he will be successful. He's the type of running back that can adapt. He can do anything we need him to do. I think that's why he has been doing so well."

Gore, who has made the Pro Bowl four times, has done his job quietly, too. The unassuming running back who has rushed for a franchise-record 8,839 yards in the regular season during his career, said he'll continue to do his job and handle his business just as he did the change in offensive strategy.

"I've always been quiet," he said. "I like to just chill and watch and let everybody else do the talking and not waste time.

"I'm going to do whatever it takes to win, blocking, running, catching."


(nola.com)

NEW ORLEANS: Frank Gore unwittingly played a role in the Super Bowl host city's most recent football scandal.

It was Gore's head that former New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams called for in a pregame speech before a 2011 playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers. Audio of that locker room speech contributed to the league's decision to indefinitely suspend Williams from coaching and ban head coach Sean Payton for a year as punishment for a bounty program.

"Yeah, I heard it," Gore said Wednesday. "Kill the head, the body will die."

The comments didn't particularly bother Gore. If anything, he found Williams' intent flattering.

"He was probably just trying to pump his guys up. That's football," Gore said. "That's respect. He respected me."

Gore's 49ers beat the Saints in that divisional round playoff game but lost in the NFC title game the next week. A year later, Gore was a major reason the 49ers were able to win the conference title to advance here to the Super Bowl in New Orleans. He rushed for 209 yards and three touchdowns in San Francisco's two playoff wins.

Despite an eight-year NFL career, six 1,000-yard seasons and four Pro Bowls, Gore might be the most unassuming star of Super Bowl week.

Gore, 29, speaks so softly that one must lean in close to listen to him, a demeanor that belies his brash, physical running style. Gore prides himself nearly as much in his ability to block against linebackers and safeties as he does rushing for touchdowns.

"With me, I feel like a lot of guys don't like doing it. If you want to be a complete player, if you do that, you get recognized," Gore said.

Gore has a fan in Baltimore safety Bernard Pollard, who was on the receiving end of one of Gore's blocks when their teams played on Thanksgiving in 2011. Pollard laughed this week when reminded of Gore's punishing hit.

"I thought he was going to cut me, and he came and got me right under my chin. A lot of my family let me have it, they said he gave me the Sweet Chin Music," Pollard said, referencing the signature pro wrestling move of Shawn Michaels.


(greenbaypressgazette.com)

It is clear by now, that San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh has transformed the 49ers culture into a team first mind-set. With nine Pro-Bowlers on the roster, it is easy for a team that talented to have egos, not this team. From the coaching staff to the players, everyone is on the same page, and all about the team.

Just ask supplanted 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, as he was interviewed by NFL Network Analyst Deion Sanders, saying:

This is a team game, I wasn’t going to sit and pout and mope around…I love the locker room we have, I love the group of guys we have, and that’s bigger than me, I feel like. I certainly wasn’t going to put myself before any of that, that’s just how I feel.

The team first mind-set has been instilled in the players, and running back Frank Gore is no exception. Gore enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career as he rushed for 1,214 yards and 8 touchdowns. A testament to his offensive line, the man known as “Frankie G” rewarded teammate offensive tackle Joe Staley with a rolex. Talk about ballin.’ The news was first reported when NFL Network Anchor Amber Theoharis made a joke to Gore, saying “I hope you that you bought them some very nice dinners over the years.” Gore responded:

I bought them a nice gift this year. Joe got a ro! Joe got a ro! (referring to Staley’s rolex)

Staley was then obligated to flash the bling in front of the cameras, showing off his nice piece, as Theoharis said:

See, that’s how you take care of your lineman right there. They’re going to block just a little bit harder with that on their wrist.

With the Super Bowl just four days away, it will be interesting to see how “Frankie G” will reward his lineman, considering they win Super Bowl XLVII. And if I had to take a guess, I would bet on “Frankie G” buying them more than just rolex watches after Sunday’s game.


(ninernoise.com)

SANTA CLARA – In one of his first years coaching varsity football at Coral Gables High School in Miami, Joe Montoya recalls, the team made T-shirts for parents bearing the jersey numbers of their sons.

He saw a lot of the shirt given to Liz Gore, mother of the team's standout running back, Frank Gore.

"Every game she would be out there," Montoya recalled. "She would be right behind us … and she would be wearing his number all the time."

Gore rushed for 2,953 yards his senior season at Coral Gables, a Dade County record. Twelve years later, Gore is the 49ers' all-time rushing leader, having helped lead the franchise to its first Super Bowl appearance since 1995.

The road between has hardly been smooth. There were the two major surgeries while playing at the University of Miami to repair ACL tears in both of Gore's knees. The two shoulder surgeries after his rookie season in 2005 with the 49ers. The fractured hip that ended his 2010 campaign after 11 games.

In Gore's first six seasons, the 49ers went 37-59 and did not make the playoffs. As a bright spot on those teams, the 49ers dialed Gore's number often, and he shouldered much of the offensive load. But amid the losing, he said last week, the lowest point was a call that never came.

Before the 49ers' second game in 2007, Gore's mother died at the age of 46 after a long battle with kidney disease. Liz Gore had raised Frank, his siblings and several cousins in a small apartment in Coconut Grove, Fla., under difficult circumstances. When he reached the NFL, Gore said, she made sure to call him before each game.

"That day, the time came when I didn't get the call, I just burst out," Gore said. "I just cried and cried. But I knew she would've wanted me to play, and I had a pretty good game that day. I think she came on the field, because I made a crazy run."

Gore, a soft-spoken 29-year-old, is a highly respected figure in the 49ers' locker room. It comes in part from his eight seasons in San Francisco and from a work ethic that seemingly has not subsided.

"Everyone knows he's a good football player on Sunday, but his work ethic the other times is what we see," fullback Bruce Miller said. "He pushes everyone to be a better football player."

The determination was evident in Gore's later high school years, said Roger Pollard, a former Coral Gables teammate who now coaches the program.

"He had a broken ankle his junior year going into spring," Pollard recalled by phone. "He kept running on it until later they found out it was broken."

The impetus, Gore said, could be found at home.

"Being with my mom since I was a kid, (her) doing whatever it takes to put food on the table, put clothes on our back, and it was hard," he said. "God blessed me with the talent, and that's why I try my best to do it hard every day."

It may not have always been so. When Montoya arrived at Coral Gables after Gore's sophomore season, he found "a kid that did not have an idea of how to prepare himself physically and mentally" for football. In a pointed sit-down, Gore was told his habits needed to change.

His junior year, Gore broke the school's rushing record. Next season, it was the county mark. In the classroom, having fallen behind while battling a learning disability, Gore scrambled to make up units he needed to qualify for college, Montoya said. Meanwhile, in Gore's junior year, his mother began undergoing dialysis for her ailing kidneys.

"It would be days he would come to the school and he would be in tears," Montoya said. "You could tell certain days at practice that his mind wasn't in it. I just told him, 'Frank, you've got to hang in there.' "

In 2001, Gore signed his letter of intent to attend Miami in Montoya's office, with Liz Gore in attendance.

Gore averaged 9.1 yards per carry as a freshman but redshirted the next year after his first ACL tear. Despite the surgeries, the 49ers made him a third-round pick in 2005. Gore has rewarded them by eclipsing 1,000 rushing yards in six seasons. He was named to his fourth Pro Bowl this season after rushing for 1,214 yards.

And now he is in the Super Bowl, a steadying force on a 49ers team that has gone 24-7-1 over the past two regular seasons. Last week, at his locker, where he represents a link to the darker times of the past decade, Gore was asked whether he will honor his mother during the game. He said he'll probably just do what he has since Week 2 of the 2007 season – if he scores a touchdown, he'll point skyward.

"Tell her it's for her," Gore said. "I miss her, I love her, and I know she's happy just like her son, who went through so much coming up … finally gets an opportunity to play in a big game."


(sacbee.com)

NEW ORLEANS -- When the San Francisco 49ers fell behind Atlanta 17-0 early in the NFC Championship Game, they did the opposite of panic. They handed the ball to Frank Gore four times in a row.

Two first downs and 20 yards later, they had found their rhythm. Gore's kick-start spurred the 49ers to touchdowns on four of their next six full possessions, and a fifth ended with a fumble inside the Falcons' 1.

“Everyone said let's not panic," offensive guard Alex Boone said. “Let's not freak out and just be who we are and let's get back to football. That's the one thing about this team. We've grown to have a confidence about it. We can put points up. We just have to be calm. Things aren't going to always go our way, but the key is not worrying about it. Our team did a great job of that.”

By returning to the basics instead of bombing away, the 49ers showed impressive self-assurance. Look for another heavy dose of Gore against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in Super Bowl XVLII because that's what San Francisco does.

Gore is tough. He's reliable. He gets the job done.

His stat line against Atlanta was typical -- 21 carries for 90 yards with a long run of 11. After starting the 49ers' first touchdown drive, he finished the last two, scoring as they cut their deficit to 24-21 at the start of the second half and providing the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“We always credit Frank with the tough yards,” fullback Bruce Miller said. “He doesn't get the easy runs. He gets downhill, up the middle, 3, 4 yards a carry. That's what Frank does for us. He just continues to move the chains and keep the ball in our possession, which is why we're here.”

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick has dazzled with his feet (Green Bay) and his arm (Atlanta) in San Francisco's run to the Super Bowl, but at their core, the 49ers are about Gore. Before his effort at Atlanta, he rushed 23 times for 119 yards and a touchdown against Green Bay, adding a 45-yard reception.

He finished the regular season with 258 carries for 1,214 yards, the second-highest total of his eight-year career. His average per-carry (4.7) was his best since 2009, even though it was not padded by long runs. His biggest gain on the ground was 37 yards, his worst season-best.

“[We are] physical and tough,” Gore said. “It's hard to break us. We're going to fight to the end. We have a great team.”

When the 49ers keep pounding him, they almost always get good results.

Only three opponents held San Francisco to fewer than 100 rushing yards, and none of those efforts was Gore's fault. The 49ers abandoned the run in losses to Minnesota (Gore had 12 carries for 63 yards), the New York Giants (eight carries for 36 yards) and Seattle (six carries for 28 yards).

They did not make that mistake against Atlanta, improving to 12-1 when he runs 15 or more times.

“His work ethic is inspirational,” Miller said. “When you see him in the facility, the weight room and the practice field -- everyone knows he's a good football player on Sunday -- but his work ethic, the other times, is what we see. He pushes everyone to be a better football player.”


(nfl.com)

NEW ORLEANS - Seems like everybody asking questions of the 49ers at Super Bowl XLVII wants to focus on Colin Kaepernick and the read option, or maybe on coach Jim Harbaugh matching up against his brother.

But the story that maybe best embodies San Francisco's struggle to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995 is that of running back Frank Gore.
Gore arrived as a third-round pick from Miami in 2005 (the 49ers could have taken Ryan Moats, but unbelievably they left him for the Eagles to grab a dozen slots later). Gore's selection was derided at the time because he'd torn both ACLs playing for the Hurricanes. The 49ers went 4-12 his first season. He finally experienced a winning record and a playoff game in his seventh season.

En route to becoming San Francisco's all-time leading rusher (8,839 yards on 1,911 carries), Gore has endured serious injuries to both shoulders and one hip. Yet in 2012, Gore ran 258 times for 1,214 yards and eight touchdowns. He has started every game Harbaugh has coached for the 49ers.

Monday, someone asked Gore about the identity of his team.

"Physical and tough," he said. "It's hard to break us."

That's also pretty much the way his teammates describe Gore.

"We always credit Frank with the tough yards," fullback Bruce Miller said Monday. "He doesn't get the easy runs. He gets downhill, up the middle, 3, 4 yards a carry - that's what Frank does for us. He just continues to move the chains and keep the football in our possession, which is why we're here."

Miller said Gore's work ethic, which has allowed him to come back from so many setbacks, "is inspirational . . . He pushes everyone to be a better football player."

Miller knows what this opportunity means to Gore, who turns 30 in May.

"I'll tell you, it means a lot to him. You can see it on his face, when he's in meetings and when we practice . . . he's worked hard for it," Miller said.

Offensive tackle Alex Boone said Gore's appetite for contact endears the o-line to him.

"Have you ever seen Frank's pass protection?" Boone asked a reporter Monday. The reporter replied that he had, and that it was pretty good.

"Pretty good?" Boone scoffed. "I've see him knock how many guys out? Just unbelievable. And he does that because he's a selfless player. And that's what I love about him.

"He's like a fine wine. He gets better with age. It's crazy . . . I think Frank has the most passion I've ever seen anybody have in football. He's so intense."
Boone recalled accidentally getting in Gore's way on a run.

"It was not my fault - he cut into me - but he yelled at me so loud," Boone said. "You know Frank is always out there giving it 110 percent . . . I think Frank deserves this ring more than anybody."

Gore, like so many NFL players, grew up in poverty, raised by a single mother, Lizzie, in Coral Gables, Fla. A learning disability meant he had to take the SAT orally to pass it, the San Jose Mercury News reported in a recent profile.

The story recalled then-49ers general manager Scot McCloughan defending the draft pick by talking about how much Gore loved the game.

"If you take football away from him, you take his life away," McCloughan said. (Note to the Eagles: Those are the guys who make it big in the NFL, providing they have adequate talent. Not necessarily the smartest guys, not the ones who have the most well-rounded off-the-field lives, or the ones who are the most eloquent.)

Gore recalled Monday that when he suffered his second ACL tear at Miami, "I thought football wasn't for me," but a Miami coach encouraged him not to give up, told him he would play in the NFL.

Then, when Gore got to San Francisco, "it was tough coming to work . . . I used to take it hard.

"Some guys who aren't here anymore were just like, 'Whatever.' I wasn't used to that," he said. "If we lost a game at Miami, it was like our season was over. Our coaching style that we have now has changed everything . . . I knew we had players. We just didn't have the right people to lead us, and now we do."

This game is a showcase for Gore, who spent a lot of years watching other teams and other backs take the spotlight.

"I think I'm one of the top guys at my position," he said. "I think I play the game the way it's supposed to be played."


(philly.com)

NEW ORLEANS – What does Bourbon Street look like during the week leading up to Super Bowl XLVII?

Don’t ask Frank Gore.

San Francisco’s all-time leader in carries, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns hasn’t left his room for sightseeing this week in New Orleans. Excuse Gore, he’s too busy focused on the biggest game of his eight-year career, Super Bowl XLVII this Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.

Gore’s story is quite unique. To know San Francisco’s feared running back is to know how much the game of football means to him. Being in the Super Bowl isn’t good enough; it’s an opportunity to represent for his friends and family. Most importantly, it’s a chance for Gore to pay another tribute to his late mother, Liz.

“My mother means everything to me,” Gore explained on Monday at the 49ers second media obligation of Super Bowl week. “She was a tough woman. She raised me and my brother and my sister. That was a lot of weight. I love her. She means everything. (This game is) for her.”

Gore enters Super Bowl XLVII with plenty of hardships under his belt. Asked about the injuries he’s suffered in both college and professionally, Gore said he’s had surgeries on both knees, both shoulders and his hip.

Still, the 29-year-old runner shows no signs of slowing down.

In Gore’s mind, the toughness of the 49ers running attack bodes well for the franchise bringing home a sixth Super Bowl title. It’s hard to know if the 49ers would have advanced to the big game if not for Gore’s 91 yards and pair of touchdown runs in the NFC Championship.

“It’s hard to break us,” Gore said. “We’re going to fight to the end. We have a great team.”

The 17-point comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons was a strong indication of how the 49ers have bounced-back from adversity all season long. Gore’s been that way, a fighter, throughout his football career.

After a productive collegiate career at the University of Miami, Gore’s made the postseason only twice in eight NFL seasons. As a young runner selected in the third-round of the 2005 NFL Draft, Gore dealt with coaching turnover and losing seasons with the 49ers. Through it all, his passion for the game never wavered.

“It was real tough,” Gore explained. “It was tough coming to work, especially for me, coming from a winning program in college. I wasn’t ever used to losing. I used to take it hard. I’m glad that Coach Harbaugh and his coaching staff came at the right time and we’ve done good things.”

“I’m just happy with our coaching style and who we have now,” Gore added. “It’s changed everything.”

With Greg Roman’s never-ending playbook of running plays, Gore rushed for his team-record sixth, 1,000-yard season in 2012. The production carried into the postseason where Gore (209) and quarterback Colin Kaepernick (202) stand as the NFC’s top two postseason rushers.

Gore’s certainly enjoying the offensive production as the team heads into Sunday’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, a team that features well-known linebacker Ray Lewis, a Miami alum like Gore.

“Ray is a great player,” Gore said. “He’s been doing it for a long time. He’s the best at the business. I love him. He’s like a brother (to me). We come from the same school.”

Gore even noticed how Lewis’ first career sack being televised this week. It just so happened to be against Jim Harbaugh, the man responsible for reshaping San Francisco’s professional football team.

Meanwhile, Gore, the 49ers rushing king, who reached the NFC title game last year under Harbaugh, sees an even more determined team in 2012. Based on how last season ended for the 49ers, it was tough for Gore to bounce-back, but he did it.

Gore said he sat out of the 2012 Pro Bowl because he was so disappointed in not reaching the Super Bowl. Looking to come back with a vengeance, Gore and teammates set new goals, mainly repeat as NFC West division champs and reach the Super Bowl.

"Once we got in the Super Bowl it was different, real different,” Gore said. “Last year we were kind of happy about beating New Orleans. This year, we beat Green Bay, but we were like, ‘Cool, let’s go get the next one.’ It’s just different. Our mindset was totally different this year than last year.”

The 49ers, like Gore, want it that much more this time around.

That will-to-win is fresh on everyone’s minds as they meet the press this week in New Orleans.

“This year everyone knew that we had a good team,” Gore said. “So we knew it was going to be tough and it was tough. We knew, in the locker room, that we have to be ready every week.”

The 49ers will need to be at their best to bring home the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl. Gore doesn’t see any pressure in keeping San Francisco’s perfect Super Bowl record intact either.

In his mind, it’s all about playing the team’s hard-nosed brand of football.

“We’re going to do our best as a team to win,” Gore said. “We want to win. We just have to go out there and do what we did all year, being the 49ers.”


(49ers.com)

SAN FRANCISCO — Long before he burrowed his way into the Super Bowl, darting through small holes and dancing through slender creases, the San Francisco 49ers’ Frank Gore carved out his persona as a workingman’s running back.

Not even his mom could stop him.

She tried, in the final game of his career at Coral Gables High outside Miami. Gore rambled for nearly 300 yards, by his recollection, and played defensive back for much of his team’s playoff duel with Miami Southridge.

Finally, there went Lizzie Gore bounding out of the bleachers and onto the sideline.

“Get my baby out of there!” she shouted. “Y’all are going to kill him! He’s tired!”

Gore smiled as he told the story Friday in Santa Clara, outside the 49ers’ locker room.

So did she succeed in getting her baby some rest? Fat chance.

“Aw, I wanted to play,” Gore said.

This makes perfect sense, given his relentlessness and persistence in eight seasons with the 49ers. That’s how he became the franchise’s all-time leading rusher and how he wore down the Packers in the divisional round (23 carries, 119 yards, one touchdown) and the Falcons in the NFC Championship Game (21 carries, 90 yards, two TDs).

The roots of this relentlessness and persistence start with Lizzie Gore and the way she raised three kids with little money. As many as 12 people stayed in their one-bedroom apartment at times, including nieces and nephews.

Lizzie got sick during Frank’s junior year in high school, nearly dying then of what became a debilitating kidney ailment. She endured thrice-weekly dialysis for several years and died in 2007, at 46, early during Gore’s third NFL season.

“She did whatever it took to put food on the table and clothes on our back,” he said Friday, speaking to a group of reporters. “It was hard. All the hard work she did for us — that’s why God blessed me with a talent. That’s why I try my best to do it hard every day.”

Even in high school, in the image-conscious years of his youth, Gore had no use for flamboyance.

Humble origins
He wore no gloves, no wristbands, nothing at all on his arms while playing at Coral Gables. Gore had found his niche — training diligently, squeezing through any hole he could find, steadily chewing up chunks of yardage.

Gore set all sorts of Dade County records as a high school player, but one-time teammate Roger Pollard does not recall a back with striking speed or overwhelming power. More than 12 years later, ask Pollard about Gore’s running style back then, and he offers one word.
Vision.

“He sees you even when he’s not looking at you,” Pollard said.

Gore traced his vision to haphazard pickup games in the rough Coconut Grove neighborhood where he grew up, playing tackle football in the park or two-hand touch games in the street. Either way, he learned — quickly — the value of spotting defenders coming at him from various angles.

“When you get the ball in those games, everybody tries to tackle you,” he said. “I think that kind of helped.”

Inspirational leader
Gore weathered one broken ankle in high school, two torn ACLs in college and six maddening, non-winning seasons with the 49ers before coach Jim Harbaugh arrived. And now Gore prepares to play in the Super Bowl, not ready to retire but San Francisco’s inspirational answer to Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis.

Much as Ravens players want to win for Lewis, so do 49ers players speak of their fervent desire to reward Gore, 29, with a Super Bowl ring. And their respect for him stretches deeper than his production.

Offensive tackle Joe Staley brought up a scene at practice last week.

“The offensive line was running gassers, and Frank just jumped in with us and ran gassers with us,” Staley said. “He’s always working. You go in the weight room, and he’s always busting his (butt) on the treadmill or the Stairmaster.”

Fullback Bruce Miller mentioned Gore’s blocks.

“He pass protects better than a lot of offensive linemen,” Miller said. “It’s unreal to watch. He’s not the biggest guy, but he plays with great leverage and explosion. His timing is second to none, the way he sizes up guys and just explodes through them.”

Running back Anthony Dixon talked about the time, in a previous season, when he returned to the practice facility for a late-night workout. Dixon figured he needed to put in extra work as a young running back fighting for his spot on the team — and then he came across the starter, now a four-time Pro Bowler.

Leads by example
“Frank was walking through the halls, sweating,” Dixon said. “I was like, ‘What are you doing here?’ I felt like I was going to get my edge — little did I know Frank was in here thinking the same thing.”

The work ethic and pass blocking say plenty about Gore, because they are not the glamorous aspects of playing running back in the NFL.

“My mom would love to be here right now,” he said. “She knows how much I love playing this sport and how hard I work at it.”

And Lizzie Gore really would savor this part: Her baby doesn’t need to play both ways anymore.


(chron.com)

The Baltimore Ravens are making noise about winning Super Bowl XLVII for retiring linebacker Ray Lewis. But the 49ers have their own favorite -- and spiritual center -- in veteran running back Frank Gore.

Ask any 49ers player, offense or defense, how they feel about him and it's like tapping into a wellspring of resolve for Gore as he approaches the most important football game of his life.

The 29-year-old has persevered through a life of pain and hardship, both on the football field and off. But at long last, he can finally see the mountaintop. Win the Super Bowl next Sunday and he can stand on it for a while. He can look up and tell his beloved mother, Lizzie, who died in 2007 of kidney disease, that he has something really special for her this time.

"Since she passed, every time I score a touchdown I always point up and tell her it's for her," Gore said this week. "I mention that I love her. I know she's happy. I'm her son. We went through so much in high school, college and the NFL. Finally, I'm getting the opportunity to play in the big game."
Few thought Gore ever would.

He was born and raised in a poor, drug-infested area of Coral Gables, Fla., where many of his own relatives abused drugs. Lizzie was a single mother of three who often took in nieces and nephews, and Gore noted there were often as many as 11 or 12 people living in a one-bedroom apartment.

"I didn't know if I was going to get a bed," he said. "I didn't know if the lights were going to be on. It was tough."

Gore's escape was athletics, particularly football, but despite a legendary career at Coral Gables High, he struggled academically because of a learning disability. He entered high school at a third-grade reading level, had to attend summer and night classes and undergo extensive tutoring just to qualify for college.

Even though he worked diligently to get to a 10th-grade reading level, he still had trouble with written material. He failed to achieve the NCAA's required minimum score on the SAT a few times. Finally, he was given the test orally and passed.

He got a scholarship to nearby University of Miami, but more hardship ensued. After a promising freshman season, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. After working his way back the next year, he tore the ACL in his right knee. Even though he returned to rush for 948 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior, pro scouts were wary of Gore when he applied for the NFL draft in 2005.

Then general manager Scot McCloughan had to fight to convince the 49ers to draft Gore in the third round. But he saw both special talent and determination in Gore.

"He's going to do everything in his power to make himself a great player," McCloughan said at the time. "If you take football away from him, you take his life away. He's overcome a lot. He's God-given as a runner. He has balance and vision. He's a very unique back."

Gore proved that in his rookie season, rushing for 608 yards despite making just one start. But he also sustained more injuries, undergoing major surgery on both shoulders after the season.

Then there was the losing. The 49ers were 4-12 in 2005, and after one particularly hard loss to Dallas, Gore walked out of the locker room and saw several players dancing and laughing in the players' parking lot. He couldn't believe it. He broke down crying.

Gore had a number of crying bouts over his first six seasons, all outside of the playoffs. And there were more nagging injuries -- abdominal strains, ankle sprains, hip issues, bruised ribs and, in 2007, a broken hand. That '07 season was his hardest year, because his mother died in September, just before the 49ers were supposed to play a game at St. Louis.

Gore used to talk to his mother by phone before every game at a specific time.

"That day, the time came and I didn't get the call, I just burst out and cried, cried, cried," he said. "But I knew she'd want me to play. I had a pretty good game that day. I think she came on the field."

Things have been better for Gore the past two seasons under coach Jim Harbaugh. He became the 49ers' all-time career rushing leader. He's played in every game. In a 2012 season when many thought he might start slowing down, he had one of his best years -- 1,214 yards rushing, eight touchdowns. He has 209 yards and three scores in two playoff games.

In short, he seems to be getting better. Gore credited former 49ers receiver Isaac Bruce with teaching him valuable secrets to career longevity.

"He always told me, 'Don't ever go by what people say around the league or the statistics about running backs or you can't play after you reach this age,' " Gore said. "I took that in big. I just train. I feel if you just keep training, you have a chance to be in this league for a long time."

Gore's teammates attest to his relentless work regimen.

"He's the all-time leading rusher in 49ers history, but he comes to work every day like he's trying to win a job," said tackle Anthony Davis. "And he makes us take that attitude to our own work."

Many players said Gore is also generous with sage advice. Rookie tailback LaMichael James credits him with vastly improving his blocking. And how good of a blocking back is Gore?

"He's the best in the NFL ... ever," James said.

Even 49ers old-timers are carrying a torch. Former 49ers great Roger Craig said he had tears in his eyes for Gore when the 49ers won the NFC Championship.
"He's been carrying the team on his shoulders for a long time, and he's had to do it during some tough times," Craig said. "Now he's getting a chance to see what it's like to be a winner. After seeing what he's gone through to get to the Super Bowl, I'm overwhelmed for him. He deserves to see what it's like."

Gore himself was taken aback when told so many players past and present had said they want him to win the Super Bowl more than anyone.

"That makes me feel great, knowing that all the guys have a lot of respect for me," he said. "They know how much I love the game of football. And I'll do whatever it takes to win for them."


(mercurynews.com)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Retiring linebacker Ray Lewis, in all his pulsating, gyrating, preaching glory, clearly serves as the Baltimore Ravens' inspirational leader.

His opposite number on the San Francisco 49ers? A low-key veteran who can barely be heard above a whisper.

Running back Frank Gore inspires not with his dances or speeches but rather with the devotion and hard work that have characterized his eight seasons in the NFL.

A four-time Pro Bowler and the franchise's all-time leading rusher, Gore didn't enjoy a winning season until coach Jim Harbaugh arrived on the scene in 2011. His teammates say he's a motivating force.

"It makes me feel great knowing that all of the guys have a lot of respect for me,'' Gore said, surrounded by reporters who strained to hear his soft voice. "They know how much I love the game of football and know that I'd do whatever it takes to win for them. We've been through hard times. I've been here since '05 and it took me seven years to get to the playoffs.''

Gore, 29, had another banner year in 2012, rushing for 1,214 yards – his second-highest total ever – and scoring eight touchdowns.

He was not as productive once the 49ers started relying more on the read-option in the second half of the season after Colin Kaepernick took over as the starting quarterback, but Gore delivered two touchdowns and 90 rushing yards as San Francisco reached its sixth Super Bowl by beating the Atlanta Falcons 28-24 in the NFC Championship Game.

In the second-round game against the Green Bay Packers, Gore set a career playoff high with 119 yards on the ground and also scored twice.

"I can tell you this means a lot to everybody,'' right guard Alex Boone said of getting to the title game, "but those older guys like Frank, Justin (Smith), Dave (Akers) and Randy (Moss), it's big for them and it would be big for us to get them that ring.''

That would be a crowning achievement for Gore, one he only wishes he could share with his mother, Liz, who died in September 2007 of kidney disease. She was a big fan, tried to coach him a little and used to ride a bus to watch him play while he was in high school.

Through all the trials he endured -- including knee surgeries that threatened his career -- Gore said her death was definitely the biggest test.

"She used to call me at a certain time before the game, and that day the time came and I didn't get the call, I just burst out and I cried, cried, cried,'' Gore recalled. "I know she would have wanted me to play. I had a pretty good game that day. I think she came on the field because I made a crazy run, I don't know how I broke all the tackles and got the touchdown.''


(usatoday.com)

Frank Gore's calves were too much for the NFL's fashion police.

The league fined Gore $10,500 for wearing his socks too low during Sunday's NFC Championship game, his second such violation of the year. The fine was first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Gore certainly had a lot of camera time Sunday. He led all rushers with 90 yards and scored two touchdowns, including the 49ers' go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.

He also will come out well ahead as far as money. He and the rest of the 49ers earned $40,000 bonuses for Sunday's victory. If they win on Feb. 3, they will get $88,000. The losers get $44,000.


(sacbee.com)

Frank Gore, running back, San Francisco. He's had surgeries on both shoulders, both knees. He's had a broken ankle. He's had a painful hip injury. But the 49ers' all-time leading rusher came through in the biggest game of his career, rushing a clock-eating 21 times for 90 yards and two vital touchdowns -- accounting for the last 14 points of the game.



(cnnsi.com)

SANTA CLARA -- Cameras caught running back Frank Gore engaged in an animated discussion with coach Jim Harbaugh on the sideline after the 49ers fell behind in the first quarter against the Atlanta Falcons.

That's nothing out of the ordinary, Harbaugh said.

At that point, the Falcons were marching up and down the field, and the 49ers offense had failed to move the ball at all.

A short time later, the 49ers offense kicked into high gear, with Gore rushing for 90 yards and scoring two touchdowns in helping the 49ers beat the Falcons 28-24 in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

"We bat it around on the sidelines during the game ... ," Harbaugh said. "It's always beneficial to our team to get his input."

Gore touched the ball twice on the 49ers first six plays, with runs for no gain and 6 yards, respectively. He totaled 20 yards on their third possession, which culminated with the 49ers first touchdown of the game.

Overall, Gore rushed for more yards than the Falcons and spearheaded a 49ers rushing attack that amassed 149 yards and three touchdowns.

"Outstanding performance by Frank Gore," Harbaugh said. "(He's) one of the all-time great competitors in the NFL. Nobody does it better than Frank Gore."
Players were given the day off Monday, so Gore was unavailable for comment.

(mercurynews.com)

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Frank Gore scored the winning touchdown in the San Francisco 49ers 28-24 NFC Championship win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday and immediately praised coach Jim Harbaugh for turning around the franchise.

Gore was drafted by the 49ers in 2005 during a period when one of the National Football League's most successful franchises was enduring some of its leanest years, having gone 2-14 in the previous campaign.

The five-times Super Bowl champions had losing records in five of the next six seasons before Harbaugh took over a 6-10 team in 2011 and led them to conference championship games in each of his first two seasons.

"Its been a long eight years, we have been struggling and struggling with a lot of the same guys in the locker room and we finally got the right guys in front of us, to lead us," Gore said after the 49ers erased a 17-0 deficit for the win.

"We have the right coaches, coach Harbaugh and his staff are great together ... when you get everyone together you can go a long way."

With the host Falcons leading 24-14 at halftime, Gore said Harbaugh told the team they had the ability to turn the playoff contest around.

"We are built for this type of game, when we came in here, we didn't have our head down. They told us what we had to take care of one thing at a time, 'offense have to go back out and strike and defense you have to make plays,'" said Gore, who had two unanswered touchdowns in the second half.

"We are tough, it is hard to break us. We aren't going to give up. We will keep fighting into the fourth quarter and until the game (clock) hits double zero."

The build-up to the game had been dominated by the question of how top-seeded Atlanta would cope with the running ability of 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and Gore said that gave him an inkling he would get a chance to shine.

"I knew when I heard them saying all week 'We've got to stop Kap, stop Kap' that I was going to get a lot of opportunities," said Gore. "The offensive line did a great job and I fought."


(yahoo.com)

ATLANTA -- Early in the game, when all looked lost for the 49ers, running back Frank Gore got in Jim Harbaugh's face. It was a heated discussion. Gore did not appear to be asking who had it better than them.

What was the running back telling Harbaugh with such urgency?

"I just let him know I was ready," Gore said. "And he said, 'I can see that.' "

Ready? After enduring more than his share of heartache -- not to mention actual ache -- after being drafted by a lousy team in 2005, Gore was in no mood to come up short of the Super Bowl sticks for a second season in a row.

He asked for the game to be put in his hands. And then he held on tight.

Gore rushed 21 times for 90 yards and scored a pair of second-half touchdowns, fueling a 28-24 comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game.

The second of Gore's touchdowns, a 9-yarder with 8:23 left in the game, gave the 49ers the lead for good.

It also propelled one of the game's underappreciated players to his first Super Bowl, a journey that has taken eight years, 8,839 regular-season yards and more defenders stacking the box to stop him than he'd care to remember.

"We've had all those years of struggling, struggling and struggling. But we had the right guys in the locker room," he said, giving a shout out to Patrick Willis, Justin Smith, Vernon Davis, Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree. "The list goes on and on. We just stayed together and got the right guys to lead us."

After their rocky start against the Falcons, Gore and the 49ers found their stride midway through the second quarter. As the offensive players suspected, the Falcons' would focus on quarterback Colin Kaepernick on read-option plays, leaving room for Gore to gash the middle.

Gore never broke a biggie -- his longest carry went 11 yards -- but he kept banging his way for steady progress. On the 49ers' first scoring march, for example, he opened the drive with a 9-yarder and a 1-yarder, finally giving the 49ers' a first down with about a minute gone in the second quarter.

The chains were moving. The 49ers looked like themselves again.

"What's the word I'm looking for? It was vintage Frank Gore," offensive coordinator Greg Roman said.

The Falcons led 24-14 in the third quarter, but with the memories of last year's NFC title game loss still fresh, Gore said the 49ers were determined to avoid another letdown. "We knew what we had to do," he said, "and we knew we had guys to lead us."

Gore scored the game's final two touchdowns. His 5-yard touchdown run with 10:47 to play in the third quarter cut it to 24-21. Then he completed the comeback, blasting around the right side of the line and getting a key block from Davis, the tight end, to scoot into the end zone.

Gore did kind of a halfhearted version of the Falcons' famed "Dirty Bird" dance -- he'd had that in mind all week -- but said he can't quite celebrate yet.

After eight years, what's two more weeks?

"We're not done yet," Gore said. "We have one more."


(mercurynews.com)

In all, as many as 212 players will participate in the AFC and NFC championship games on Sunday – four teams, 53 players per team. When including players not on the active rosters of the four teams playing for a shot at the Super Bowl, however, the total jumps to more than 250.

The schools represented on the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens range from college football's elite (Alabama, Ohio State, Texas and Florida) to those situated far outside the national picture (Hillsdale, Bellhaven, Lane and Indiana).

Here are the eight schools most represented by the four teams playing Sunday for a trip to the Super Bowl:

1. Miami (Fla.): 12. P Matt Bosher, OL Harland Gunn, DL Micanor Regis (Atlanta); LB Tavares Gooden, RB Frank Gore (San Francisco); DL Vince Wilfork, DL Marcus Forston (New England); LB Ray Lewis, OL Bryant McKinnie, RB Damien Berry, WR Tommy Streeter, S Ed Reed (Baltimore).

2. (tie) Oregon: 7. WR Drew Davis (Atlanta); RB LaMichael James, FB Will Tukuafu (San Francisco); TE Ed Dickson, DL Haloti Ngata, QB Dennis Dixon (Baltimore).

2. (tie) Florida: 7. LB Mike Peterson (Atlanta); DL Ray McDonald (San Francisco); DL Jermaine Cunningham, RB Jeff Demps, TE Aaron Hernandez, LB Brandon Spikes (New England); WR Deonte Thompson (Baltimore).

4. (tie) Alabama: 6. OL Mike Johnson, WR Julio Jones (Atlanta); DL Brandon Deaderick, LB Dont'a Hightower (New England); DL Terrence Cody, LB Courtney Upshaw (Baltimore).

4. (tie) Iowa: 6. DL Jonathan Babineaux (Atlanta); LB Jeff Tarpinian, TE Brad Herman, OL Markus Zusevics (New England); S Sean Considine, OL Marshal Yanda (Baltimore).

4. (tie) Texas: 6. OL Justin Blalock (Atlanta); CB Tarell Brown, OL Leonard Davis (San Francisco); OL Kyle Hix (New England); CB Chykie Brown, K Justin Tucker (Baltimore).

4. (tie) South Carolina: 6. DL John Abraham, DL Cliff Matthews, DL Travian Robertson, CB Dunta Robinson (Atlanta); S Emanuel Cook, CB Chris Culliver (Baltimore).

4. (tie) Ohio State: 6. OL Alex Boone, WR Ted Ginn Jr., LB Larry Grant, S Donte Whitner (San Francisco); TE Jake Ballard, S Nate Ebner (New England).
Another eight schools have five players on the rosters: Arizona State, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, UCF, Rutgers, Syracuse and Illinois.

Teams with four players: Oklahoma State, Marshall, Michigan, Fresno State, Utah, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Louisville, LSU and Georgia Tech.

Three players: Auburn, Wisconsin, Maryland, California, Wake Forest, Florida State, Penn State, Kansas, Purdue, Northwestern, Texas Tech and Arkansas.

Two players: Baylor, Michigan State, Stanford, Boston College, Clemson, Connecticut, ECU, Oregon State, Richmond, San Jose State, Kentucky, Montana, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, TCU, UCLA, Notre Dame, Central Michigan, Delaware, Iowa State, Colorado, Tennessee State, Nebraska, Buffalo, Arizona and Washburn.

Luck of the draw plays a role, of course, but it's a bit surprising to see that schools like Virginia Tech, USC, Oklahoma and Texas A&M only have one player each on the four rosters. Not surprising? That one player represents schools like Prairie View A&M, Lane, Harvard, Weber State, Chadron State (Danny Woodhead), Hillsdale and Hofstra (which no longer has a football program).


(usatoday.com)

Antrel Rolle has been playing football against Frank Gore since they were youngsters near Miami. When they were in high school — Rolle at South Dade, Gore a bit north in Coral Gables — Rolle always heard that Gore, blessed with elusiveness, exceptional balance and uncanny field vision, might be the best running back ever to come out of those neighborhoods, which doubled as a recruiter’s dream.

Clinton Portis saw it for himself, when, while already a University of Miami running back, he went to Gables High School games to watch the youngster he now considers a protégé playing, he said, with no socks under his cleats, no gloves on his hands, shredding heavily favored opponents by running draws and dives out of four-wide receiver sets. Portis returned to the Hurricanes practices to tell his coaches, “This Frank Gore is special.”

Rolle, now a Giants safety, said this week: “You really don’t get a full grasp of what kind of runner he is until you go against him. I will say it to the day I die, going against him, I still feel he was the best running back to come through the University of Miami before his knee injuries.”

That is the legend of Frank Gore, one of the most talented players on, perhaps, Miami’s most talented team, who was never as good as he might have been in college. He had to overcome two significant injuries, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee just after he beat out Willis McGahee in spring practice before Gore’s sophomore season, then the one in his right knee the next season. Those injuries are why the San Francisco 49ers chose clips from Gore’s freshman season when they showed his college highlights before their playoff victory over Green Bay last weekend. That was when, with his knees still unscarred and while splitting time with McGahee and Portis as a true freshman, he averaged 9.1 yards per carry.

“At times, I look back and I say if I wouldn’t have been hurt, I would probably have been a top 5 or 10 player coming out,” Gore said in a telephone interview this week. “It didn’t go my way. I look at it as God wanted me to go a different route. Before I got injured, football was very easy, I didn’t have to work out. I guess he wanted me to work hard and appreciate the game that He blessed me with the talent to do. That’s one thing I focus on.”

Gore is now one of the N.F.L.’s best running backs, compiling his sixth 1,000-yard season in eight years. He is already San Francisco’s leading career rusher.

This season, as the 49ers have transitioned from Alex Smith to Colin Kaepernick at quarterback and advanced to Sunday’s N.F.C. championship game at Atlanta, Gore has been the same quiet, consistent force he has always been. He is not the fastest runner, nor the one with the Adonis physique, but he still reads blocks better than most, and, to Portis’s astonishment, can shake, with his movement and the angles he takes, defenders approaching from behind that he can’t even see.

Gore arrived at Miami in 2001, a stroke of luck the then-Miami coach Larry Coker acknowledges occurred because he was recruiting Gore’s best friend, Roscoe Parrish, just 10 days before signing day. Gore grew up in one of Miami’s poorest areas. His mother, Liz, was then seriously ill with kidney disease and on dialysis. Gore struggled for years with dyslexia.

But after his first team meeting at Miami, Gore went up to his position coach and told him he wanted to play. He was told he had to learn the 12 pass protections the Hurricanes used. He took the playbook home that night and at 3:30 a.m., less than five hours before practice, he called his coach at home, asking to be quizzed on the pass protections. He had learned them all.

More than 11 years later, the film still shows the special player Rolle and Portis and the others saw.

“They were saying, ‘Dang, you were fast,’ ” said Don Soldinger, the former Hurricanes running backs coach, who Gore called after San Francisco beat Green Bay last Saturday. “He was saying ‘I was the best one.’ He put me on the phone with Randy Moss and said, ‘Tell Randy Moss how good I was.’ ”

Soldinger had to talk Gore out of quitting after the second knee injury. The doctor who performed the operations, John Uribe, explained to Gore that he would be better than ever once he recovered, because his original ligament structure had not been strong enough for his knees.

Portis was already an N.F.L. rookie when Gore injured his knee the first time and remembered that Gore was devastated. He said, in each of their conversations, Gore would ask, “Bro, what do you think?” Portis always told him he could come back. Privately, though, he wondered, just like the coaches and the N.F.L. scouts, if Gore would ever be the same.

“I remember thinking, I hope he didn’t lose what he had, because he was so agile, you couldn’t get a hand on him,” Portis said. “I remember thinking, what do you tell him?”

It was Soldinger, one of the few guiding forces in Gore’s life then, who finally prevailed upon him.

“I was very frustrated,” Gore said. “He talked to me, my mom talked to me, he said keep following my rehab. I was frustrated. I felt like it wasn’t for me. He told me just keep pushing at it. He wanted me to get a chance to reach my childhood dream to have an N.F.L. career.”

That he has had one at all is why Coker uses Gore as an example to encourage his players at Texas-San Antonio when they get hurt. When Gore talked to Soldinger after the victory over Green Bay, Soldinger told him he had to make a big push now, to try to propel his team to a championship. Portis regrets that Gore’s mother, who died in 2007, did not live to enjoy what her son has become. She had encouraged him to leave Miami early to go to the N.F.L. after he played a full season following the knee injuries. Gore was certain by then that if he was healthy he could still be productive.

On Saturday, Portis watched San Francisco’s victory over Green Bay with Edgerrin James, another former Hurricanes running back, in Los Angeles and the two have plans to be in Atlanta on Sunday, three generations of Hurricanes running backs together. James wondered how much longer Gore would play and Portis guessed four or five more years, because he knows how to avoid taking a pounding to keep his body healthy. Portis wonders if Gore will finish with more yards than any of them — James rushed for 12,246 in his career, Portis for 9,923 and Gore, at age 29, has 8,839.

Portis reminisced this week about how eager a freshman Gore was, always sitting next to him on the way to games, always talking about football, always saying, “I can’t wait until my time comes.” On Sunday, Portis talked to Gore on the phone again.

“He was still excited,” Portis said. “ ‘Man, you saw that game? What do you think?’ I said, ‘Bro, you got it.’ ”


(nytimes.com)

SANTA CLARA -- Frank Gore may "love" the pistol formation now, but the 49ers' all-time leading rusher certainly didn't at first glance.

"I felt that's not real football, at first," Gore said Thursday. "But it's helping us to where we want to go, and win it all."

With quarterback Colin Kaepernick directing that multi-optional formation at times, the second-seeded 49ers (12-4-1) are on the cusp of reaching Super Bowl XLVII. They'll visit the top-seeded Atlanta Falcons (14-3) at noon Sunday in the NFC Championship Game.

Gore's impression of the pistol formation and other read-option schemes has changed since he first saw Oregon excelling with it in the college ranks.

Having played in a pro-style system since his collegiate days at the University of Miami, Gore's adapted to the type of read-option schemes that saw Kaepernick run for 181 yards — the most ever by a quarterback — in last Saturday's 45-31 win over the Green Bay Packers.

"Kap did a great job last week," Gore said. "He's big, strong, fast and they have to look out for them.

"Hopefully they keep looking out for him, then 21 (Gore's jersey number) keeps getting the ball and I do what he did last week."

Gore had 23 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown in Saturday night's playoff-opening win. He also had two receptions for 48 yards.


(mercurynews.com)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- For obvious reasons, we spent much of the season marveling at the freakish recuperative powers of Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who made a serious run at the single-season rushing record despite being less than a year removed from major reconstructive knee surgery. If there were a lifetime award for playing at a high level after overcoming or playing through significant injuries, however, San Francisco running back Frank Gore might win hands down.

He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during spring ball following a solid freshman season at the University of Miami, but was back on the practice field late that fall. The next year he tore the ACL in his right knee, but returned to run for more than 1,000 yards the following season. Since entering the NFL in 2005 as a third-round choice, he has suffered abdominal strains, ankle and shoulder sprains, a hip pointer, a broken hand and bruised ribs, among other things. Yet he has missed an average of just under 1.5 games a season the last seven years.

His resiliency is largely due to genetics and toughness, but there is an ample dose of passion in the recipe. It might not be as public as a Ray Lewis pre-game dance or speech, but it's obvious behind the closed doors of the locker room, where the soft-spoken 5-foot-9, 217-pound veteran has been known to cry at his locker after losses, or on the practice field, where during training camp in 2007 coaches had to hide his helmet because he kept sneaking onto to the practice field despite having a broken hand.

Gore was so upset with what his coaches had done that his emotions fluctuated between anger and disappointment. Never mind that he was the franchise back who had just signed a $28 million extension. His love for the game is deeper than a Langston Hughes poem.

"He was legitimately upset, down on himself, teary-eyed, mad that he's not out here practicing with us," quarterback Alex Smith said at the time.

His passion has not dissipated five seasons later. If anything it's increased, because the 49ers can advance to their first Super Bowl since the 1994 season with a win Sunday in Atlanta. They were in the same position a year ago, but lost in overtime to the visiting Giants. For Gore, the defeat hurt more than any injury he had ever experienced. If the redness in his eyes last January didn't say so, the smile on his face last Saturday after beating the Packers did.

Making that moment sweeter Saturday was Gore's ability to play through injuries. Neither he nor the team would discuss his ailment, but doctors hovered around him in the locker room and led him away for examination shortly after the media were allowed in. He returned later and said he was fine, but with Gore you never know, because he's always there when the 49ers need him.

"It's truly remarkable," says Broncos great Terrell Davis, whose career was cut short by a knee injury. "Guys typically don't come back to be the same player after that type of knee injury, and you definitely don't see many bounce back and have the type of career that Frank is having. When he had his second injury, I'm sure people wrote him off and said his career is over, or maybe he'd be just an average back at the next level. Now he's one of the top three backs in this league."

Gore turned 29 last May, which is typically the age when running backs start slowing down. But this season he ran for 1,214 yards and eight touchdowns, the rushing total the second-most in his career, and the touchdowns tying for second-most. His 8,231 yards rushing over the last seven seasons trail only Peterson (8,849) and Steven Jackson (8,416). To him, age truly is just a number. Against the Packers last week he got stronger as the game progressed, gaining 73 of his 119 yards in the final one-plus quarters.

"I've known Frank since we were little kids in Miami," says Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch. "We played against each other in Little League, high school and college. I have more respect for him now than ever. To tear his ACL in two different legs, to lose his mother to [kidney disease], to face the injuries he's faced as a pro -- he just stays so positive and works so hard. We train together in the offseason, and he goes twice a day. He's just what you'd expect from an All-Pro."

Gore is one of the game's most complete backs, a threat as a runner and a receiver and unflinching as a protector. His football IQ is among the highest on the team, which is a testament to not only him but also position coach Tom Rathman, who got him to see the game as a quarterback does. That was invaluable, because it allowed Gore to recognize the stress points in the defense and to see where the holes and crevices would be before the snap. Not that he needed the advantage.

His vision and balance already make him a monster to bring down. He also runs low behind his pads and has the power and burst to break tackles or slip through small openings. His breakaway speed isn't what it was early in his career, and he has had to learn to be more patient with his reads after the 49ers began using more option-like zone reads with Colin Kaepernick at quarterback instead of Smith. But when it's time to deliver, he's always there.

Part of it stems from conversations he used to have with wideout Isaac Bruce, who spent two years with the Niners before retiring in his mid-30s. "He told me when I hit 28, 29, everyone was going to tell me that I'm supposed to decline," Gore says. "But he always told me, 'Don't ever listen to them. As long as you train hard, put the right stuff in your body, go out there and practice hard, you can do whatever you want to do.' Ever since he told me that, I never listen to the statistics of a running back. I know that from this point on in my career, I'm going to hear that every year, every year. As long as God blesses me in the morning to get up and work hard, I'm going to take advantage of it."

That means seeing a "muscle doctor" and massage therapist on Monday when his body is hurting. It means more therapy on Tuesday or Thursday, if necessary. It means laser therapy to help heal his soft-tissue injuries. And it means a visit with the chiropractor on Friday.

With age comes wisdom, which is why Gore now says he sees his knee injuries in college as a blessing. "I was always a hard worker, but when I was younger I didn't have to put the extra work in like some of the other guys," he says. "I'm happy that God made things happen the way that they happened because I probably would have left school real early, with my mind not right, and been a top-five, top-10 pick, not ready for that. I would have probably been hanging around the wrong guys, who were behind me just because of what I was doing.

"But when things started happening to me [from an injury standpoint] I kind of saw who my real friends were," he continues. "I'm glad God put me through that. It made me even hungrier to get back to something that I love to do. Third-round pick, looking at the other guys who I felt weren't better than me that went before me -- it always gave me something to push toward."

His primary goal used to be finishing with more career rushing yards than the running backs selected ahead of him in 2005: first-round picks Ronnie Brown, Cedric Benson and Cadillac Williams, and second-rounders J.J. Arrington and Eric Shelton. He not only has done that -- his 8,839 yards are 2,822 more than Benson -- but his six seasons of at least 1,000 yards rushing are equal to the combined total of the aforementioned five.

"The turnover at that position is so great because there's always somebody younger to take your job, so really it's a remarkable story what Frank has done," says Cardinals guard Adam Snyder, who teamed with Gore from 2005-11. "I can remember being in college and I saw the story on Frank on ESPN. I just remember thinking, 'Wow! What a story.' To have both knees blown out and still be drafted -- and that highly -- for me he's an inspiration, he really is. To just have the drive to keep going, most guys would have probably given up. But he doesn't know what that means. He's incredible."


(cnnsi.com)

Santa Clara, Calif. - Frank Gore turns 30 in May and is fast approaching 2,000 career carries in the National Football League.

Usually, those numbers signal a running back's imminent decline. There are, after all, a finite number of thudding collisions and helmet-to-helmets in a man's body.

But in Gore's case, it's hard to find evidence that the odometer has turned over. The heart of the San Francisco 49ers' offense had one of the best seasons of his eight-year career in 2012, rushing for 1,214 yards on 258 carries (4.7 average).

The 49ers (11-4-1) earned a first-round bye in the playoffs, which gave Gore an extra week to rest his body for the NFC divisional round game against Green Bay on Saturday.

"Frank's moving around really well," said 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman. "I look forward to a great playoff game from him this week."

After back-to-back weeks facing Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, the Packers now get the 5-foot-9, 217-pound Gore, who remains an elite back with speed to get outside and power between the tackles.

In the 49ers' season-opening, 30-22 victory over the Packers, Gore had 16 carries for 112 yards. He got to the edge several times and ripped off runs of 10, 16, 21 and 23 yards, scoring San Francisco's final touchdown on the 23-yarder.

But much has changed since then. Colin Kaepernick has replaced Alex Smith as the starting quarterback and the 49ers are running a lot of read-option to take advantage of Kaepernick's strengths.

Kaepernick has carried the ball 63 times for 415 yards (6.6 average) and has scored five rushing touchdowns.

In Kaepernick's seven starts since Nov. 19, Gore's numbers are a more pedestrian 118-461-3.9.

Gore doesn't know on some plays whether he's going to get the ball or Kaepernick is going to keep it.

"It's on him," Gore said. "I've just got to be patient through the line and when I've got it, that's when I've got to explode."

As for whether the adjustment has been difficult, Gore said, "I play football. I'm a football player. I can adjust."

The Packers held Peterson to 99 yards in their 24-10 wild-card victory last week, breathing a sigh of relief that he hadn't gone off for twice that amount, as he had in each of their regular-season meetings.

Gore watched the tape of the playoff game and said the only difference was that the Packers didn't let Peterson get outside. He fought for most of his yardage between the tackles.

"I think A.P. did a great job," Gore said. "He had 100 yards and if you call 100 yards not a great day, that's crazy. But they didn't let him get to the edges like he did in past games. They got the win and that's what it's all about."

Gore respects Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who was the 49ers' offensive coordinator in 2005, the running back's rookie year.

"Very smart coach," Gore said. "He knew how to get players the ball who he thought could help the team be successful. I liked Coach McCarthy a lot. When he was here that was my rookie year; we didn't really have great players like we have now.

"He had to work with what he had and I think he did a great job."

Gore will be trying to beat his former coach Saturday, and Roman wouldn't mind seeing the back carry the load.

"Ultimately, I want him to have 40 carries because that means we probably won by a huge margin and then we can just keep handing it off to him at the end of the game," Roman said. "Frank is one of the best running backs in the National Football League and we're lucky to have him.

"And we need him at his best for this game, for sure."


(jsonline.com)

When the 49ers host the Packers this Saturday night, they need to remember Frank Gore.

No. 21, of course, hasn’t gone anywhere. He’s been in the 49ers backfield the entire season, churning out yards and making plays.

In his eighth NFL season, Gore has rushed for 1,214 yards – his second-best total as a pro  – and eight touchdowns, while also catching 28 passes for another 234 yards and a TD.

But since Colin Kaepernick took over as starting quarterback from Alex Smith in November, Gore has gone from being the focus of the offense to a complementary piece.

He had three 100-yard rushing games when Smith was the starting QB, but none over the final seven games with Kaepernick the starter.

Yet in the season-opening, 30-22 victory over the Packers in Green Bay in September, Gore pounded the Packers for 112 yards on just 16 carries – a 7-yard average – in leading a sustained ground attack that helped keep the potent Packers offense off the field.

As columnist Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group noted, for the 49ers to win their divisional-round playoff game against the Packers Saturday night at Candlestick Park, San Francisco needs to go back to its basics: running the football and playing a physical style on both offense and defense.

Though Kaepernick has brought a more wide-open, quick-strike style to the 49ers, beating the Packers may depend on whether San Francisco can play old-fashioned, run-oriented football.

“For one more week at least, the 49ers have to be bullies again,” wrote Kawakami.

The numbers indicate that the way Gore has been used since Kaepernick became the starter – and the team has adopted more read-option plays out of the Pistol offense that suits Kaepernick’s talents – is different. In the nine games started by Smith, says Kawakami, Gore averaged 5.4 yards a carry (140 carries, 753 yards). In the seven started by Kaepernick, Gore averaged 3.9 yards (118 carries, 461 yards).

The Packers, who know they’ll have to play better against the run this time against the 49ers, certainly aren’t losing focus on Gore. They know how good he is: a 5-foot-9, 217-pound slasher who seems to squeeze through impossible holes, is extremely durable and has six 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

“Frank Gore is an outstanding athlete. He makes plays for them,” Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews told reporters this week. “You’d like to think they’re going to get it going in that regard, especially with the lack of success (against the run) we’ve had in the past games.”

In their win over the Vikings last week, Green Bay gave up 167 rushing yards and 5.8 yards per attempt. In the regular season, the Packers ranked 17th in rushing defense, allowing an average of 118.5 yards per game and 4.5 per carry.

Gore has shown he’s been more effective as a runner in straight-ahead power-running formations rather than the read-option scheme. But, he’s also said he needs to evolve and learn to adapt and be more patient in that scheme.

Right offensive tackle Anthony Davis has no doubts Gore can pick up yards in this playoff game, no matter the play calls.

“We do our job, he does his and he’s as good as (heck) at his,” Davis told Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group.


(nbcbayarea.com)

SANTA CLARA -- Having made his playoff debut last year, Frank Gore said Wednesday he's more comfortable entering the 49ers' playoff opener Saturday against the visiting Green Bay Packers.

"Last year was like, 'Oh, we made it,' after we had so many down years," Gore said. "We know we should be here. We want to get to the Super Bowl."

Gore ran for 1,214 yards this season, including a 112-yard outing in the season-opening win at Green Bay.

Gore said he's spent the past 1 1/2 weeks getting his body ready. He also watched the Packers keep Adrian Peterson somewhat contained in the wild-card round.

"They didn't let him get to the edges like in past games," Gore said.


(mercurynews.com)

SAN FRANCISCO -- Frank Gore is heading to the playoffs for only the second time in his eight seasons, and he's doing so as the 49ers' all-time leader in rushing touchdowns.

Gore ran for his 51st career touchdown Sunday to cap off a 12-play scoring drive in the 49ers' 27-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Gore didn't hide his excitement over opening the playoffs at Candlestick Park on Jan. 12, stating: "Whoever comes here to the West Coast will see what we do."

Although the 49ers have become more pass-centric with Colin Kaepernick over the season's second half, Gore remains the offense's mainstay. His 20 carries for 68 yards gave him 1,214 yards this season, the second-highest total of his career and a mere 3 yards better than last season's output.

His 2-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown run marked his eighth score this season, matching last year's total. It also sent him past Roger Craig and the late Joe Perry on the franchise list for most rushing touchdowns. Gore thanked Craig for his long-standing help and for texting him congratulations on breaking the record.

"When you mention my name with the guys in the past like Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Joe Montana -- it's a blessing," Gore added.


(mercurynews.com)

Six Miami Hurricanes were among those named to the 2013 Pro Bowl, announced by the National Football League offices Wednesday.

With its six selections, Miami tied Tennessee for the lead among all universities nationwide.

Andre Johnson (Houston Texans) and Reggie Wayne (Indianapolis Colts) were two of the four AFC selections at wide receiver. The veteran proCanes wideouts, who each earned their sixth Pro Bowl nod, have played pivotal roles for their respective teams through Week 16, combining for over 200 catches and 2,700 yards. Johnson ranks first in the conference with 1,457 receiving yards, while Wayne ranks second in the AFC with 102 receptions.

Johnson's teammate Chris Myers earned his second Pro Bowl selection when he was named the AFC's back-up center. The former sixth-round draft pick was also named to the Pro Bowl in 2011.

Two of the league's best defenders, Baltimore Ravens' safety Ed Reed and New England Patriots' nose tackle Vince Wilfork, were among those selected as starters. Reed earned his ninth trip in 11 professional seasons, while Wilfork was selected to his fifth-career Pro Bowl.

San Francisco 49ers' running back Frank Gore, who recently marked his team-record sixth 1,000-yard season, was the lone proCane NFC selection. The four-time Pro Bowler has rushed for 1,146 yards this season.


(hurricanesports.com)

SANTA CLARA -- Pro Bowl-bound Frank Gore said he's had to become a more patient runner because of the 49ers' read-option and pistol formations behind quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

"Some plays you just don't know if he's going to keep (the ball) or not," Gore said Wednesday. "I've got to be patient and can't hit the hole that fast in the pistol."

Perhaps known best for his vision to find holes, Gore's production has tailed off to 4.01 yards per carry in Kaepernick's six starts after he gained 5.38 per carry in Alex Smith's nine starts. Gore had only six carries for 28 yards in Sunday's 42-13 loss at Seattle, and only one carry after the first quarter.

"We do different things with Kap, as far as running the ball," said Gore, who has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for a franchise-record sixth season. He is 65 yards and one touchdown shy of matching last season's total of 1,211 yards and eight touchdowns.

Named to his fourth Pro Bowl, Gore noted that he feels stronger and fresher than a year ago at this time. He has 238 carries this season compared with last year's total of 282.

"It's been a pretty good year. I've played good football," Gore said. "I play hard, I'm consistent, and I help the team get wins."


(mercurynews.com)

Co-Offensive Players of the Week:

Leonard Hankerson: proCane Redskins WR Leonard Hankerson caught two passes for 56 yards with two touchdowns in the Redskins' Week 15 win over the Browns. Hankerson made the most of his two targets. His first score came when he blew past Sheldon Brown and Kirk Cousins threaded the needle between three Browns for a 54-yard score in the first quarter. His second touchdown came on a simple goal-line bootleg from Cousins. Don't chase these plays as Hankerson continues to rotate with Josh Morgan opposite No. 1 target Pierre Garcon.

Andre Johnson: proCane Texans WR Andre Johnson caught 11 balls for 151 yards and a touchdown as the Texans defeated the Colts 29-17 in Week 15.
He was targeted 13 times, a game high on either side of the ball. Johnson was truly dominant against Colts top CB Vontae Davis, consistently winning 50:50 balls in the air and scoring from three yards out on a rub route deep in the red zone. Johnson has reasserted himself at age 31 as a top-five NFL receiver and likely future Hall of Famer. The past eight games have been the most productive stretch of Johnson's career, averaging 8.4 catches and 119.6 yards per game. He needs just seven receptions and 140 yards to join Marvin Harrison as the only receivers with at least 100 catches and 1,500 yards in three seasons. Andre Johnson also topped 11,000 career receiving yards this week

Honorable Mention: Travis Benjamin WR Browns, Jimmy Graham TE Saints, Frank Gore RB 49ers.

Defensive Players of Week:

Calais Campbell: proCane Cardinals DE Calais Campbell in his first game back from a calf injury played his best all-around game since Week 2 at New England despite still dealing with the lingering effects of a calf injury that sidelined him for a month. He wasn’t in pain while he recorded eight tackles, four for losses, a sack, a quarterback hurry and a pass deflection, but his calf wasn’t completely healed either.
Honorable Mention: Sam Shields DB Packers

Special Teams Player of the Week:

Matt Bosher: proCane Falcons P Matt Bosher continued his great 2nd season though this week he only had two punts but made them count. Bosher’s two punts totaled 100 yards with a long of 61 yards, and average of 50 yards and one touchback.

proCane Dolphin Olivier Vernon, 49er Frank Gore & Dolphin Lamar Miller throw up “The U” after their Week 14 matchup in which the 49ers won. proCane 49ers LB Tavares Gooden was not in the picture as he was in the locker room nursing an injury he suffered during the game.

Frank Gore must have been confident that the San Francisco 49ers would beat out the Miami Dolphins. Via Sacramento Bee reporter Matt Barrows, this is the hoodie Gore wore after the game.

It was a bold choice because Gore had to be assured of the result when he bought the hoodie and when he packed it to wear after the game. Did he pack a backup? Because he would have looked really silly if the 49ers lost.

But they didn't. The 49ers won 27-13. Gore had 85 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Aldon Smith added two sacks to his monster season. San Francisco got the win, and Gore's sweatshirt choice was downright clairvoyant.


(sports.yahoo.com)

SAN FRANCISCO — Frank Gore made his way through San Francisco’s winning locker room and offered a public shoutout to linebacker and NFL sacks leader Aldon Smith.

“Couple more, baby! Couple more, baby!” Gore hollered.

Gore is taking charge on the 49ers offense, with Smith wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks for the defense.

Gore ran for a 1-yard touchdown and reached 1,000 yards rushing for the sixth time in his career, and even took the fake on Colin Kaepernick’s late 50-yard scoring run in the San Francisco 49ers’ 27-13 victory against the Dolphins on Sunday.

Smith added two more sacks to bring his total for 19½, passing Fred Dean’s franchise-best single-season mark of 17½ set in 1983. Smith also moved within three sacks of the single-season record Michael Strahan set in 2001 with the New York Giants.

“Guys really have a determination on this field and on this team,” cornerback Tarell Brown said. “We were focused out there.”

Gore finished with 63 yards rushing, caught two passes and also matched his mentor, Roger Craig, and late Hall of Famer Joe Perry for the franchise record in rushing touchdowns with 50. And, no, Gore didn’t grow up a Dolphins fan in his native South Florida.

“It’s a blessing. Everybody says when you turn 29 and 30, you can’t do it anymore. When I got to 29, I told myself, ‘I’m going to overcome that,’” Gore said. “I’ve still got the explosiveness. When I see something, I go get it.”

Anthony Dixon also had a 1-yard scoring run, while Kaepernick came through with the touchdown run and also passed for 185 yards in his fourth straight start since being promoted over Alex Smith.

Gore drew Miami’s defense his way on that game-clinching play.

“Everybody came to me and Mr. Everything did his thing,” Gore said of Kaepernick.

Afterward, Gore sported a gray hooded sweatshirt with an upside down dolphin in distress — a purchase from before the season once he found out the Dolphins were on the schedule. Gore was born in Miami, attended college at the University of Miami and still spends the offseasons right there in South Florida.

“I said, ‘We’ve got to turn him upside down,’” he said of the sweatshirt dolphin, Miami’s mascot on its head with a first-aid symbol and each eye covered with an “X.”

Crabtree matched his season high with nine catches for 93 yards and rookie LaMichael James ran for 30 yards in a solid NFL debut for the 49ers (9-3-1), who kept hold of the No. 2 seed in the NFC behind Atlanta.

“We did what it takes,” Crabtree said.

Anthony Fasano made a diving 3-yard touchdown catch for Miami (5-8) midway through the fourth quarter on a pass from Ryan Tannehill. Fasano’s right knee landed in the end zone as he fell out of bounds under pressure from safety Donte Whitner.

Miami went for it on fourth-and-10 from the 35 with 4:16 remaining and Tannehill overthrew Marlon Moore on the left sideline.

“In the fourth quarter, we had some opportunities to put some more points on the board. We didn’t. We were too generous,” Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said. “It’s just a lack of playmaking at critical times. That’s it.”


(washingtonpost.com)

SANTA CLARA -- Frank Gore wore a light brace around his left wrist Tuesday, the result of a stiff-arm he delivered to a tough St. Louis Rams defense over the weekend.

Not to worry, Gore insisted. "I could play right now,'' he said.

There is no indication that the injury is significant and Gore was healthy enough to rack up season-high 23 carries against the Rams. Still, his aches and pains, though, are going to get extra scrutiny at a time when his backup job seems up for grabs.

Jim Harbaugh dropped the latest hint Tuesday second-round pick LaMichael James could get his speedy feet wet soon, perhaps Sunday against the Miami Dolphins at Candlestick Park. Speaking on his weekly KNBR radio show, the 49ers coach said James has "worked hard for an opportunity" and said the rookie's debut is "something that's definitely a possibility."

With No. 2 running back Kendall Hunter out for the season, the 49ers turned Brandon Jacobs against the Rams and the veteran chipped in with four carries for 6 yards.

James could offer more of a game-breaking threat, but Gore said echoed the team's sentiment that the kid still has some learning to do. Gore is doing what he can to get the kid up to speed -- which in this case means getting him to slow down.

Gore said James runs at full-tilt all the time, a no-no in the NFL where running lanes are rare and precious.

"In college, there's a big space. But not here. He has a tough time with that,'' Gore said. "I told him, 'It's not how fast you are. It's about patience and how fast you can get through it.' I told him that he had to let things develop."

There's also the matter of pass protection. James acknowledged Tuesday that he was rarely assigned blitz pickup duty while at Oregon (where he was too busy rushing for 1,805 yards last year). Gore noted that learning how to pass protect is actually two skills -- how to deliver the block and knowing whom to block in the first place.

James said he's trying.

"Obviously, I'm not 230 pounds but I can feel like I can get the job done if I'm scrappy enough,'' the 5-foot-9, 195-pounder said.

James said he hasn't been told whether he'll play Sunday. Until then, he's willing to help however he can, even if that means serving on the scout team during practice.

And if the bell rings this weekend?

"I feel like I can go out there and help the team,'' James said. "Hopefully, I can light a spark."


(mercurynews.com)

At 29 years old, San Francisco running back Frank Gore is an old man.

Maybe not by society's standards, but as an NFL running back, he might as well qualify for Social Security. Despite his relatively advanced age, the 49ers' all-time leading rusher is showing no signs of slowing down.

If anything, he's getting better with age.

“Every day my admiration for Frank Gore as a football player, every time you think it's as high as it can be, he finds another rung on the ladder to go in my esteem,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “And then even more so as a person. He's just one of the finest guys you'd ever want to be around.”

Gore's reputation is justifiably predicated on what he does with the ball in his hands, but the job he does protecting the quarterback can be equally, if not more, impressive. In San Francisco's 32-7 win over Chicago on Monday night, Gore made a block on Bears LB Lance Briggs that displayed just that.

On a play-action pass in the first quarter, Gore filled a gap where Briggs was blitzing and lifted the seven-time Pro Bowler airborne and onto his back. The block quickly went viral online and gave quarterback Colin Kaepernick time to find tight end Vernon Davis for 3-yard touchdown.

Gore shrugged off the play as a result of good coaching.

"When we watched film, coach Tom [Rathman] was saying that him and [Brian] Urlacher were straight downhill players,” Gore said. “I knew that when he came, I could just attack. Coach likes to say, 'the lower man always wins.' "

Gore was certainly the lower man on that play.

Harbaugh said that because it's a short week coming off a Monday night game, the team didn't get to watch the block together on film, but anticipated it would have drawn plenty of cheers.

"I respect [Briggs], he respects me,” Gore said. “He's been doing a great job at his position for a long time. He's a great player. We talked after the game. He just told me, 'Keep running hard, keep playing hard and stay healthy.' "

For Gore, health has always been key. In just two of his seven years in the NFL, all with the 49ers, has he played in all 16 games -- last year and 2006. Not so coincidently, those were his top two seasons in total rushing yards.

Through 10 games this year, he's on pace for 1,329 yards, which would be the second-best single-season total of his career, ranking behind only 2006 (1,695).
Gore's ability to improve as a seventh-year back started in the offseason.

“I've seen a laser-like focus from Frank,” Harbaugh said in July. “Wasn't with him in the offseason last year. As far as on the practice field, same Frank, same demanding, intense, enthusiastic guy on the field. Wants to play, wants to work, wants to continually get better.”

Compared to the league's elite running backs, Gore matches up favorably. He's seventh in the NFL in rushing (831 yards) and only Minnesota's Adrian Peterson is averaging more yards per carry (5.8) with more attempts than Gore (5.3).

Compare him to other backs in the 29-and-older club and he's the best there is. St. Louis' Steven Jackson and Gore's former University of Miami teammates Willis McGahee are in the conversation too, but neither player has done more for their team this year.

It's not something that has gone unnoticed around the league. Even before the 49ers' win over Chicago, Urlacher was singing Gore's praises.

"He's one of the better running backs in the NFL, if you ask me," Urlacher said last week. "He is very underrated. He doesn't get a lot of pub but he does a lot of the dirty work for them."

Paired with second-year pro Kendall Hunter, Gore has helped San Francisco become the NFL's top-ranked rushing team. The 49ers lead the league in yards per game (165.5), yards per carry (5.5) and carries of 10-or-more yards (57). While the league continues to trend toward pass-happy offenses, San Francisco has taken the opposite approach and made it work.

The combination of production and health between Gore and Hunter has rendered big-name free agent acquisition Brandon Jacobs and second-round pick LaMichael James largely irrelevant. Neither player has set foot on the field this season and unless something unforeseen occurs in the coming weeks, that's not expected to change.


(cbssports.com)

RB Frank Gore rushed for 97 yds. and 1 TD on 21 carries. Gore’s 20-yd. TD run in the 4th qtr. marked his 5th TD of the season and 48th of his career. He trails just RB Joe Perry (50) and RB Roger Craig (50) for the most rushing TDs in franchise history.




(49ers.com)

San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore dodged the injury bug once again and appears to be fine after he used his post-game to check on his injured ribs following the Week 10 24-24 tie against the St. Louis Rams according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.

Gore initially suffered the injury on Oct. 18 in the home win against the Seattle Seahawks. Though the injury was significant enough to land him on the injury report, he hasn’t missed any game time and has been a full participant in every practice since then. All signs point to him practicing on Thursday in preparation for the Week 11 contest against the Chicago Bears on Monday night.

Gore leads the Niners’ top-ranked rushing attack with 753 yards on 140 carries, amassing a 5.4 yards per carry average and adding five touchdowns. The 49ers are 6-2-1 and will host the Chicago Bears.


(sbnation.com)

The last time Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was at Candlestick Park he threw five interceptions in a 10-6 prime-time loss to the 49ers in 2009.

But that’s not why Frank Gore really wants the recently concussed Cutler to be available Monday night when Chicago returns to San Francisco. Instead, the 49ers running back wants both teams at full strength for what could be a preview to a January playoff game.

The Bears (7-2) have the NFC’s second-best record and the 49ers (6-2-1) own the third-best mark.

“We want their best, like they want our best,” Gore said. “I know they will want Alex Smith to play. We want Cutler to play. We want their best … If we keep winning and they keep winning, you never how it can go in the playoffs. So why not see what they’ve got now like they’re going to see what we have now? Then we imagine how it would go in the playoffs.”

The Bears did not practice Wednesday, so it’s not clear how Cutler has progressed since he sustained a concussion in the second quarter of a 13-6 loss to the Texans on Sunday night. Cutler has had at least four concussions dating back to his college career at Vanderbilt. Smith has been cleared by an independent neurologist and took part in San Francisco’s practice Wednesday in a black non-contact jersey.

“Jay is getting better,” Chicago coach Lovie Smith told the Chicago Tribune. “I am not going to go into exactly each step he has taken and things like that, and I think you can understand why. We will be on the practice field (Thursday). We can give you a little bit better idea of where he is then.”

Unlike the last meeting between the teams, a top NFC playoff seed could be at stake Monday. In San Francisco’s 10-6 win in on Nov. 12, 2009, the teams entered the Thursday night game with a combined record of 7-9.

Gore ran for 104 yards and had the game’s only touchdown, but he doesn’t have fond memories of the meeting between also-rans.

“It was a sucky game, you know?” Gore said. “Like 10-6 or something like that. Both teams were down, now both teams have a great team. I respect their team and I’m sure they respect us, too. It should be a great game Monday.”

** Wondering how Gore feels about last week’s 24-24 tie against the Rams?

Well, he’s really not expletive happy.

Asked about playing on Monday night’s national stage, Gore said:  “That’s a big game. They’re coming off a big loss against a good team, Houston, and we —-ing tied.”


(cbssports.com)

Co-Offensive Players of the Week:

Jimmy Graham: proCane Saints TE Jimmy Graham hauled in seven passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns on eight targets to lead the Saints to a 31-27 victory over the Falcons in Week 10. Safety William Moore bit twice on the double move, allowing Drew Brees to throw a pair of pump-fake deep balls to Graham for a 29-yard touchdown and a 46-yard fourth-quarter gain. Graham added a 14-yard score just before halftime. After his first 100-yard game of the season, Graham is averaging a 7/94/1.3 line over the past three weeks.

Greg Olsen: Following an emotional week for proCane Panthers TE Greg Olsen in which he welcomed his son TJ home after being hospitalized after birth and undergoing surgery due to a heart condition, Olsen exploded for a career-high nine receptions, 102 yards and two touchdowns versus the Broncos in Week 10. The 102 yards are a regular-season career high. Tight ends have been the weak spot in Denver's defense all season and today was no different. Olsen had catches of 26 and 16 yards to set up a 4-yard touchdown and added a 5-yard score in garbage time.

Honorable Mention: Frank Gore, Reggie Wayne.

Defensive Player of Week:

Colin McCarthy: proCane Titans LB Colin McCarthy rose slowly after a violent hit and wobbled as he left the field. Three plays later he was back in the game and in the end zone, celebrating a 49-yard interception return for a touchdown. McCarthy and his team's embattled defense bounced back Sunday, when their four takeaways led to 20 points and helped the Titans beat the Miami Dolphins 37-3. McCarthy finished the game with 3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss one INT and a TD. McCarthy’s TD put the Titans up 21-0 and essentially the game out of reach for the Dolphins.

Honorable Mention: Vince Wilfork, Allen Bailey.

Special Teams Player of the Week:

Matt Bosher: proCane Falcons P Matt Bosher continued his great 2nd season with 3 punts for 140 yards and a 46.7 average. Bosher had a long of 52 yards and placed one of his punts inside the 20-yard line. Bosher is also Atlanta’s holder and held two successful field goals for Matt Bryant.

SANTA CLARA -- Like a race car forced to make a pit stop, Frank Gore watched some competitors zoom past him last week. Doug Martin rushed for 251 yards, Adrian Peterson for 182 and Chris Johnson for 141.

Gore ran for zero. The 49ers had a bye.

So upon reporting for duty this week, Gore had a message for his offensive linemen.

"I told them that we have to play catch up," he said. "It seemed like nobody played defense last week. There were all these guys running for 100 yards. I told my guys we have to catch up. And we will. We'll be all right."

Gore smiled. After spending so much of his early career running for mountainous yardage behind molehill blocks, the three-time Pro Bowler is running behind an offensive line capable of making up for lost time. Gore even declared this the best O-line of his eight-year NFL career.

"They're springing me and giving me big lanes that I've never seen before," he said.

Heading into Sunday's home game against the St. Louis Rams, Gore is averaging a career-best 5.5 yards per carry -- a tick better than his 5.4 average in 2006. At this season's halfway point, he is on pace for just the fourth 1,300-plus-yard season in 49ers history.

He slipped from sixth to eighth among NFL rushing leaders during his week off (when Martin and Johnson passed him), but Gore said he doesn't need the numbers to tell him how effective his offensive line has been. His body tells him.

"It's a blessing that I'm not nicked up," Gore said. "I'm just having fun running through the big holes that they're giving me."

Gore is the only player since 2006 with at least 10,000 yards from scrimmage and 50 touchdowns. He's somehow done that behind offensive lines that have produced just two Pro Bowlers: guard Larry Allen in 2006 and left tackle Joe Staley in 2011.

He might have two more this season alone. Right tackle Anthony Davis and left guard Mike Iupati were named to Pro Football Weekly's midseason All-Pro team, and each is paying off in the way that the 49ers hoped when they embarked on their prolonged (and patient) approach to upgrading their blocking.

There are now three former first-round draft picks up front -- Staley (28th in 2007), Davis (11th, 2010) and Iupati (17th, 2010). There is also last year's free-agent score, former Pro Bowl center Jonathan Goodwin, as well as the risk-reward jackpot of right guard Alex Boone (undrafted free agent in 2009).

That explains why Gore's running space has steadily widened from dead-end alleys to two-lane highways. And it helps that the 49ers coaching staff has found ways to capitalize on its maturing talent up front.

Just ask Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis, who, while preparing for Sunday's game at Candlestick Park, marveled at the 49ers' weekly creativity.

"I don't think I've seen some of these plays since the Tecmo Super Bowl," Laurinaitis said, invoking the cult video game from the early 1990s. "They throw the house at you."

Laurinaitis, in a conference call Wednesday with Bay Area reporters, said that the 49ers list of "weird running plays" includes two-back sweeps and triple traps.
"You don't see that formation anymore where two backs line up at the same depth, side by side. It's just good stuff," Laurinaitis said. "And they have the personnel to do it because they have the offensive linemen who can pull and get out there. Or they can just come up and maul you."

The Rams are a team Gore tends to torment no matter which blockers are in front of him, averaging 113.7 yards from scrimmage in his past three home games against them. He also has 11 career touchdowns against St. Louis, tied with Arizona for his most against any opponent.

Now, he gets a crack at the Rams behind the unit he called the best O-line he's ever had. Upon hearing that compliment, his blockers -- not surprisingly -- had Gore's back

"He's probably the best runner I've played for," Goodwin said. "He's up there with a guy like Curtis Martin. He's a great back, a complete back."


(mercurynews.com)

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)

More evidence that bruised ribs are far more painful than they sound: Running back Frank Gore had to sleep sitting up in bed after he took a helmet-to-the-ribs shot from Seattle cornerback Brandon Browner last week.

Gore, who termed it the most painful injury he’s played through, also had difficulty taking deep breaths in the aftermath of a 13-6 win over Seattle. Four days after sustaining the injury, though, he went though Monday’s non-contact practice and expressed optimism that he’ll play on Oct. 29 at Arizona.

“It’s a lot better, just take it a day at a time,” Gore said. “I feel like I should be alright.”

Bruised ribs typically take several weeks to heal completely and Gore said “little movements here and there” are still painful, although he can now sleep on his side.

With a bye week following the 49ers’ visit to Arizona, Gore would have a chance to heal completely if he missed the Monday night game.

Not surprisingly, Gore is instead planning to make his 24th straight start.

“(I’ll) keep getting my treatment,” he said, “and I’ll be fine.”


(sfgate.com)

Frank Gore left the 49ers practice facility today with a big pack of ice wrapped around his bruised ribs, but he said the pain and shortness of breath that knocked him out of Thursday's game had subsided. In fact, Gore didn't even miss his daily workout.

"I'll find a way to get out there and help the team," the running back said of playing in the next game. "What do we have -- 11 days, 10 days? -- before the next game, so that will be good."

Gore was injured in the second quarter when, after catching a short pass, he was drilled in the back by cornerback Brandon Browner. The more he played, Gore said, the harder it become for him to breathe, and it was particularly tough after long runs.

He had several of those in the fourth quarter, and midway through the period he took himself out of the game. Gore rushed for 131 yard and added another 51 in receiving yards. Kendall Hunter was on the field for the team's final two drives.

Gore said it was the most pain he's played through in his career, which is significant considering the injuries he's endured. Still, he said he's optimistic he can play in the team's Oct. 29 game against Arizona. "I'm going to come in tomorrow, do what I have to do and keep myself ready," Gore said.


(blogs.sacbee.com)

San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore had a signature game Thursday night with 182 yards from scrimmage in a 13-6 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. All of that production came despite a painful injury.

Gore said he was hit in the back during the second quarter and suffered bruised ribs. He received X-rays after the game and said he was fine. Cameras showed Gore wincing and struggling to breathe late in the game. 

The 49ers' all-time leading rusher missed his team's final drive, but he otherwise gutted it out. He had 92 rushing yards in the second half alone. He led the team in receiving. ESPN reported that Gore had 107 yards after contact, which says it all.

Gore remains one of the most underrated players of his generation. There hasn't been a more complete back -- running, receiving and blocking -- to enter the NFL since Gore hit the scene in 2005. Now he's finally playing for a winner and still playing a very high level at age 29.


(nfl.com)

San Francisco 49ers RB Frank Gore has more rushing yards against the Seattle Seahawks than any other opponent. Gore has 1,079 rushing yards in 12 games against Seattle, with a 5.19 yards-per-carry average. He has twice rushed for more than 200 yards against the Seahawks. Seattle, however, held Gore to an average of 71 yards a game in two contests last season.


(kffl.com)

As impressive as the fact the Seahawks have built one of the league’s dominant defenses has been their ability to frustrate opponents who tried to hit them different ways.

They pass-rushed the Packers to the point of distraction. They chased down Cam Newton from behind. They covered the Patriots downfield.

But this week, they have a familiar challenge, trying to slow down Frank Gore and the league’s leading running game.

Gore has more yards against the Seahawks than any other opponent, and the 49ers have the league’s best running game.

Of course, Gore’s 1,079 yards against the Seahawks have been a cumulative achievement, as they held him to 71 yards per game lsat year. But that doesn’t mean they’re not taking Thursday’s test seriously.

“You got to hit him hard and hit him early,” Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright said, via Eric Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune. “Let him know that it’s not going to be your day to get a bunch of running yards. We’re going to come out and set the tone, and make sure he doesn’t get rolling.”

That’s been easier said than done, and Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley stressed the importance of being disciplined.

“He hits the hole right where he needs to hit it every time, and he’s going 100 miles per hour every time,” Bradley said. “And if you’re not in your gap, . . . he has the ability to break a big one at any time.

“They do so many things offensively, and you’re trying to jockey some guys around so you’re in the right leverage and the right position, but you always have that in the back of your mind. If you try to do that too much, are you giving him enough of a space to where he can break a big one?”

The Seahawks are feeling good after last week’s win over the Patriots, but if they can keep Gore and the league’s best running game from doing what they do best, that may be the biggest statement to date.


(profootballtalk.com)

Frank Gore rushed just eight times 36 yards and added four receptions for 20 yards versus the Giants in Week 6.

The 49ers had every intention of running the ball, but were forced to abandon that game plan after falling behind 17-3 early in the third quarter. Gore's best play may have been a block on Justin Tuck that turned a potential 15-yard loss on a Mario Manningham end-around to a 7-yard gain. Backup Kendall Hunter totaled 32 yards on five touches. Gore will be just a borderline RB2 option next week against Seattle's shut-down run defense.


(rotoworld.com)

SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers rushed for 245 yards on Sunday, getting positive yardage from nine different players.

With so much diversity out of the backfield, starter Frank Gore still carried the ball 21 times, but it was hardly the workload he's grown accustomed to as the 49ers' only featured back of the past.

What does he make of the crowd?

"I don't like it at all," Gore said before laughing. "It's cool. Show different schemes, it probably makes it easier for me, you know?"

Gore is averaging 81.5 rushing yards per game, and he has scores in three of the 49ers' first four contests. Even though his longest run this season went for just 23 yards, Gore is 14th in the NFL averaging 4.94 yards per carry. Kendall Hunter is right behind him, ranked 20th with an average of 4.62 yards per carry.

It all makes the 49ers third in the NFL in total rushing yards (as well as third from the bottom in passing), but their next opponent is equally impressive on the ground. The Bills are ranked fourth -- right behind the 49ers -- and C.J. Spiller's 8.32 yards-per-carry average has a lot to do with it.

But the 49ers have explosive players of their own.

Kyle Williams was one of those nine contributors, as he took a toss nine yards to set up Colin Kaepernick's rushing touchdown.

Whether or not Gore likes it, the 49ers' dynamic ground game is developing, and there's one reason to suggest it will continue to expand under offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

"We've got playmakers," Williams said.


(csnbayarea.com)

A year ago, after San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore got off to a slow start in the 2011 season, a Bay Area blogger posted a story listing the reasons why Gore “is done as a running back.”

The reasons: At 28, he was said to be old and beyond his peak. Plus, he was injury prone and due for a letdown after signing a contract extension.

Of course, Gore went on to have one of his best seasons, rushing for 1,211 yards and eight touchdowns as the 49ers went 13-3 and won the NFC West.

Now, after two games, Gore is again a force, ranking No. 4 in the NFL with 201 yards rushing and the 49ers running game again looks formidable, ranking No. 3 in the league with 167.0 rushing yards per game.

Against the Detroit Lions Sunday, Gore churned for 89 yards on 17 carries and looked anything but old, showing both power and speed.

Right guard Alex Boone told Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group that he loves blocking for Gore and seeing what Gore can do with the holes.

“He did a great job of finding the crease and hitting the holes,” said Boone. “He’s an elusive player and I love it.”

Now, paired with second-year pro Kendall Hunter, Gore is part of a 1-2 running back punch that could be even better when Brandon Jacobs and LaMichael James are ready to play.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh says Hunter and Gore make each other better.

“Both are tremendous backs, and Kendall has raised his game,” Harbaugh told reporters  after the season-opening victory over the Packers, when Gore rushed for 112 yards and Hunter added 41. “Frank is one of the best there is and he’s made Kendall better. Kendall brings to the table that kind of spirit, youth and desire to get better all the time. I don’t think I’m exaggerating by saying that Frank has benefited from that as well.”

This year, the 49ers have beefed up their running game at the point of attack, adding extra offensive and defensive linemen to block for Gore and Hunter on certain running downs. Harbaugh’s commitment to make the running game work has turned the 49ers into one of the best running teams in the NFL.

“We’re pretty far ahead of where we were last year, and he helps me a lot,” Gore said of Hunter. “He has a different style, a change of pace, and it’s been great for us. We’re always ready to go out there.”

And, at 29, Gore seems to be having too much fun to slow down.


(nbcbayarea.com)

SAN FRANCISCO -- Frank Gore figured the Detroit Lions counted on him getting the ball on a second-and-three situation Sunday night, with the 49ers looking to kill the final few minutes of their home opener.

Instead, quarterback Alex Smith faked a handoff to Gore and found Vernon Davis for a 23-yard touchdown completion, sealing an eventual 27-19 win at Candlestick Park.

"I knew they were going to bite on the run," Gore said while praising offensive coordinator Greg Roman's play call.

Gore has started his eighth season in strong enough fashion to make defenses take notice. Sunday's 17-carry, 89-yard output included a 1-yard touchdown run that opened the second quarter. It gave the 49ers a 14-6 lead against Detroit's touted defensive line.

"They've got a great front seven, but my offensive line came out ready to play," said Gore, who ran for 112 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers' season-opening win at Green Bay.

Right guard Alex Boone added: "He did a great job finding the crease and hitting the holes. He's an elusive player and I love it."


(mercurynews.com)

Frank Gore finished with 112-yards rushing in the 49ers’ 30-22 win over the Packers this past Sunday at Lambeau Field. Today, let’s go back to Gore’s 4th quarter TD run and breakdown the “Counter OF.”

Check out the video replay and then we will get into some coaching points…



-I want to start with the personnel, because at first glance this looks like “Jumbo” (3TE, 2RB). However, the Niners have substituted two extra O-Lineman into the game. San Francisco isn’t hiding anything here. Line up and run the football.

- Counter OF is one of the base power runs in the NFL (Power O, Counter OF, Lead). Down block to the closed (strong) side of the formation with the FB and open (weak) side guard working back to the play side.

- “Spill” vs. “Hammer.” A quick breakdown in run fits here. Based on the huddle call you are taught to “spill” (attack the block with your inside shoulder) or “hammer" (attack the block with your outside shoulder). For exmaple, the SS will "hammer" the run in Cover 3 as a support player and "spill" in base Cover 1 (I used to write that on a wrist band when I played).

- Where is the bust? Check out the two inside linebackers. With the down block to the closed side of the formation, both backers (A.J. Hawk and D.J. Smith) have to scrape to the FB and the guard to “spill” the ball to Charles Woodson. However, as we can see on the replay, Hawk and Smith attack downhill and allow the FB to work up to the second level of the defense and cut Woodson. Fit this up correctly, and Woodson can come downhill to make a one-on-one tackle at the line of scrimmage.

- Even after the poor run reads from the Packers, you still have to find a way to get the ball carrier on the ground. Towards the end of the run, Green Bay safety Morgan Burnett must use the sideline as his help (take away cut back angle), run through the ball carrier and wrap his arms on contact. However, throwing a shoulder into Gore isn’t going to get the job done. Poor technique on the tackle attempt that leads to six points.


(nationalfootballpost.com)

Frank Gore’s stellar performance in the season opener at Lambeau Field has earned him a nomination for the FedEx Ground Player of the Week.

The 49ers steamrolled the Packers in Week 1 to claim a 30-22 victory behind an impressive performance from the offense. While quarterback Alex Smith sliced and diced the Green Bay secondary, Gore carried the ball 16 times for 112 yards and a touchdown.

With his team holding a 22-15 lead in the fourth quarter, Gore took a pitch down the right sideline and made a couple of defenders miss before backpedaling into the end zone. It marked Gore’s first touchdown of 2012 and the 53rd of his career.

The franchise’s all-time leading rusher picked up his 30th, 100-yard game since his rookie year in 2005, the most of any NFL back in that time. Gore was also the first 49ers running back to tally at least 100 yards in Week 1 since Garrison Hearst rushed for 187 yards in 1998.

But Gore has plenty of competition to be named Week 1 FedEx Ground Player of the Week. Buffalo’s C.J. Spiller (169 yards, one touchdown) and New England’s Stevan Ridley (125 yards, one touchdown) are also vying for the award.

The 49ers Faithful can vote for Gore at NFL.com. Fans can also vote for the FedEx Air Player of the Week candidates: Robert Griffin III, Tony Romo and Matt Ryan.


(49ers.com)

Frank Gore never wants to leave a game.

And that includes the meaningless ones.

Shortly after the 49ers' career rushing leader ripped off a 14-yard run in the first quarter of last week's preseason loss to the Texans, he left the game for good.
And he did so reluctantly after just two carries.

"When I got out there against the Houston Texans, I wanted to keep running, especially when I got that first carry," Gore said. "That was a pretty good run. I wanted to keep that rhythm and keep going. But I've got to listen to the coach. He knows what's best for me."

Gore gets it. There's no sense in risking injury during the preseason, and he'll probably receive scant playing time in Sunday's exhibition game at Denver.
But what happens when the games count?

Famously termed the "bell cow" of San Francisco's offense, the bell may have tolled on Gore's time as a 20-carry-a-game feature back. In the past 18 months, the 49ers have added three backs - Kendall Hunter, LaMichael James and Brandon Jacobs - to a backfield that's traditionally included Gore and an undistinguished backup (Michael Robinson, DeShaun Foster, Glen Coffee).

In June, running backs coach Tom Rathman acknowledged that the 49ers wanted to keep Gore "fresh" and "healthy" so he can still dazzle in December. Gore, who turned 29 in May, was noticeably slowed by leg maladies last year while ranking fifth in the NFL with 282 carries, the second-most of his seven-year career. Among running backs currently on an NFL roster, Gore's 1,653 career carries rank third behind St. Louis' Steven Jackson (2,138) and Denver's Willis McGahee (1,790).

Focus on team
Gore has fielded a series of questions about his potentially reduced role since the spring and has pointed to last year's 13-3 record in response. The 49ers went 37-59 in Gore's first six seasons.

"We want to win," Gore said. "We got a taste of it last year, and it feels good. We want to keep that taste in our mouth. As long as we stay together and be one, we'll keep that taste in our mouth."

Given his selfless style - Gore takes immense pride in his ability to redirect blitzing linebackers - it's difficult to doubt his sincerity. Gore didn't complain about averaging just 14.5 carries in two postseason games, but did address the team during training camp about the still-painful loss in the NFC Championship Game.

Added motivation
Former 49ers running back Roger Craig is confident a Super Bowl ring is the thing for Gore at this stage in his career. Craig, 52, and Gore have developed a close relationship, and they spoke about the upcoming season during a chance meeting in Las Vegas during the offseason.

"We all want to be the guy, but we also have to look at the big picture," Craig said. "... Right now, Frank's thinking is, how can we be a better team? Frank's broken a lot of records. So it's not about him. It's about winning Super Bowls now. He got a taste of what it felt like playing in the playoffs. So now anything that the organization can do to help go to that next level, he'll be on board with that."

Craig also believes the backfield additions will fuel the already highly motivated Gore. Before Craig's fifth season, the 49ers drafted Clemson running back Terrence Flagler in the first round of the 1987 draft. Flagler never panned out, but Craig noted that he rushed for a career-high 1,502 yards and was named the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year the season after Flagler arrived.

This spring, Gore embarked on a training routine that included 6 a.m. workouts, afternoon practices and nighttime boxing. He'll do whatever it takes to win - even if it means doing less this season - but he's also doing everything to keep himself in the game.

"Oh, it's going to motivate Frank to play well, of course," Craig said. "That's some good competition right there."


(sfagate.com)

SANTA CLARA -- Frank Gore hasn't been surrounded by this many talented running backs since, perhaps, his freshman year at the University of Miami.
"I'm cool with it," Gore said Monday at 49ers training camp.

Yes, the 49ers' all-time leading NFL rusher has welcomed in such newcomers as Brandon Jacobs, fresh from his second Super Bowl win with the New York Giants, and LaMichael James, the 49ers' second-round draft pick out of offensive-powerhouse Oregon.

So how will the 49ers divide carries among that trio, as well as Kendall Hunter, Anthony Dixon, Rock Cartwright and starting fullback Bruce Miller?

"Everybody wants to play. I know I want to play," Gore said. "The type of player I am, I've got to get in a rhythm. I feel the more I'm in, the better I get."
Don't interpret that as Gore being selfish, however.

"It's not a matter of being a ball hog. Frank likes to work," coach Jim Harbaugh said. "He likes as much work as he can get."

Starting at 6:15 each morning, Gore is among the first players to arrive at the 49ers facility. He works out 30 minutes on an elliptical machine before lifting weights to "get his sweat in."

In training-camp parlance, Gore is putting himself through double days. Last year's labor deal prevents teams from practicing twice a day with pads. Thus, Gore considers his morning workout the first of what would have been two daily practices.

"I've seen a laserlike focus from Frank," Harbaugh said. "On the practice field, it's the same Frank. Same demanding, intense, enthusiastic guy on the field."

Gore showed all those traits on one of many carries Monday, taking Alex Smith's handoff and dashing 50 yards down field before exchanging a high-five with general manager Trent Baalke.

Last season, Gore's longest run was for 55 yards at Detroit. It came after he was stopped for a 3-yard loss on the previous play. The following week against Cleveland, Gore's longest run was for 26 yards, also after a 3-yard loss.

Those bursts, and an ability to split time with Hunter, have convinced offensive coordinator Greg Roman that Gore doesn't need a slew of carries to find a successful rhythm.

"Shoot, I've seen Frank come in after not carrying the ball for a while and pop a pretty good looking run," Roman said. "So, I think Frank might be selling himself short a little bit there."

Gore now finds himself part of what he agreed is the "most talented" backfield since he joined the 49ers in 2005.

Not only is he "cool with it," he's also seen it play out before. He encountered a crowded backfield before, though it was a decade ago in Miami. Also on the Hurricanes were Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, Najeh Davenport and Jarrett Payton, the son of NFL legend Walter Payton.

Said Gore: "I'm competitive. I could have gone to any school in the country coming out of high school, but I went to Miami, and they already had three good backs."

Last season, Gore eclipsed Joe "The Jet" Perry's franchise record for most NFL rushing yards, and Gore finished with 1,211 yards. That's the second-highest output of his career, trailing only his 1,695-yard season in 2006 when he became the starter.

Sure to cut into Gore's workload this season are, as he describes them, the "very big and strong" Jacobs and the "very quick and fast" James.

Like so many others returnees from last year's NFC runner-up squad, Gore yearns for more success.

"We're still working like we didn't make it, like we still have stuff to prove," Gore said. "We have a bunch of great guys."

Entering his eighth season, Gore remains the leader of that increasingly talented bunch at running back.


(mercurynews.com)

49ers running back Frank Gore will enter the boxing ring this Saturday, July 7, not for a bout of his own but as part of Nonito Donaire's posse. Gore will carry the WBO super bantamweight belt belonging to San Leandro's champion, according to a report from maxboxing.com.

Donaire is scheduled to fight Jeffrey Mathebula (26-3-2, 14 KOs) at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California this weekend in the WBO and IBF super bantamweight title unification fight.

The five-foot-seven Donaire won his last fight at 122-pounds, defeating Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. to claim the vacant WBO super bantamweight title and push his professional record to 28-1-0 with 18 knockouts. He is tied with Andre Ward as the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in CSNBayArea.com's Northern California rankings.

Gore cultivated a relationship with Donaire when he began to train with his speed coach Remi Korchemny, the former sprinting coach who runs the Speed Development Center in the Bay Area, reportedly about six weeks ago.

"I work occasionally with Frank," Korchemny said in an email. "I think that Frank benefits from working with Nonito, becoming more persistent and a winning-oriented athlete."

Gore, five-foot-nine and 217 pounds, played in all 16 games in his seventh NFL season after missing time in each of the three seasons prior. The three-time Pro Bowler knows he has to stay on top of his game; the 49ers have a host of backs lining up behind Gore. Kendall Hunter is looking to build off his productive rookie season in which he averaged 4.2 yards per carry. The 49ers drafted Oregon standout LaMichael James and brought in world champion Brandon Jacobs. And Anthony Dixon and Rock Cartwright are both on the roster.

Korchemny played a key role in the 2003 BALCO scandal and was the first coach disciplined by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Donaire has been working with him, and BALCO founder Victor Conte, for the past two years.

"I'll tell you," Korchemny said. "He is a very motivated and disciplined fighter."


(csnbayarea.com)

The 49ers strongly encouraged running back Frank Gore to take part in the team's offseason program when they signed him to a three-year extension last summer.

The enticement came in the form of an annual $400,000 workout bonus. Typically, Gore has remained in his hometown of Miami to train. There is no arguing with the results. After all, the only time during his six seasons as the featured back that he did not achieve 1,000-plus yards rushing was in 2010 when he sustained a fractured hip and missed the final five games.

Gore bounced back last season with the second-best rushing total (1,211 yards) of his career.

With nearly 1,700 career rushing attempts and another 300 catches, Gore is at the point where most running backs begin to slow down. Gore does not see that happening quite so soon, though.

"As long as I'm healthy and in great shape and ready to play, I'm going to be the Frank Gore I've always been," he said.

Although the 49ers have the most depth at running back that they've had at any point during Gore's career, there was no indication throughout the offseason program that anybody is ready to take his job.

Gore appears to have lost a step of explosion -- hey, that's only to be expected -- but he is still clearly the team's best option and most well-rounded running back.

Obviously, with no contact allowed during the offseason program, it's difficult to fully evaluate the running backs on the 90-man roster. Roster spots will be won and lost in training camp . . .

Perhaps, 265-pound Brandon Jacobs is the best-suited to fill in as the first- and second-down back if/when Gore needs a breather. Jacobs and Gore entered the NFL in the same year, but Jacobs has a thousand fewer touches.

Jacobs had a strong offseason. Mark Uyeyama, who heads the 49ers' strength and conditioning program, had him working harder than ever before, Jacobs said. If Jacobs runs powerfully when the pads go on in training camp, he can carve out a role as Gore's top backup on base downs, as well as the short-yardage option.

Kendall Hunter, the backup from a year ago, had his moments during the offseason program. He concluded one two-minute drill with a 50-yard touchdown reception from Alex Smith after shaking free from inside linebacker Michael Wilhoite. Hunter performed well as a rookie, and he should be even better this year. However, he's in a fight to earn the same amount of carries (112) that he got in his first season.

The 49ers invested a second-round draft pick in LaMichael James. Gore was impressed when he watched film of James. But the two have never been on the field together. Because of Oregon's late graduation, James is the only player who did not practice with the veterans during the offseason program.

The 49ers have wanted to see a greater commitment from Anthony Dixon, a sixth-round pick in 2010. As the No. 3 back last year, he played sparingly and was given just 29 rushing attempts in the regular season. He is going to need a strong camp to win a job.

Veteran Rock Cartwright got some reps at running back in the offseason program, but his spot on the roster will be determined by whether the team believes he can step in as a core special-teams player.

Bruce Miller took over at fullback from Moran Norris (now with the Houston Texans) and started seven games as a rookie. Miller is back as the unquestioned starter -- though it's unclear how often the 49ers will utilize two backs. One of the big developments of the offseason was the emergence of 295-pound Will Tukuafu, a defensive lineman, as an option at fullback. Tukuafu is very athletic and demonstrated the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.

Undrafted rookie running back Jewel Hampton (Southern Illinois) showed promise with his burst and hands. With a good camp, he can stick around on the practice squad. Undrafted fullback Cameron Bell (Northern Illinois) got back on the field after a hamstring strain in early May to see limited action.


(csnbayarea.com)

The San Francisco 49ers received further praise this evening as the NFL Network Top 100 recognized running back Frank Gore in the player-voted Top 100 list. Gore ranked No. 28 a year after ranking No. 94. Among players who appeared last year, this is the biggest climb thus far. Check out Gore's reaction to showing up in the top 100 once again.

We can debate Gore's ranking, particularly among the running backs, until doomsday. What this ranking shows more than anything is the kind of respect Gore receives from the players that voted. Gore had his ups and downs in 2011, but he was a workhorse for the 49ers, while also providing veteran guidance to Kendall Hunter.

There have been times in the past where Gore never wanted to come out of the game and wanted all the carries. This past year, Gore seemed to recognize he is on the other side of his career and was more understanding of the need to mix up the running backs. The team has loaded up on backs and it will be interesting to see how carries are spread around this season. If the team goes into the season with Gore, Hunter, LaMichael James and Brandon Jacobs, that's a lot of options for a variety of situations.

Gore will still likely lead the team in carries, but he will likely drop from his 282 carries in 2011. I don't think we'll see a career-low, but I do think we'll see a broad mix of backs getting significant touches. While individual numbers may not be tremendously high, the entire group could be in position to put up some sizable numbers.


(ninernation.com)

During the second half of the 2011 season, there was a better than 50 percent chance that a 49ers running play went to someone other than Frank Gore. After handling more than 65 percent of the team's carries through the first eight games, Gore - nicked by injuries -- slowed down significantly in the final eight games.

From a Nov. 13 showdown against the Giants onward, Gore took 123 of the 252 regular-season carries, which is 49 percent. Through all 16 games, he handled 57 percent of the his team's total carries, which ranked 11th among NFL running backs.

Still, the 49ers ran the ball so often in 2011 - 498 times, the most in the NFC - that Gore ended up with 282 total carries, the fifth most in the NFL and the second-most of Gore's career. All of this suggests that while San Francisco's rushing attempts may be divided more than ever in 2012 among Gore, Kendall Hunter, LaMichael James and others, there is still an opportunity for individual rushers to get a significant number of carries.

The goal this year, running backs coach Tom Rathman said, is to be wise in how the carries are divided. The 49ers obviously leaned heavily on Gore early last year while Hunter and the passing game were developing following the lockout.

The Faustian bargain they struck was that they didn't have Gore, their Pro Bowl tailback, at full strength at the end of the season and in the playoffs. "We need to keep him healthy," Rathman said this week. "We need to keep him fresh so he's an impact player for us."


(sacbee.com)

49ers RBs coach Tom Rathman suggested one running back won't carry the load in the backfield this season.

"We need to keep (Frank Gore) healthy," Rathman explained. 'We need to keep him fresh so he's an impact player for us." After Gore's receptions total plummeted last season, he's in for a decrease in carries and goal-line work with the addition of short-yardage specialist Brandon Jacobs and change-of-pace back LaMichael James. We'd advise steering clear of Gore at his current late-third round ADP.


(rotoworld.com)

San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore says he has no problem with former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams mentioning him in the now infamous audiotape before the 49ers-Saints playoff matchup in January. In fact, he thinks it is a sign of respect. Williams’ part in the bounty episode got him suspended indefinitely by the NFL.

“We’ve got to do everything in the world to make sure we kill Frank Gore’s head,” Williams said on the tape. “We want him running sideways. We want his head sideways.”

“When you hear another team call your name, that means respect,” Gore said to the Sacramento Bee. “That’s a lot of respect, and you’re doing something right for your team. So it don’t bother me at all.”

Gore said he also didn’t have an issue with former high school and college teammate Jonathan Vilma. Vilma was suspended for the entire 2012 season for his role in the bounty scandal.

As for Vilma and the Saints defenders, Gore said the threatening talk in the New Orleans meeting room didn't translate to the field the next day. The Saints weren't flagged for a single penalty in the game, a 36-32 win by the 49ers. Defensive end Will Smith (four games) and former Saints defenders Anthony Hargrove (eight games) and Scott Fujita (three) also were suspended.

"When we played them, I felt it was how the game was supposed to be played," Gore said. "And I played high school ball with Vilma, and I know he's not that type of guy. He's a hard worker, he enjoys the game of football and he's going to give it his all every snap."

Gore had 1,211 rushing yards and eight touchdowns last season and had 13 carries for 89 yards and seven receptions for 38 yards in the 49ers’ 36-32 win over the Saints.


(cnnsi.com)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - Frank Gore is embracing change and competition at age 29.

The three-time Pro Bowl running back is taking part in the San Francisco 49ers' offseason workouts, arriving earlier than usual in the Bay Area this spring from his offseason home in Miami.

While Gore is determined to do his part to duplicate San Francisco's special comeback season of 2011, he has other motivation, too: The defending NFC West champions already have a busy backfield, and Gore will get a daily push from backup Kendall Hunter, newly signed Brandon Jacobs and rookie second-round pick LaMichael James.

Gore has long prided himself on being a durable, every-down back who can carry the load for the Niners year after year. Yet coach Jim Harbaugh knows Gore will need his share of breaks.


(cnnsi.com)

The addition of RBs LaMichael James and Brandon Jacobs have created a crowded backfield for the 49ers, who have Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and Anthony Dixon. Gore isn't concerned about his role. “As long as I'm healthy and in great shape and ready to play, I'm going to be the Frank Gore I've always been,” he said.


(cbssports.com)

SANTA CLARA -- Running back Frank Gore switched coasts for his offseason training routine.

In his first seven NFL seasons, Gore spent most of his time in Miami to prepare for his job as the featured back in the 49ers' offense.

But after rushing for 1,211 yards -- second-most in his career -- Gore decided it was time to spend more time in the offseason with his teammates.
"Change is good sometimes," Gore said Tuesday after the first 49ers practice during organized team activities. "Coach Uye (49ers head strength and conditioning coach Mark Uyeyama) has a good workout plan going.

"(We're) trying to get back on pace, where we left off last year, and try to get better. Just try to get that work in with the O-line, quarterbacks, receivers, and probably go even farther."

Gore said he took six weeks after the season to let his body rest. As part of the contract extension he signed last summer, Gore receives a $400,000 annual bonus for taking part in the 49ers' offseason program. He reported to the Bay Area to join his teammates three weeks ago.

Gore's health was in question at the end of last season as his workload seemed to decrease. Gore carried just 29 times in the playoffs against New Orleans and the New York Giants for 163 yards (5.6 average). He also caught 13 passes for 83 yards.

Gore, who turned 29 last month, said there was no physical reason he saw a reduction in his rushing attempts late in the season.

With added depth in the 49ers' backfield, Gore might share carries more than ever this season. After all, the 49ers added veteran Brandon Jacobs and rookie LaMichael James to go along with reserve Kendall Hunter. But Gore said he is working this spring as if his role will not change.

"I feel I still can do everything pretty good: catch, run and block. I'm going to do what I've always been doing," Gore said. "As long as I'm healthy and in great shape and ready to play, I'm going to be the Frank Gore I've always been."

Worse than the physical pounding Gore took last season, he said, was the emotional anguish of losing in the NFC championship game in overtime to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants.

"Oh, man, it was tough," Gore said. "That's one of the reasons I didn't want to go to the Pro Bowl. It broke me down for a while. How close we were and looking back at all the tough times we had here and to be that close to going to the big dance, that was very tough."


(csnbayarea.com)

Usually in Miami this time of year, Frank Gore is spending the offseason at the 49ers' facility.
Gore usually trains with his former Hurricanes teammates in Florida, but he's a grizzled 29-year-old veteran at this point and a team leader. "I feel like I still got a lot left in my tank," Gore insisted. "I want to show it off that I still got a lot left in my tank and I can play at a high level. I will play at a high level as long as God blesses me to be healthy."


(rotoworld.com)

The San Francisco 49ers won't look the same in 2012. After years of handing the rock to Frank Gore -- and, often, only Frank Gore -- they now house a versatile stable of backs.

Gore, participating in the team's offseason workout program, is joined on the roster by Brandon Jacobs, Kendall Hunter, Anthony Dixon, Rock Cartwright, fullback Bruce Miller and second-round pick LaMichael James (not to mention undrafted free-agent back Jewel Hampton, who looms as a dark horse).

Comcast SportsNet Bay Area charted every play from last season to reveal that Gore played two-thirds of the snaps as San Francisco's featured back. Hunter played when Gore didn't, and the 49ers plan to use more of the younger back, not less. All of this points to a reduced role, but Gore isn't fading quietly into the night. His 1,211 yards in 2011 were the second best of his career.

"I feel like I still got a lot left in my tank," Gore told the team's official website. "I want to show it off that I still got a lot left in my tank and I can play at a high level. I will play at a high level as long as God blesses me to be healthy so I can go out and do something that I love."

Gore is days away from his 29th birthday and even if he leads the way, we expect a changed backfield in San Francisco. The Jacobs addition remains puzzling, but the 49ers have successfully stocked the position with fresh legs. After narrowly missing a Super Bowl berth last season, coach Jim Harbaugh will employ every weapon they possess in 2012.


(nfl.com)

Including Frank Gore and Patrick Willis (IDP leagues), are there any 49ers that you would label safe as fantasy picks? - @ThisCantBRight (via Twitter)

Michael Fabiano: I do like Vernon Davis at the tight end position, and I still think Willis is a terrific option in IDP formats. However, I do have some concerns about Gore. There have already been reports out of the Bay area that suggest the veteran back is "likely" to experience a decrease in playing time following the glut of offensive additions the Niners made this offseason. Kendall Hunter and Anthony Dixon are in the mix, the team signed Brandon Jacobs and LaMichael James was selected in the second round of last month's draft. Does that mean Gore is in danger of losing his starting job? No, but that's a lot of mouths to feed and enough reason to knock Gore down a few notches on your 2012 running back rankings. Aside from Gore, I don't trust Alex Smith, Michael Crabtree, Mario Manningham or Randy Moss as more than fantasy reserves or occasional matchup-based starters.


(nfl.com)

Coach Jim Harbaugh says the 49ers' selection of RB LaMichael James with the No. 61 pick is not a reflection on Frank Gore.

"My God, no," Harbaugh said. Harbaugh also claimed the 49ers could enter the season with six running backs; Brandon Jacobs, Kendall Hunter, Anthony Dixon and Rock Cartwright joining Gore and James. The reality is Dixon's roster spot is in grave danger, while Jacobs is no longer assured of cracking the final 53. Cartwright is expected to serve as a special-teams dynamo. James will cut into Hunter's snaps much more than Gore's.


(rotoworld.com)

49ers running back Frank Gore will join receiver Randy Moss in missing the team's voluntary workouts, according to comments made by coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh told KNBR-AM in San Francisco about Gore's absence, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Saturday. Harbaugh also said that kicker David Akers and center Jonathan Goodwin would miss the offseason program, explaining that the three players do not live nearby and have commitments to their families. Safety Dashon Goldson, who has yet to sign the franchise tag placed on him by the team, will not participate in the program either, Harbaugh said. Gore, 28, is currently under contract through 2014 after receiving a three-year contract extension worth as much as $21 million last August.


(yardbarker.com)

Miami hasn't produced a first-round draft pick since 2008. It's only fitting that a running back has the best chance to end that drought.

Yes, it's a bit of a reach to refer to three years without a first-round pick as a "drought." That represents a long slide only because Miami had produced at least one first-round draft pick every year from 1995-2008.

Lamar Miller could become Miami's first opening-round pick since Kenny Phillips went to the New York Giants with the 31st overall pick in 2008. Miller is set to become the latest in a long line of Miami running backs to earn a shot in the NFL.

Even though both of Miami's Heisman Trophy winners were quarterbacks (Vinny Testaverde and Gino Torretta), the Hurricanes' running backs have made much more of an impact in the pro ranks lately.

"As much as any position for Miami, the running back position has been strong," said Rob Rang, a senior draft analyst for nfldraftscout.com.
Frank Gore of the San Francisco 49ers and Willis McGahee of the Denver Broncos earned Pro Bowl invitations last season. Gore ranked sixth in the NFL with 1,211 rushing yards, while McGahee was eighth with 1,199 yards. No other school had multiple 1,000-yard rushers in the NFL last season.

And it isn't as if Gore and McGahee are one-year wonders. They've been doing this for quite some time.

Gore is a three-time Pro Bowl pick who has rushed for over 1,000 yards five of the last six seasons. He has run for a total of 7,625 yards and 43 touchdowns during his seven-year career. McGahee is a two-time Pro Bowl selection who has exceeded the 1,000-yard mark four times.

Other former Miami running backs on NFL rosters include Damien Berry (Baltimore Ravens) and Graig Cooper (Philadelphia Eagles), though neither player has a single career carry thus far.

Miami's running back contingent looks even stronger if you add Clinton Portis, a two-time Pro Bowl pick who has run for nearly 10,000 yards in his pro career. Although Portis didn't play last season after getting released by the Washington Redskins, he indicated earlier this year that he wants to play again and has been medically cleared.

Texas' collection of NFL running backs looks equally impressive.

Ricky Williams retired in February after rushing for more than 10,000 yards in a career that included five 1,000-yard seasons. Cedric Benson ran for 1,067 yards with the Cincinnati Bengals last year, which marked the third straight season he had exceeded the 1,000-yard mark.

Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs rushed for a combined 2,567 yards in 2009 and 2010 before a torn anterior cruciate ligament limited him to two games last season. Chris Ogbonnaya rushed for 340 yards with the Cleveland Browns last year.

Texas very easily could have been the choice. After all, while Miami seemingly sent running backs to the NFL with assembly-line precision about a decade or so ago, it's worth noting that not a single Miami running back has been drafted since the 49ers selected Gore in 2005. Berry and Cooper were both undrafted free agents.

Miami ultimately got a slight edge in part because of Miller's pending arrival.

"We have him as a second-round pick," Rang said. "He is a slashing style of running back who runs a little upright, but he has excellent straight-line speed. And he showed a little more toughness last year than a lot of people anticipated from him because he had been kind of typecast as kind of just a speed threat.

"At the same time, he's only been productive for one year. ... He's not quite as polished as other Miami running backs have been in prior years."
History is on Miller's side. Miami running backs have a habit of outperforming their draft position.

Although McGahee and former Indianapolis Colts star Edgerrin James were first-round draft picks, Portis went in the second round and Gore lasted until the third round. If Miller is as productive as either Portis or Gore, whichever team drafts him will be thrilled.



Our choice: Miami.
Who they've sent: Damien Berry (Baltimore Ravens), Graig Cooper (Philadelphia Eagles), Frank Gore (San Francisco 49ers), Willis McGahee (Denver Broncos), Clinton Portis* (free agent, intends to play in 2012).
Who's next: Lamar Miller is a projected second-round pick in this year's draft.
Why we picked them: Gore and McGahee each earned Pro Bowl invitations and ranked among the NFL's top 10 rushers last year. Miami was the only school that had two of its former players rush for at least 1,000 yards last season. Portis also is a former Pro Bowl selection. Gore, McGahee and Portis have each accumulated over 7,000 career rushing yards.
Other finalists: Arkansas (Cleveland's Peyton Hillis, Dallas' Felix Jones, Oakland's Darren McFadden), California (Detroit's Jahvid Best, Seattle's Justin Forsett, Seattle's Marshawn Lynch, New England's Shane Vereen), Oklahoma (Dallas' DeMarco Murray, Minnesota's Adrian Peterson), Texas (free agent Cedric Benson, Kansas City's Jamaal Charles, Baltimore's Chris Ogbonnaya, recently retired Ricky Williams).
Candidate you might not have considered: Tulane has produced 2011 Pro Bowl pick Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears and Mewelde Moore of the Pittsburgh Steelers.


(yahoosports.com)

Niners land Brandon Jacobs: Remember when I said the running back position was going to be a huge question mark for fantasy owners in 2012? Well, the addition of Jacobs in San Francisco is going to do nothing but create more doubt. The bruising veteran, who joins Mario Manningham as former Giants to land with the Niners, will put a dent into the draft value of Frank Gore. With Kendall Hunter also in the mix, the 49ers now have three capable runners on their roster. Gore will continue to start and see a majority of the backfield touches, but he’s certain to lose some short-yardage and goal-line work to Jacobs. What’s more, Gore will be 29 and is coming off one of his heaviest workloads (311 carries through the regular season and postseason), so it’s a bad idea to draft him as more than a No. 2 fantasy runner. Jacobs is worth a late-round look in most leagues, but I still see Hunter as the best handcuff for Gore.


(nfl.com)

These are anxious times for Frank Gore, who helplessly watches as his San Francisco 49ers play a dangerous game of chicken at quarterback.
Gore could have Peyton Manning as his new teammate in the next 24 hours. The 49ers just as easily could have no one behind center at all.

Alex Smith landed in South Florida on Sunday morning for a meeting with the Miami Dolphins. With Manning also considering the Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans, it's feasible that the two free-agent quarterbacks could sign with teams other than San Francisco, leaving the 49ers in a serious lurch.

"It's crazy," Gore told The Associated Press on Sunday. "I'm waiting for whatever happens. I know coach Harbaugh and (general manager) Trent Baalke feel good about what they're doing."

Gore always has been vocal in his support of Smith during the quarterback's seven enigmatic seasons in San Francisco, but that didn't stop him from heaping praise on Manning.

"He's a Hall of Famer, first ballot, that's all I got to say," Gore said Sunday. "He's one of the best ever to play the game."


(nfl.com)

During a press conference Thursday, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters that RB Kendall Hunter should see more action next season. Anyone who watched the 49ers regularly in 2011 likely isn’t completely surprised by that statement. Hunter averaged 4.22 yards per carry as Frank Gore’s backup last season and performed admirably in place of the injured starter on more than one occasion. But before you hang a “by committee” tag on one more NFL running back situation, there’s nothing to indicate Gore won’t get the bulk of the carries. With the veteran approaching 29, however, and having been injury prone throughout his seven-year career, it makes sense that San Francisco will do whatever it can to preserve him for awhile longer — even if that means he sees fewer touches.


(nfl.com)

The 49ers began the 2011 season with a power-running offense, one that leaned heavily on workhorse tailback, Frank Gore. At the midpoint of the season, however, something changed. Gore became less of a focal point, and the 49ers went from a team that ran more than it threw to one that called 33 pass plays against 24 run plays in the NFC Championship game. That seemed odd, especially for a team that was built for power football in December and January and for an offensive unit whose most valuable weapon for years had been its running back.

The explanation is partly due to the way defenses played the 49ers - they decided that San Francisco's passing game was the lesser of the two evils. And that itself is a very good reason for the team to spend a good chunk of its offseason capital bolstering the passing game with pass catchers.

But it also was because of Gore. He did not suffer a serious injury like he did in 2010 when he broke his hip. But his heavy workload at the beginning of the season left him with an array of nagging, smaller injuries by midseason that, according to a source with knowledge of Gore's condition, kept him from shouldering the same load he did at the beginning of the season.

As Gore's workload began to wane over the second half of the season, observers figured the 49ers were saving him for the playoffs, and that his role would return to normal in January. That didn't happen. Gore, who will turn 29 in May, averaged nearly 20 carries over the first half of the season. He averaged 15 in the second half and the playoffs.

When Gore had the ball in his hands, he seemed to fine. But he often removed himself from games at the end of the season and in the playoffs. During a critical fourth-quarter drive against the Giants in which the 49ers ground attack appeared to be gaining the advantage against the New York defense, it was third-string runner Anthony Dixon who entered the game. He was tripped up on a potentially big run on 2nd and 4, and ended up gaining three yards. On third and 1, he was stopped for no gain.

What occurred in 2011 points to the 49ers adding a runner in the offseason.

The 49ers may have overused Gore early in the season, but what other choice did they have? The passing game was still in its infancy, and the two other running backs on the roster were, in Kendall Hunter, a rookie, and in Dixon, a young runner who still hasn't won over the coaching staff. Dixon carried the ball only 29 times in the regular season and averaged three yards a carry. Gore averaged 4.3 yards and Hunter 4.2.

Hunter proved to be a pleasant surprise, hitting the line of scrimmage sharply and taking care of the football. But the 49ers see him as more of a change-of-pace runner. Even if the 49ers added a wide receiver - or two or three - in the offseason, they still are a team that at its core wants to overpower defenses and run the ball down their throats. That's something they were unable to do at the most critical part of the season and something they will have to remedy in the offseason.

49ers top rushers
Frank Gore: 282, 1211 yards, 4.3 avg.
Kendall Hunter: 112, 473 yards, 4.2 avg.
Alex Smith: 52, 179 yards, 3.4 avg.
Anthony Dixon: 29, 87 yards, 3.0 avg.


(sacbee.com)

Q: Why was Anthony Dixon running the ball on 3rd & 1 and not Frank Gore in the fourth quarter? (Anthony Barton)

A: This is a question that I pondered at the time, and I still can't make sense of it.

As the No. 3 running back, Anthony Dixon carried the ball 29 times all season and averaged 3.0 yards a carry. At the start of the fourth quarter, the 49ers were driving. Gore picked up 11 yards. Then, he had a 6-yard gain.

On second-and-four from the Giants' 49, the 49ers got a little too cute. Dixon came into the game for his first offensive snap of the game. Defensive linemen Justin Smith and Isaac Sopoaga joined him.

Dixon picked up 3 yards to set up a third-and-1. Dixon, Smith and Sopoaga remained on the field for that crucial play.

Left guard Mike Iupati moved to right guard, as the 49ers overloaded that side of their formation. Dixon appeared to have an opening between Iupati and right tackle Anthony Davis, but Dixon chose the next gap and was stopped for no gain.

The 49ers punted it away on fourth down and squandered an opportunity to build on their 14-10 lead.

In two playoff games, Gore carried 29 times for 163 yards (5.6 average). He had not been limited in a practice in more than a month due to any injury. Gore played 105 of the 49ers' 125 offensive snaps in the postseason. He was healthy, as his production in the playoffs seemed to prove.

But the 49ers got away from running on first down. When Kendall Hunter gained 18 yards on a run play with 7:39 remaining in regulation, that was the last time in the game the 49ers attempted a run on first down.


(csnbayarea.com)

Frank Gore's injury withdrawal from the Pro Bowl clears the way for Marshawn Lynch to participate as an alternate. It also amplifies questions about Gore's health late in the season.

Gore carried the ball 311 times in 18 games this season, counting playoffs. That was within one carry of his career high previously. But his 17 receptions were well less than half his previous single-season low since becoming a full-time starter in 2006.

Gore put together a string of five consecutive 100-yard rushing performances ending in Week 9. He finished with zero yards the next week after a hard tackle from the New York Giants' Jason Pierre-Paul left Gore with an apparent right knee injury. He suffered an ankle injury earlier in the season.

Gore never exceeded 89 yards in a game from that point forward. His yards per attempt exceeded 3.7 just once over the final eight regular-season games after five consecutive games between 4.3 and 9.4.

The chart, from Doug Clawson of ESPN Stats & Information, shows Gore's playing time over the course of the season.

I noticed Gore asking out of games following contact a few times, including early in a game at Arizona. Running backs come out on occasion; I have no way to know whether Gore did this more than usual in 2011. The 49ers like to mix up their personnel groups, anyway. Kendall Hunter is a big part of their ground game.

Someone suggested to me via Twitter -- I couldn't immediately find that tweet, unfortunately -- that Gore did not seem to be carrying the ball on back-to-back plays as frequently. I had the same feeling.

Clawson investigated. The results weren't conclusive. Gore had a season-high 11 back-to-back rushes in Week 8. He had seven in Weeks 1 and 11, six in Week 16, five in Week 5 and four in three games (two of them in Week 13 or later).

Gore still managed to rush for 1,211 yards, his highest regular-season total since 2006. His per-carry average spiked during the playoffs. Lots of players withdraw from the Pro Bowl. There should be no panic. But as Gore approaches his 29th birthday in May, about the age when running backs tend to slow, durability questions aren't likely to go away.


(espn.com)

Comments

Frank Gore rushed for 74 yards on 16 carries and caught six balls for 45 yards in the 49ers' playoff loss to the Giants.

Gore finished strong with 163 yards on 29 postseason carries (5.62 YPC), but his regular season stretch-run struggles are a concern entering his age-29 campaign. (Gore turns in late May.) 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh's run-first scheme led to Gore registering his lowest reception total (17) since his rookie year, and Gore's rushing production dropped significantly in the season's second half. With Kendall Hunter deserving a larger role, Gore will be a risky early-round pick in 2012 fantasy drafts.


(rotoworld.com)

Giants S Kenny Phillips, who played at University of Miami, is close with former college teammate Frank Gore, the 49ers' running back. “I spoke to Frank (and) wished him good luck,” Phillips said. Phillips said he’s been fielding calls from players around the league who are wishing him good luck. “It’s a great feeling,” he added.


(cbssports.com)

Frank Gore, Vince Wilfork, Ray Lewis, Jimmy Graham and Ed Reed all made the 2012 Pro Bowl, this being Graham’s first Pro Bowl selection of his career. This will be Gore’s 4th Pro Bowl (2nd consecutive), Wilfork’s 5th Pro Bowl (4th consecutive), Ray Lewis’ 14 Pro Bowl (7th consecutive) and Ed Reed’s 9th Pro Bowl (7th consecutive).

Chris Myers and Andre Johnson have been named alternates. Stay tuned for a couple of more players to be named alternates soon.

By the way: The Florida State Seminoles have ONE Pro Bowler and the Florida Gators also have only ONE Pro Bowler.

Since the 1959 Pro Bowl a proCane has been on a Pro Bowl roster 51 out of 52 seasons. Since the 1984 Pro Bowl, a proCane has been named to the Pro Bowl for 28 straight years. Check out the full history of every single proCane in a Pro Bowl below.

Frank Gore says he always watches “Monday Night Football,” but tonight he’ll have a special interest. “I’m going for Atlanta right now,” Gore said of tonight’s matchup between the host New Orleans Saints and the Falcons. If the Falcons win, the 49ers (12-3) will clinch the NFC playoffs’ No. 2 seed ahead of the Saints (currently 11-3).

Gore’s playoff forecast doesn’t yet include the top-seeded Green Bay Packers (14-1). Rather than watch the Packers’ rout of the Chicago Bears on Christmas night, Gore went to the Golden State Warriors home opener and didn’t even see any of the Packers’ highlights. “We ain’t worried about no Packers right now,” said Gore, referring to the 49ers’ immediate focus rather than any disrespect toward the Packers.

Even if the Saints don’t lose tonight to Atlanta — two NFC South teams who’ve already locked up playoff berths and are jostling for the division title — the 49ers can secure the No. 2 seed and a key first-round bye with a win Sunday at St. Louis.

“If New Orleans doesn’ tlose, we’ll go to St. Louis, try to get a ‘W’, lock up the second seed and get the bye week,” Gore said. “To play on our home field in our first (playoff) game, it will be big for us and I’m excited.”

In reflecting to Saturday’s 19-17 win at Seattle, Gore said the 49ers were confident they would rally after falling behind on a blocked punt and an ensuing Seahawks touchdown. He admitted that feeling didn’t exist in previous years and those miscues would doom the 49ers.

“Back in the day, after the blocked punt, everyone would have been like, ‘Oh man,’ ” Gore said. “Now it’s, ‘Let’s go get some points on the board.’
“We just know we’re a good team. We don’t panic at all,” Gore added. “When things don’t go right, we tell ourselves we need to settle down and make plays. … I felt we were going to win the game. We wanted a touchdown, it didn’t come to that but we wanted the points.



(mercurynews.com)

On Sunday, running back Frank Gore had just 10 carries against the Cardinals.

On Monday, Niners coach Jim Harbaugh said Gore wasn’t 100 percent healthy.

On Thursday, Gore wasn’t on the injury report, a full participant in the first full practice of the week.

Today, Gore spoke to the media for the first time this week to answer the question of … what’s going on here?

Before Gore spoke, offensive coordinator Greg Roman did his best to not shed any light on why Gore had such a modest workload against Arizona.
“Now, wait a second, a couple weeks ago you guys were complaining that we were running it too much,” Roman said. “Now you’ve flipped the switch, huh? Every week it’s different, the strategies are what they are. I’m not going to get into strategy.

Was Roman told Gore wasn’t available for his typical number of carries?

“All conversations are kept internal,” he said.

So, there you have it.

Here’s the highlights from Gore’s Q&A:

Q: Why didn’t you have more than 10 carries last week?
FG: Because that’s the game plan. Me and Kendall were in and out of the game and I guess that’s how the game was called.

Q: After the very first play of the game, you left the field and went and sat down. Were you injured?
FG: No, I just had to get my mind right. I was good. I was good, man. I kind of landed funny and I had to shake that.

Q: Arm?
FG: Yeah, my arm. Yeah.

Q: Is sharing the carries with Kendall designed to keep you fresh for the playoffs?
FG: I feel that any back in this league who, at this time of the year, can share carries here and there can remain fresh. Last week, the game was called, different personnel. And Kendall’s personnel got called pretty much. I’m fine, man.

Q: How much do you really have to focus on the run game to be successful in the red zone?
FG: We have to focus on everything. It’s not just the run game. We’ve got to score touchdowns, whether it’s running or throwing the ball, we’ve got to do both. We’ve got get better in the red zone.

Q: On Monday, Jim Harbaugh said that ‘Frank’s not 100 percent.’ Are you 100 percent good?
FG: I feel good. I’m good. Everybody in the league gets nicks and bruises here and there. It’s the 15th week. NFL football is a physical sport. I’m good enough to go out there and try to get my team a win. Do the best I can.

Q: Do you agree with the philosophy of resting the workhorse back so he is fresher towards the end of the season?
FG: Well, right now we’re just trying to do whatever it takes to be successful. When that time comes and it’s the playoffs, we’ll try to whatever it takes. If it’s that, and my coach wants to do that, I can’t do nothing but go by what he says. Right now, Monday night, we’ve got a good team coming in the Bay Area and we want to go out there and get a win.

Q: It doesn’t sound as if you think you need to be rested.
FG: I’m good. Like I said, whatever my coach wants. If he wants me out there, I’m out there. If he wants me and Kendall to go, I’ve got to do what he says.



(sfgate.com)

Frank Gore and the San Francisco 49ers are hoping for a strong finish to the regular season, beginning with Monday night's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The 49ers have lost two of three since a 9-1 start, and Gore has gone five consecutive games with 88 yards rushing or fewer after stringing together a franchise-record five straight games of 100 yards or more on the ground.

But Gore and his team see Monday's game as a platform to regain momentum and resume the resurgence that has pushed the 49ers into the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons.

''It's a blessing the situation I'm in and the team's in, and everybody wants to win these last three games,'' Gore said Saturday. ''We know that Pittsburgh's a good team that's been playing together a while and is coming in here with a great defense. We just have to go out there Monday night against a tough defense and play 49ers ball, the kind of ball that got us here and this far.''

Gore has played a key role in San Francisco's first winning season and NFC West championship since 2002. He ranks fourth in the NFL with 1,054 yards rushing, recording his team-record fifth 1,000-yard season in six years while becoming the franchise's career leading career rusher two weeks ago.

But opponents have been stacking the line of scrimmage more to stop him, an approach that has become more effective since mid-November. That has caused problems for a struggling San Francisco offense that has been held below 234 yards twice in the past three games.

Next up is Pittsburgh, which features the same 3-4 defensive scheme that gave the 49ers fits in recent losses to Baltimore and Arizona. The Steelers rank second in the NFL in total defense and sixth in rushing defense, and they're likely to follow the blueprint for stopping San Francisco's offense established recently by the Ravens and Cardinals.

''Frank can be productive against anybody,'' 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. ''I think we've seen that. But the running game is a fixture of 11 people doing their job. All 11 people have to do their job to be successful.''

Gore has been hampered by ankle and knee injuries, and the 49ers have had to consider balancing his playing time with keeping their workhorse fresh.

Gore's 37-yard touchdown run last week gave San Francisco a 19-7 lead early in the third quarter. But Gore carried the ball just twice more the rest of the game and San Francisco managed just 41 yards of offense over the final 27 minutes while Arizona rallied to end the 49ers' five-game winning streak between the two NFC West rivals.

The 49ers settled for field goals in all three of their red zone opportunities and were just 3 of 17 on third-down conversion attempts, continuing their season-long problems in both areas.

''There's certain situations where we have to get better, and we're going to get there,'' Gore said. ''We just have to start scoring more points when we have the opportunity. We've had a good week of practice and feel good. We're going to go out there and enjoy this game.''

The 49ers might be without Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Willis for the second consecutive week. Willis missed practice again Saturday and is listed as questionable to play against the Steelers.

Left tackle Joe Staley, who suffered a concussion last week, returned to practice in a limited fashion after sitting out Thursday and Friday. He's also listed as questionable.

Coach Jim Harbaugh has been pleased this week with how his team reacted to a recent stretch of adversity that included injuries and offensive ineptitude. He's eager to see how the 49ers respond Monday.

''I feel good about where we are right now,'' Harbaugh said Saturday. ''This is what we prepare for. Look forward to going out there and putting it on the line. That's what these guys do: They go put it on the line. That's the pressure. That's the excitement of it.''



(foxsports.com)

SANTA CLARA -- Running back Frank Gore said earlier in the day that he felt fine.

And the 49ers' practice participation report on Thursday supported his claim. On the 49ers' first day of practice to prepare for their game Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gore went through the entire practice, the club reported.

Last week, the 49ers did not list Gore with any injuries, either. But Sunday, he played just 39 of the team's 63 offensive plays. At times when he came off the field, he looked to be ailing. But when he had the football in his hands, he looked as good as ever.

Gore had just 10 rushes for 72 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown on the 49ers' first play of the second half. He carried just two more times in the 49ers' 21-19 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. A day later, coach Jim Harbaugh said Gore was "not 100 percent."

Gore has experienced sprains to both ankles and a knee bruise this season. So, perhaps, the 49ers were trying to conserve Gore during the game against the Cardinals. However, the team's pass-heavy game plan backfired.

Quarterback Alex Smith completed 18 of 37 passes for 175 yards against the Cardinals on Sunday. He was also sacked five times. Smith attempted a season-high 38 passes Nov. 20 against the Cardinals, but the 49ers also ran a season-high 87 offensive plays in that game.

So there appears to be no question that Gore will be healthy for the Monday night game against the Steelers. However, there are questions about linebacker Patrick Willis and left tackle Joe Staley.



(csnbayarea.com)

The 49ers have played 13 games and running back Frank Gore is bruised and battered.

Of course he is.

It's impossible for Gore to have touched the ball 250 times and not be feeling the physical toll that it takes on his body. He doesn't avoid contact, and he churns for every yard.

So a banged-up Gore is like Sir Edmund Hillary with chapped lips. It's to be expected. Here's a look at the wear-and-tear his body has absorbed this season:

Sept. 25 at Bengals: Gore sustained a right ankle sprain late in the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals. Gore gained 32 yards on eight carries before the injury, and had nine carries for 10 yards the rest of the game.

Oct. 2 at Eagles: He was listed as going through limited practice the next week in Youngstown, Ohio. Coach Jim Harbaugh said recently that Gore did not practice at all in preparation to face the Philadelphia Eagles. Gore did not start that game, but he came off the sideline to rush for 127 yards and a touchdown on 15 attempts.

Nov. 6 at Redskins: Gore sustained a left ankle sprain in the second quarter against Washington. He rushed for 65 yards on seven carries in the first half, and 42 yards on 12 attempts in the second half. Afterward, he could barely walk. This time more than any other, I thought Gore would not be able to play the following game.

* * *

Through this point in the season, Gore had 159 attempts for 782 yards (4.9 average). After this point, Gore has 75 rushes for 272 yards (3.6 yards).

* * *
Nov. 13 vs. N.Y. Giants: Gore started the game, but he left at the end of the first half when he landed hard on his right knee. He sustained a hyperextended knee and bruise. His final stat line: 0 rushing yards on six attempts.

Nov. 20 vs. Cardinals: He did not practice Wednesday, and was limited the next two days. Gore was listed as questionable for the game against the Cardinals with the knee injury. He started and rushed for 88 yards on 24 rushing attempts. With the game firmly in hand, Gore sat out the final 18 minutes of the game.

Nov. 24 at Baltimore: Gore was limited (knee) in practice for the three days leading up the Thanksgiving game against the Ravens. He was listed as probable. Gore gained 39 yards rushing on 14 carries.

Dec. 4 vs. St. Louis: He was limited in each of the three practices in preparation to face the Rams. The injury designation this week changed to "ankle." He gained 73 yards on 21 rushes, including a long of 20 yards.

Dec. 11 at Cardinals: Gore entered the game healthy, according to the report the 49ers submitted to the NFL. He took part in full practices. But Gore played 38 of the 49ers' 63 offensive snaps. Harbaugh on Monday described Gore this way: "He's got some things. He's not 100 percent."



(csnbayarea.com)

49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh chatted with the media on Monday and the most intriguing bit of news to come out was that Frank Gore is not 100%. That isn't exactly shocking, but it was still interesting to hear Coach Harbaugh say something.

In a brief stretch he was asked about Gore only getting two carries after his third quarter touchdown. He said he did not have an answer. That was followed up with a question as to whether Gore was healthy. In response, Harbaugh said "He's got some things. He's not 100%. We have other backs that got carries in the second half."

Given the relatively tight-lipped nature of Coach Harbaugh, this is about as expansive an answer as you are going to get. Of course, it still leaves plenty of room for speculation. People have suggested several possibilities:

1) Gore was legitimately banged up and just couldn't be given a ton of carries; and/or 2) He could have played the whole game but the team wanted to rest him more with playoffs in mind; and/or 3) The team wanted to try and give Alex Smith more throws to see if he could handle an increased workload.

We're never going to know the truth because Coach Harbaugh will not come right out and say it. Let me correct that. He might say it, but given the way his press conferences go, we might not actually know if he's said it. That's fine and just gives us more to chatter about.

Frank Gore scored the touchdown early in the third quarter and had two carries after that. Why so few throughout the game and especially after? It seemed like you were getting something going with the run game.
"Why so few carries for Frank after..."

Why so few carries for Frank in general? There weren't a lot of carries in the second half.
"I don't have an answer for you."

Is he healthy?
"He's got some things. He's not 100%. We have other backs that got carries in the second half."

Have you guys thought about using RB Anthony Dixon in those short yardage situations?
"Yes."

Why hasn't that materialized yet?
"It hasn't. We know there's going to be criticisms. We know that there's going to be ‘Why's? What happened? What took place? Why didn't you do this? Why didn't you do that? Why didn't you throw the ball here? Who's your go-to guy?' and we're not going to talk about it. We're going to talk about it to our players, to our team. Make a real effort as we always do, every single day this is what we do, try to address problems and get them fixed. Smart guys. We've got those as coaches, we've got those as players and we'll work together to get them fixed, to improve."



(ninersnation.com)

Reggie Wayne started a new streak last week by scoring 56-yard TD (his 1st TD since Week 1) finishing the game with 5 receptions for 122 yards and Jimmy Graham added 2 TDs to go along with his team leading 84 yards on 5 receptions for the New Orleans Saints in their victory over the NY Giants in Week 13 of the 2011 NFL Season.

This Week there were FIVE proCane TDs. The day was started off buy Vince Wilfork who scored his first career NFL TD by recovering a fumble in the end zone and was capped by a Frank Gore TD.

To see the old full 149 week streak click here.

Week 14 2011:
Vince Wilfork - 1 TD - New England Patriots
Jeremy Shockey - 1 TD - Carolina Panthers
Greg Olsen - 1 TD - Carolina Panthers
Santana Moss - 1 TD - Washington Redksins
Frank Gore - 1 TD - San Francisco


Week 13 2011:
Willis McGahee - 1 TD - Denver Broncos

Week 12 2011:
Reggie Wayne - 1 TD - Indianapolis Colts
Jimmy Graham - 2 TDs - New Orleans Saints

Frank Gore said he wasn't injured.

And 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh also said his running back wasn't hurting.

The obvious question: Why did Gore have only 10 carries in San Francisco's 21-19 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday?

The 10 carries were the fewest he has had in a game in which he didn't leave with an injury since he had nine in a loss to Seattle on Dec. 6, 2009.
"Whatever personnel coaches call, that's what I've got to go by," said Gore, who went over 1,000 yards for the fifth time in his seven-year career.

Gore, who has been limited in practice since sustaining an ankle injury in a win over the Giants on Nov. 13, appeared healthy enough. He had 72 yards - averaging 7.2 yards a carry - and scored on a 37-yard run in the third quarter. He had two more carries than backup Kendall Hunter, but Harbaugh said there was no plan to limit Gore's workload, saying the 49ers had a pass-first game plan.

"There was no pitch count," Harbaugh said. "We were doing our best to move the ball, convert, pick up those first downs, and we fell short."

On the 49ers' final drive, they had a 3rd-and-1 at their 41-yard line with 2:14 left and no timeouts remaining. They finished the drive with two straight incompletions as Gore watched from the sideline.

Harbaugh was asked about the game-ending play-calling.

"I don't want to get into the, 'You should have run it when you threw it; why didn't you throw it when you ran it?' " Harbaugh said. "We tried to pick up the first down. We were in two-minute mode, and we're trying to move the ball to get into field-goal range."



(sfgate.com)

On Monday, a day after becoming the franchise's all-time rushing leader, 49ers running back Frank Gore said he wasn't sure if he would receive a game ball for his performance in a 26-0 win over the Rams.

A few hours later, head coach Jim Harbaugh shed no light on the subject. Harbaugh, however, did offer his plan for paying tribute to Gore's milestone in the future.

A game ball? Please. How about having Gore in bronze?

"There should be a statue to Frank," Harbaugh said. "Maybe with the new stadium ... A life-size statue of him in one of those cool positions he gets in - about 6 inches off the ground, or a leg going one way, and the other going the other, twisting and turning. It's just so cool. It's just so cool to slow the tape down and watch what he does."

Staley has message for fans: After quarterback Alex Smith was sacked on a third-down play in the third quarter Sunday, left tackle Joe Staley attempted to rip off his chinstrap and, with his fists clenched, screamed in frustration as he walked off the field.

Staley, who didn't allow the sack, wasn't peeved with what happened on the field. Instead, he wasn't thrilled by the Candlestick Park fans doing the wave while the offense was on the field. The noise-generating wave is considered a distraction to offenses.

On Sunday night, Staley wrote on his Twitter account, "Thanks to the fans for being so supportive and great this year so far. Keep it up. Just don't start the wave anymore when we are on offense."



(sfgate.com)

Frank Gore summed up his upbeat feelings Monday in a six-minute session with reporters. Turns out it was a warm-up act for defensive line coach Jim Tomsula’s 60-minute interview during the lunch hour. I’ll post the highlights from Tomsula later, complete with an anecdote about Justin Smith chipping his teeth at a non-padded practice and the defensive linemen cast as Muppets.

For now, here is what Gore said, a day after he became the 49ers’ all-time leading rusher in a 26-0 win over St. Louis that clinched the 49ers’ first NFC West title since 2002:

– On what it’s like to have a playoff berth for the first time in his career: “It’s been a  tough time for us since we’ve been here. It’s the first time to win the division and get to the playoffs. It’s big, big.”

– On any interaction with fellow 2005 draft class product Alex Smith: “I talked to Alex after the game a little bit, in the locker room. We were happy.”

– On seeing fellow co-captain Patrick Willis get hurt: “I was kind of nervous, kind of scared. We need Pat. He’s a big part of this team. He’s a leader. I feel real good when 52 is on the field. I’m happy it was a hamstring. He’ll be fine. He’ll be good. Pat, he’ll be back.”

– On the next order of business: “Our goal was to be division champs. Now we did that. Now we’ll try to be the No. 1 or No. 2 seed. We’ll go from there.”

 – On whether he wants to rest down the stretch: “Nah, nah. We’re playing. We’re playing ball. We’ve got four more games left, right? So we’re playing ball. We’ll try to win these last four. Hopefully whatever happens withGreen Bay, we can get the No. 1 or No. 2 seed, and that will be great for us.”

– On a recent lack of 100-yard games and how defenses are keying on him more: “Yeah, they are, but we’re winning. In some of the games, I haven’t played. In the Arizona game, I didn’t play some of the third or fourth quarter, and that would have been a 100-yard game. Yesterday I didn’t play the fourth quarter. We’re still doing good in the running game. A lot of guys are gearing up to stop the run, but we’re winning and I’m good with it.”

– On seeing big plays in the passing game: “I love it. I love it. I love it. If they want to keep playing eight or nine men in the box (near the line of scrimmage), Alex will keep killing them. As long as we get the win, I’m good with whatever happens, if it’s running or passing.”

– On last night’s celebration: ”I just hung out with some of my teammates and enjoyed the win and our first time in the playoffs since 2002. Now that we got that out the way, the next step is to get the No. 1 or No. 2 seed.”

- On passing Joe Perry as the 49ers’ all-time leading rusher: “It’s a blessing, to do something in this organization with a lot of great players. My name being mentioned amongst them guys, I’m happy about it. It was hard work. Had some ups and downs. It’s a blessing.”

(mercurynews.com)

After the game, Frank Gore's emotion could not be tackled easily. Sort of like Frank Gore himself.

The man was pumped. He jogged to Candlestick Park's south end zone and raised his arms to screaming fans who'd stuck around to celebrate the 26-0 victory over St. Louis -- a victory that created a relevant 49ers' January for the first time since the 2002 season.

Did the last three months really happen? They did. Gore let out a whoop. He decided raising his arms wasn't enough, not on a day when he set the all-time 49ers career rushing record and also clinched his first playoff trip, ever.

And so Gore spontaneously grabbed a large 49ers flag, snatching it from Lucas Ortiz, a personal trainer from Mountain View who moonlights on weekends as one of those peppy-cheery-banner-running guys.

"Frank just ran up and took it away from me," Ortiz reported about his absent flag. "I wasn't going to stop him. He earned it."

Gore took his earned income and waved it. He waved the flag in one corner of the end zone, jogged to the other corner and did the same thing. He didn't want to let the flag go. He carried it down the dugout tunnel. He carried it into the locker room. A puzzled Ortiz tried to follow Gore and reclaim the flag, but failed.

"I'm sure he'll give it back to me later -- hopefully, signed," Ortiz said.

Gore's plan did run into a glitch. Once he entered the locker room, the ceilings were too low for him to do more waving. So he decided just to bask and enjoy and yell, along with his teammates.

"I was just having fun," he said. "I am just happy."

Frank Gore cannot tell a lie. The past six years, he wasn't happy. After each season, he sat and watched NFL playoff games with a stomach that felt like it was trying to digest a wad of discarded ankle tape.

Gore's stomach felt this way because those six years, after he spent so many games being tackled and tenderized and bruised in loss after loss, he was forced to witness other teams dance across his television screen in the postseason. It really bothered him. Especially after the 2008 season. That bothered him most of all.

"It was the year Arizona made it to the Super Bowl," Gore said. "When you see that, it lets you know that anything can happen in the postseason ... us against Arizona that year, the games were neck and neck. That year, their team clicked at the right time."

And the 49ers, of course, never clicked -- until this season, when under new coach Jim Harbaugh, the clicking was deafening.

Sunday's game, which featured many slog-it-out moments, was not a pretty victory. But for Gore and the other 49ers who had endured the past six seasons, it was still giddy. For Gore, it even made all of those wad-of-ankle-tape-in-the-stomach nights worth the misery.

Gore didn't score a touchdown, didn't have a spectacular game. He finished with 21 carries for 73 yards, an average of 3.5 yards per carry -- typical of the way his odometer works. Yet it was special when, on the second play of the second quarter, he took the ball and bulled around right end for 2 yards and officially pushed himself to first place on the all-time list of 49ers running backs.

Harbaugh, watching from the sideline, was leading the applause.

"It's a powerful thing to set that kind of a record," Harbaugh said. "You start talking about some of the injuries he's had, injuries that would end the career of a lesser man. Shoulder, knee, hip. What it takes to bounce back from that, mentally and the physical rehab. ... That's all just strength. That's strong will."

Gore, who acknowledged the crowd's ovation when the news of his record was posted on the scoreboard, later gave his own quasi-acceptance speech.

"I first have to say thanks to the man up above," Gore said, "for letting me do something that I love to do and to have my name be mentioned with some of the guys who were here before me. I also have to give a shout-out to all of my O-linemen that have helped me get this record -- the ones who are here now and one who were here before."

As has often been noted, Gore is the most popular veteran in the 49ers locker room, largely because of the way he has endured and persevered. But his leadership skills are often underrated. Harbaugh told a story that illustrated why they shouldn't be. Last week, Gore sensed his coach was uptight as the 49ers approached their possible playoff-clincher.

"He came up to me probably half a dozen times and said, 'Coach, we got this,' " Harbaugh said. "And I believed him. I trusted him."

In Gore they always trust. With his record carry Sunday, he surpassed the club record held by Joe "The Jet" Perry, who gained his 7,344 yards from 1950-60 and 1963. Gore might be more famous nationally if, like "The Jet," Gore had a colorful nickname. If that were the case, he might be known as Frank "Grinder" Gore, because that's the way he runs.

For the record, some of the other 49ers players do call him "Big Frank." It's a salute to the way he's often carried the team on his back since 2005. It's also amusing, given Gore's stature. He is hardly a big man. At 5-foot-9 and 217 pounds, he can at time disappear into the clump of opposing tacklers, only to pop out of the clump and grind out more yardage. Gore's offensive linemen never cease to be amazed.

"It's just an honor to be a part of it," offensive tackle Anthony Davis said.

As of this morning, Gore is officially at 7,396 yards. And grinding.


(mercurynews.com)

SANTA CLARA -- Since Frank Gore became the full-time starter in 2006, he has been widely regarded as one of the NFL's top all-around running backs.

Gore is in the elite class because of the consistency he has shown with his ability to run, catch and block.

He remains one of the top runners in the league. And his determination and skills in pass protection are considered so unique for a player who produces as many yards. In fact, his blocking skills are so valuable that this season he has not been asked to catch as many passes.

Through 11 games, Gore has caught just 16 passes for 101 yards and no touchdowns. In his previous five seasons as the starter, Gore averaged 51 receptions for 430 yards.

When asked why Gore hasn't caught as many passes this season, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh answered, "There might be some reasons schematically that we're looking at in that area."

Quarterback Alex Smith said the changes in the 49ers' offensive system have required that Gore take on more responsibility in pass protection.
"Scheme, obviously, is a little different," Smith said. "Protections are different. That all impacts it, especially a running back getting out into his check-downs. Frank is one of the best in the game, I think, in protecting and he takes a lot of pride in that and the way we use him in our protections.

"Sometimes he doesn't get out (into a pass route) all of the time. You play that game. Do you want the backs out right now? Or do you want them helping out in protection?"

Gore said the 49ers have made the wideouts more a part of the offense, which has taken away opportunities for him to catch passes. And he is not complaining.

"Alex has done a great job of getting the ball down the field," Gore said. "I'm good with that. We have more success with Alex throwing the ball down the field than just looking at me and checking the ball down. It's more about the team than me and my stats."

Here are Gore's receiving stats since entering the league in 2005 as Kevan Barlow's backup (in parenthesis games played/games started):

2011 (11/10): 16 catches, 101 yards, 6.3 avg, 0 TDs 2010 (11/11): 46 catches, 452 yards, 9.8 avg, 2 TDs 2009 (14/14): 52 catches, 406 yards, 7.8 avg, 3 TDs 2008 (14/14): 43 catches, 373 yards, 8.7 avg, 2 TDs 2007 (15/15): *53 catches, 436 yards, 8.2 avg, 1 TD 2006 (16/16): *61 catches, 485 yards, 8.0 avg, 1 TD 2005 (14/1): 15 catches, 131 yards, 8.7 avg, 0 TD
*-Team lead


(csnbayarea.com)

In the SI story, running back Frank Gore said Harbaugh’s aggressive style was a welcome change, contrasting it with former Niners coach Mike Nolan.

“(Nolan) just wanted us to stay in the game instead of saying, Let’s go attack them and see what we can do,” Gore said. “It ain’t about them, it’s about us — that’s the attitude you have to have. Coach Harbaugh? That’s how he and his coaches are. Look at his swag. I love it.”

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sfgate.com)

The 49ers proved they could win without running back Frank Gore in their 27-20 win over the Giants, but it doesn't appear they'll have to make the point again when they host the Cardinals on Sunday.

Coach Jim Harbaugh said he expects Gore to be able to play this week after he didn't finish the win over New York because of a knee injury. Gore had six carries for zero yards and took part in just one play in the second half.

In Gore's absence, rookie Kendall Hunter (six carries, 40 yards) had a 17-yard touchdown run, and Anthony Dixon had 10 yards on two carries. Dixon had four carries for 10 yards in the season's first eight games.

"I would plan on (Gore) playing, but you just feel like right now that we've got a stable of backs," Harbaugh said. "We've got Frank Gore. We've got Kendall Hunter. We've got fresh legs in Anthony Dixon. This bodes really well for our football team."

Given Gore's health status - and the 49ers' upcoming schedule - it's possible the Niners will use their full complement of backs against Arizona. San Francisco will visit the Ravens on Thanksgiving, four days after playing the Cardinals.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sfgate.com)

Frank Gore was nearly on the ground when Jason Pierre-Paul, the New York Giants' 278-pound defensive end, rocked the San Francisco 49ers' running back with a clean, tough hit.

It was the sort of hit that is tough to anticipate, increasing vulnerability to injury. Gore got up, quickly located his backup on the sideline and signaled for Kendall Hunter to replace him.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says Gore's knee injury does not appear to be serious. Barrows: "Gore was seen moving around Monday without a limp, and Jim Harbaugh said he thought the running back would be able to play Sunday against the Cardinals. Gore entered Sunday's game against the Giants with a sprained left ankle, then appeared to injure his right knee after a hard tackle by defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul in the second quarter." Noted: Do the 49ers absolutely need Gore to win at home against the Cardinals? They might. No victories are gimmes. Still, if the 49ers can get away with significantly scaling back Gore's work or holding him out of the game entirely, that could serve them well for the remainder of the season. Gore lasted 11 games in 2010 before suffering a season-ending injury.

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com says Gore told him he felt fine.

Also from Maiocco: Harbaugh says multiple 49ers assistants project as head coaching candidates. Noted: Harbaugh is making a concerted effort to promote selflessness among the 49ers. He regularly gives all credit to players. Players regularly deflect praise. Winning makes everyone happy.

Scott Kacsmar of Cold, Hard Football Facts breaks down the 49ers' victory over the Giants. Thanks for passing along, Scott.

Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News says Alex Smith played Sunday with confidence he had not shown previously.

Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle quotes Harbaugh as saying there was nothing lucky about the play Justin Smith made to preserve the victory Sunday.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

The 49ers didn’t get a lot out of Frank Gore in their win over the Giants on Sunday, but they expect their top running back to play against Arizona.

Gore carried the ball six times for zero yards in the first half and then spent most of the second half on the sideline after injuring his right knee. Gore has also been battling an ankle injury for a few weeks, which meant Kendall Hunter and Anthony Dixon carried the load while he was out of the game. Hunter had a 17-yard touchdown run, but the Niners mostly relied on Alex Smith’s arm to beat the Giants.

Coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday that he plans on playing Gore in Week 11, but also hinted that there is an MRI in the running back’s future to rule out any serious damage to the knee.

“He’ll get it checked on, yeah,” Harbaugh said, via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “Spare no expense checking on Frank.”

While the 49ers would obviously like a full strength Gore in the backfield, Sunday’s win proved to them that they can succeed offensively when they don’t get a big game from the tailback. Gore’s five-game streak of 100-plus rushing yards came to an end, but San Francisco extended their winning streak to seven games anyway.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(profootballtalk.com)

On a conference call with the Bay Area media Wednesday, Giants quarterback Eli Manning said he wasn’t sure why Niners running back Frank Gore ultimately decided to sign with Miami instead of joining Manning at Ole Miss in 2001.

“Y’all can ask him that,” Manning said.

Today, following Manning’s suggestion, we did ask Gore about why he stayed in his home state for college. He explained that his late mother was in declining health and Miami coaches offered a persuasive sales pitch.

“They were like: ‘You want to be the best? Then come play with the best. I know you’re not scared of competing. Come to Miami,’” Gore said.
Gore also discussed his status for Sunday’s game and sounded like a running back who will be ready to go. He said his left ankle felt much better than it did in the days leading up to the 24-23 win against the Eagles in Week 4. Gore, a game-time decision, rushed for 127 carries on 15 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown against Philadelphia.

Here’s the Q&A with Gore:

Q: You thought about playing at Ole Miss?
FG: I was looking at wanting to play early. I thought going to Ole Miss I had a chance to start. But, you know, I had my mom situation. And (Miami) coach C.J. (Curtis Johnson), the receiver coach from New Orleans, and coach Kiel (?), they really recruited me good.
They were like: “You want to be the best? Then come play with the best. I know you’re not scared of competing. Come to Miami.”

Q: You wound up getting a lot of carries as a true freshman. And then the following spring you beat out McGahee for the starting job, right?
FG: Yeah, I was going to be named the starter. And I was a freshman All-American. I was just young, coming out of high school, wanting to play. You look at that Miami roster and they had Najeh Davenport, McGahee, Clinton Portis.
If I go to Ole Miss, Deuce (McCallister), he was leaving. And there wasn’t anybody there. He was leaving.

Q: When was that trip?
FG: I forgot. It was my senior year, though.

Q: During football season?
FG: I don’t remember.

Q: Did you see a game?
FG: Nah. But Eli was like, ‘Yeah, man, we’re going to be like Peyton and Edgerrin James if you come here.’ It was cool. It was cool.

Q: Had he been the QB at that point?
FG: Yeah, he was the quarterback.

Q: But had he been THE quarterback?
FG: Yeah.

Q: Thoughts on Giants run defense?
FG: They play well as a group. You look at statistics and they say they don’t play well against the run, but when you watch film … in the Buffalo game, he had an 80-yard run and finished up with like 110, 120 (yards). So they’ve got to be doing something good, give up an 80-yard run, but only give up 120. It’s just that they broke down on that one play. But they play well as a group.

Q: Is their defensive line they similar to the Lions in how they rotate so much?
FG: As a group, they’re probably more athletic. They’ve got some big guys, (Justin) Tuck. They play well together.

Q: How do feel physically?
FG: I feel good. I’ll practice today, and practice Friday, and get ready for Sunday.

Q: Do you feel a lot better than (before the Eagles game)?
FG: Yeah. Yeah.

Q: If you guys secure a playoff spot early, would you be OK playing less and less in December as the playoffs approach?
FG: It’s up to coach. Whatever he feels is best for our team, for us. (That’s) what we would do. I don’t have any say-so, should I play less, or whatever. Whatever coach Harbaugh wants to do, that’s what we’re going to do.

Q: Is there a fine line? You want to be sharp for the playoffs and you would need a certain number of carries to stay sharp?
FG: Like I said, whatever coach wants us to do, that’s what I’m going to do.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sfgate.com)

During the 49ers' long stretch of futility, Frank Gore often was reluctant to share the load. He wanted to do anything he could to stave off the mounting losses -- even if that meant withstanding his own mounting injuries.

Now that the 49ers have a commanding lead in the NFC West, Gore sounds a lot more open to the idea of backing off. Looking ahead, the 49ers (7-1) might be able to clinch the division title early enough to let their leading rusher freshen up for the first playoff game of his seven-year career.
"It's up to Coach. Whatever he feels is best for our team, for us. (That's) what we would do," Gore said Thursday. "I don't have any say-so about whether I should play less, or whatever."

Gore said his latest injury, to his left ankle, will not prevent him from taking the Candlestick Park field Sunday against the New York Giants. He said he "feels good" and vowed to practice all week.

Gore has five consecutive 100-yard games. He needs 149 yards to surpass Joe "The Jet" Perry (7,344 yards) for the 49ers' all-time franchise record.

The Giants rank only 25th in the NFL against the run (allowing 127.1 yards per game), but Gore said the stat is deceiving. He pointed to a game in which Buffalo's Fred Jackson racked up 121 rushing yards -- but 80 came on one touchdown run.

"They broke down on that one play. But they play well as a group," Gore said. "As a group, they're athletic. They've got some big guys in there, like (Justin) Tuck."

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(mercurynews.com)

An ankle injury suffered by running back Frank Gore was severe enough to warrant X-rays. However, neither Gore nor 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh on Monday seemed very concerned.

Gore emerged from a 19-11 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday with a bothersome ankle, though it wasn't enough to slow him in his march toward a fifth straight 100-yard game rushing.

"I'll be all right," said Gore, who rushed for 107 yards and is third in the league at 782. "I'm cool. Just checking up some things on my body. Yeah, I'll be all right."

Harbaugh said he isn't surprised that several of his players came away from the Redskins game banged up.

"That was a tough, physical game for everybody on our football team," Harbaugh said. "We knew it was going to be that way going in, and it played out that way."

Gore appeared far more comfortable discussing the prospect of playing for a playoff-bound team than his health. He is one of numerous players on the 49ers' 53-man roster who have yet to experience a winning season, let alone a trip to the NFC playoffs.

The 49ers hold a commanding five-game lead in the NFC West at the midpoint of the season. It's conceivable that they could clinch the division title well before December.

"That would be a big thing," defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois said. "Our goal, we're trying not to let another team have to help us get to the playoffs. ... We're trying to secure a playoff spot now, so we don't have to worry about that later in the season."

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(mercurynews.com)

The 49ers are closing in on the NFC West title, with Frank Gore leading the way.

Gore topped 100 rushing yards for the fifth consecutive game — something no one had ever done in 49ers history — and San Francisco cruised past the Redskins, 19-11 in Washington.

The 49ers improved to 7-1 with the victory, and with the Seahawks losing to the Cowboys and dropping to 2-6, the 49ers already have a whopping five-game lead in the NFC West. They should wrap up the division title by the end of the month.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(profootballtalk.com)

After his fifth straight 100-yard game, a 49ers franchise record, running back Frank Gore donned a dark green military-style jacket, green cargo pants, and designer jewel- encrusted dog tags.

"I told myself I'm going to wear this, because I felt I was going to come out hunting on Sunday," Gore said. "It's my hunting outfit."

Gore had 107 yards on 19 carries in San Francisco's 19-11 win over the collapsing Redskins.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(philly.com)

Not that Frank Gore's candidacy for MVP needs defending, but just in case: The San Francisco 49ers' running back has gained 28.6 percent of his rushing yards against eight or more defenders in the box.

That's the highest percentage among all players with at least 400 yards rushing this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

I put together the chart below after Lotharun2 asked in the comments section of an earlier item where Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy ranked in yards against these stacked defenses.

McCoy has 17 carries for 72 yards against eight or more defenders in the box. That works out to a healthy 4.2-yard average. But with a dynamic quarterback and playmakers on the perimeter, the Eagles make it tougher for defenses to load up against the run. In my view, that explains why McCoy has gained a relatively low percentage of his runs against eight or more in the box.

The 49ers prefer heavier personnel groupings featuring two tight ends. They have enough speed at tight end to enjoy flexibility from these groupings, but the team has not consistently put an emphasis on downfield strikes.

Tough Sledding: Percent Yardage vs. 8+ Defenders in Box (min. 400 yards total)

Rank	Running Back	7 or fewer	8 or more	Total	Pct. vs. 8 or more
1	Frank Gore	482	193	675	28.6%
2	Adrian Peterson	581	217	798	27.2%
3	Michael Turner	476	145	621	23.3%
4	Maurice Jones-Drew	587	153	740	20.7%
5	Ray Rice	392	97	489	19.8%
6	Ben Tate	420	88	508	17.3%
7	Arian Foster	440	92	532	17.3%
8	Willis McGahee	391	69	460	15.0%
9	Rashard Mendenhall	362	59	421	14.0%
10	Ryan Mathews	437	69	506	13.6%
11	Shonn Greene	370	56	426	13.1%
12	Darren McFadden	534	80	614	13.0%
13	Steven Jackson	393	56	449	12.5%
14	Cedric Benson	409	49	458	10.7%
15	Beanie Wells	455	51	506	10.1%
16	LeSean McCoy	682	72	754	9.5%
17	Ahmad Bradshaw	405	35	440	8.0%
18	Matt Forte	658	14	672	2.1%
19	Fred Jackson	707	14	721	1.9%

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.

Frank Gore, who comes to FedEx Field this weekend with the 49ers, had himself quite an October. He played in four games and rushed for 127 (vs. the Eagles), 125 (Bucs), 141 (Lions) and 134 (Seahawks) yards.

This is no small feat. Only a dozen NFL backs in the last 50-odd years have had a streak of four games or longer in which they rushed for 125-plus yards. And only Clinton Portis, a running mate of Gore’s at the University of Miami, has done it twice – once with Mike Shanahan’s Broncos, the other time with Jim Zorn’s Redskins.

Maybe you’d be more impressed if I listed some of the backs who haven’t done it: Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Curtis Martin, Jerome Bettis, LaDainian Tomlinson, Tony Dorsett, Marshall Faulk, Edgerrin James, Franco Harris, Thurman Thomas, Fred Taylor, John Riggins, Corey Dillon, Warrick Dunn and Ricky Watters. (In other words, 15 of the top 20 rushers of all time.) Jamal Lewis never did it, either, not even in his 2,000-yard season with the Ravens. Tiki Barber? Eddie George? Shaun Alexander? Nope.

OK, without further ado, here is the company Gore keeps. By the way, the record for consecutive 125-yard rushing games is six, shared by three players (just in case Frank wants to keep his streak going Sunday):

● Earl Campbell, Houston Oilers, 1980 (6 straight, Games 6-11) – 178, 203, 202, 157, 130, 206.
● Eric Dickerson, Rams, 1984 (6 straight, Games 10-15) – 208, 149, 132, 191, 149, 215.
● Chris Johnson, Titans, 2009 (6 straight, Games 6-11) – 128, 228, 135, 132, 151, 154.
● Jim Brown, Browns, 1958 (5 straight, Games 1-5) – 171, 129, 182, 153, 180.
● O.J. Simpson, Bills, 1975 (5 straight, Games 1-5) – 173, 227, 138, 159, 126.
● Barry Sanders, Lions, 1997 (5 straight, Games 12-16) – 216, 167, 137, 138, 184.
● Clinton Portis, Broncos, 2003-04 (5 straight, Games 11-14, 1) – 165, 170, 218, 139, 148.
● Larry Johnson, Chiefs, 2005 (5 straight, Games 12-16) – 140, 143, 167, 131, 201.
● Otis Armstrong, Broncos, 1974 (4 straight, Games 11-14) – 146, 144, 183, 142.
● Marcus Allen, Raiders, 1985 (4 straight, Games 11-14) – 135, 173, 156, 135.
● Terrell Davis, Broncos, 1998 (4 straight, Games 5-8) – 168, 208, 136, 149.
● Clinton Portis, Redskins, 2008 (4 straight, Games 5-8) – 145, 129, 175, 126.
● Frank Gore, 49ers, 2011 (4 straight, Games 4-7) – 127, 125, 141, 134.

(FYI: Shanahan is the only coach to have two backs on the list – Portis and Davis.)

Click here to order Frank Gore’s or Clinton Portis’ proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtontimes.com)

San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore has been nominated for the FedEx Ground Player of the Week award. To vote for Gore, visit this link. He goes up against Steven Jackson of the St. Louis Rams and LeSean McCoy of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Gore had 31 carries for 134 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers' 20-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

Gore has rushed for 125 yards in four straight games and has scored a touchdown in each of those games. Both are career firsts for Gore.

On Sunday, Gore passed Roger Craig for second in rushing on the all-time franchise ranks. Gore has grown close to Craig in the past couple years. 

"He (Craig) called me last night," Gore said on Monday. "He's happy for me. Me and Roger have gotten really close the last two years. When I got injured, he called me a lot during the offseason, telling me what I had to do and that I'd be fine.

"It's big. Especially with a guy who did great things in this league and this organization, I respect him a whole lot."

Gore won the award two weeks ago for his performance against the Lions. He had 141 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(examiner.com)

Like any elite running back, Frank Gore is happy to carry the load.

Since being drafted in 2005, Gore has been the 49ers workhorse, taking more than 1,500 handoffs and rushing for 7,089 yards.

On Sunday, in a 20-10 victory over the Bengals, he ran past Roger Craig into second place on the franchise’s all-time rushing yardage list, grinding out yards in typical Gore fashion, carrying 31 times for 134 yards and a TD.

It marked the fourth straight game Gore has rushed for more than 125 yards in a game, and the 49ers have ridden his slashing, cutting style to a 6-1 record and a big lead in the NFC West.

Though Gore is happy to get his carries and his yards, it’s nothing new. In years past, he’s had great seasons and been to the Pro Bowl. But this year is different.

For the first time, Gore has a chance to be on a winning team and go to the playoffs.

“I just want to keep it going,” he told reporters after Sunday’s win.

According to ESPN, Gore joins Larry Johnson, O.J. Simpson and Terrell Davis as the only running backs since 1970 to have at least 125 yards rushing and a rushing TD in four consecutive games. Johnson and Simpson are the only backs to do it in five consecutive games, which Gore could tie with another big effort this coming Sunday in Washington against the Redskins.

Meanwhile, the 49ers already have matched their six victories of 2010, and have matched the best record for an NFL team (through seven games) that had lost 10 games the previous season.

Gore, of course, has been at the heart of the 49ers turnaround under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff. The 49ers’ formula has been great special teams, a strong run defense and run offense and few turnovers.

In Sunday’s victory over Cleveland, even Browns defenders were talking about how good Gore is, and how effective he is in using his blockers.

“He’s just so patient,” linebacker D’Qwell Jackson told columnist Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News. “He has those big offensive linemen in front of him, and he understands what the offense is trying to get done when they run the ball. And he waits to make his move. Like I say, he’s just so patient.”

Added 49ers fullback Bruce Miller: “He almost makes the block for you. You just get in front of someone, and he makes the cut. He’s such a savvy football player.”

On a day when he acknowledged how happy he was to have a great game and to pass Craig – whom he admires so much – Gore was even more ecstatic to be part of a winning team.

“I’m so happy man,” Gore told the Sacramento Bee’s Ailene Voisin. “We’re 6-1. We’re winning. I’m just having fun. (Before) I was young, man. I was thinking about Pro Bowls and all other crazy stuff. Now I’m not thinking about yards, just enjoying the ride.”

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(nbcbayarea.com)

SAN FRANCISCO – Frank Gore is too tough on himself. His work ethic is twice the size (at least) of his ego. He never complains about having a bad day. His career has been disrupted by injuries, the Alex Smith circus and the 49ers' coaching carousel, but other than the occasional request for a few more carries, this is usually the guy who is just glad to have a job.

Sunday was different, though. Sunday was more than the average NFL work shift. After the 49ers completed their methodical victory over the visiting Cleveland Browns, Gore was so delighted, he practically begged to be pinched. He also opened up a little bit about his least favorite topic: himself.

"I'm so happy, man," said a smiling Gore, shaking his head. "We're 6-1. We're winning. I'm just having fun. (Before,) I was young, man. I was thinking about the Pro Bowls and all other crazy stuff. I was selfish. Now, I'm not thinking about yards, just enjoying the ride."

That's not exactly all he is doing, of course.

Against a stingy Browns defense, he carried the ball 31 times for 134 yards (4.3 average), scored a touchdown, scored what appeared to be a second touchdown and moved past Roger Craig into second place among the 49ers' all-time rushing leaders.

Gore has contributed at least 125 yards and a touchdown against four consecutive opponents, exploiting the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions and Browns.

Additionally – and perhaps most impressively – he has been emblematic of these surprising 49ers – stubborn, resilient, occasionally spectacular.
And this is not a huge man. At 5-foot-9 and 217 pounds, with much of his thickness in his upper body, he relies on a combination of speed and power, little wasted motion and, increasingly, the improved blocking of teammates.

In one of the most impressive possessions of the afternoon – the seven-yard touchdown that was called back early in the second quarter when officials thought Gore's knee hit the ground outside the end zone – the 323-pound Anthony Davis appeared to clear out three Browns, creating a gaping hole over the left side.

"The linemen love (Gore)," said Alex Smith. "Great vision as a back. But, you look at yards after contact, he's such a great runner."

That hasn't changed, though Gore swears he has become a different player in some respects, particularly in his approach to conditioning. Because of his history of ankle and groin injuries, and a hip fracture that ended his 2010 season a month early, he has spent innumerable hours consulting 49ers trainers and coaches. Running backs coach Tom Rathman has been particularly influential, Gore said, urging him to incorporate cardio exercises into his morning routine.

As much as anything, he had to incorporate a who-gives-a-hoot attitude toward his early-season skeptics.

And there were plenty. The 49ers' signing of Gore to a three-year extension, coupled with his perplexing and sluggish three-game start, was debated almost as heatedly as his quarterback's prospects under new head coach Jim Harbaugh.

But when you win? No one remembers. Contracts remain expensive, but talk becomes cheap. Negative water cooler chatter simply evaporates. Gore isn't the type to hold grudges, either.

"That was big," he acknowledged of his individual effort. "The Cleveland Browns had a very disciplined defense. They don't make mistakes. But they did a great job up front.

"Our coordinator did a great job. We just got rolling. Offense can't be one man. And my man Alex (Smith) is making plays."

Of course, then he turned the conversation back to the 49ers and that 6-1 record. There will be no need to wear a mask this year on Halloween.
Asked if he remembers what it feels like to feel this good with November approaching, he just grinned.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sacbee.com)

Frank Gore moved into second place on the 49ers' all-time rushing list Sunday, surpassing Roger Craig on a 2-yard run in the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Candlestick Park.

Gore came out of the game to get his right ankle taped after the play. He had 19 carries for 103 yards in the first half as the 49ers took a 17-3 lead into halftime.

The seventh-year running back out of Miami entered was looking to eclipse the 100-yard mark for a fourth straight game, something he'd never done in his career.

Gore entered Sunday's game with 6,955 yards rushing, 109 shy of Craig's total. The late Joe Perry owns the 49ers record with 7,344 yards.

Gore moved into a tie with Craig with a 6-yard run on the 49ers' first series after halftime. He took sole possession of the No. 2 spot on the following series, gaining two yards on a run to the left side.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(mercurynews.com)

Running back Frank Gore needs 110 yards to pass Roger Craig and move into second place on the 49ers’ all-time rushing list.

Funny, it sounds as if Craig is more excited about the upcoming milestone than Gore.

Craig, who at the 49ers’ facility today in advance of his induction into the team’s Hall of Fame in November, said Gore wasn’t aware that he was one big game removed from moving into second place.

Gore and Craig, who have forged a close friendship over the years, spoke today while Gore was receiving treatment in the training room.

“It just shows how mentally he’s just involved in winning and doing his job every day,” Craig said. “He wasn’t aware that he was that close. He wasn’t even aware that he was Fed Ex (Ground) Player of the Week (last week). I texted him and said congratulations on being the Fed Ex Player of the Week. He said ‘When did that happen?’ That shows how focused he is and I like that.”

Craig (7,064 yards) will attend Sunday’s game against the Browns, hoping to see Gore (6,955) surpass him at Candlestick.

“I hope he gets there,” Craig said. “Because if he gets 110 yards, that means we’re winning. When Frank gets over 100, we win. And I’d love to be there to see him do it in person.”

Gore is 390 yards away from surpassing Joe Perry and becoming the franchise’s all-time leading rusher.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sfgate.com)

Three weeks ago, the 49ers had the league’s 30th-ranked rushing offense at 69.7 yards per game. Today, the 49ers are all the way up to No. 5, courtesy of Frank Gore surpassing the 100-yard rushing mark in three consecutive games.  Gore had a season-high 141-yard rushing effort in Sunday’s 25-19 win over Detroit.

For Sunday’s output, Gore has been nominated for the FedEx Ground NFL Players of the Week award. He also was nominated last week, and quarterback Alex Smith was dominated the week prior. Voting is done by fans through noon on Friday at NFL.com/FedEx.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(mercurynews.com)

When he started coaching Frank Gore two years ago, Tom Rathman quickly learned a new piece of football strategy: Switch the cell phone to vibrate before bedtime on Sunday nights, because the call could come at any hour.

Usually, the phone would go off between 1 and 2 a.m., and Rathman wanted a shot at keeping everyone else in the house asleep. He'd answer, stumbling sleepily to take the call. The 49ers' star running back would be on the line, obsessing over the game and eager for a critique of certain plays.

" 'Did I read that one right?' " Rathman said, impersonating a wired Gore before he mimicked his own drowsy voice. "Yeah, you read it right, Frank. Go to sleep."

One might think that dozing off would be easier for Gore now that the 49ers are 4-1 and becoming more offensively proficient than they've been at any previous time in his seven-year NFL career. But he says he can't sleep after any game, win or lose.

"Some things you can't get out of your head," he said. "You know what I mean?"

A lot of football players obsess into the night after games. Very few make the kinds of compulsive demands on their bosses that Gore does. None, at least in this region, has ever turned a string of coaches into sentimental mush, smiling like doting parents whenever they discuss him in public. It's the one style point that Mike Nolan, Mike Singletary and Jim Harbaugh - the three head coaches in Gore's 49ers career - have shared.
He has a similar effect on the matriarch of the franchise. Denise DeBartolo York deliberately stays in the background of the 49ers, allowing her husband and son to run the team. But she becomes fairly visible when she visits Gore outside the locker room after a game. She has been known to greet him with hugs and kisses, exclaiming: "There's my guy."

In a typical offseason, Gore said, he can expect her to check in by phone, and occasionally he calls the team owner "Ma." Gore can't explain exactly how the two of them bonded, but the connection grew stronger when DeBartolo York attended his mother's funeral in South Florida four years ago.

"I was kind of out of it that day, so I don't remember who all came," he said. "But I remember seeing Denise sitting there in the front row."

In keeping with her low profile, DeBartolo York declined an interview about Gore through the 49ers' public relations office. So we can only assume why she has such a fondness for the 28-year-old running back. The coaches' reasons are easier to discern.

He has long been the 49ers' most productive skill-position player on offense, and with a combined 252 yards rushing the last two weeks, he erased any concerns about whether he can still deliver with a body that has endured multiple severe injuries, including a fractured right hip that ended the 2010 season for him.

The rushing numbers alone would warm any coach's heart, but Gore's football IQ and the completeness of his game - especially his pass-protection skills - explain his special charm.

"A lot of guys struggle with retention of what you're coaching," Rathman said. "It takes them a period of time to learn it, maybe six months, maybe two months, maybe a month, maybe a week. Frank, you can tell him something one time, and it doesn't come up till Week 11, and it had not been addressed or emphasized from Week 1 to 11, and he'll know exactly what it is."

He soaks up every bit of information he can get, Rathman said, meeting with coaches at times that other players wouldn't consider. The preparation helps him read defenses better and faster, understanding an opponent's body language. He has always been attuned to defenders' eye movement and what that suggests about an upcoming play.

Tight end Delanie Walker said Gore had been counseling him on how to read defenders for a while. "Now I'm starting to see it," he said. "A couple of years ago, I didn't really see it the way he does."

Defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois works out with Gore in the Miami area during the offseason. This year, he said, their training took on special purpose because Gore had to prove he could return from the hip injury and because the lockout put so much else in doubt. They trained at a community center with several other NFL players, and Gore insisted that they behave as if they were in game-day mode, not revealing a single weakness, Francois said.

"He was trying to show we were going to outwork everybody that was there," he said. "Frank was like, 'Don't you bend over and grab your knees; don't you quit. We're going to show them what's the difference between a 49er and the rest of the league.' "

All in all, he sounds like a 1950s coach.

"Actually, he's the exact image of coach Harbaugh," Francois said. "He's all ball."

Though the 49ers have moved on with a new administration, Gore stays in touch with many of the former coaches, from Nolan, who now works in Miami, to Jimmy Raye, the deposed offensive coordinator from the Singletary era and a recipient of some of those late-night calls.

Rathman thinks he has found a way to eliminate the post-midnight chats. On game days, he and Gore now talk shortly after they get home. Then Rathman goes over the film, grading him before they talk again.

"I've got him down to 9:30 or 10 o'clock," Rathman said, sounding a little overconfident. Containing Frank Gore just isn't that easy. He'd better keep that phone on vibrate.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(blogs.sfagte.com)

The best running backs are patient when they need to be, waiting for openings to develop before running into the clear.

Frank Gore waited three weeks for his opening with the San Francisco 49ers this season. He's rushed for 252 yards over his past two games, a leading reason the 49ers have improved to 4-1 with victories over Philadelphia and Tampa Bay. The recent surge has landed Gore in the No. 10 spot on the weekly MVP Watch.

"He had his burst back," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said after Gore gashed the Bucs for 125 yards on 20 carries. "He looked like Frank. He’s having fun out there. That’s the thing I see in Frank most of all right now, is that he’s enjoying football."

Gore did it all against the Eagles as well. He broke a 40-yard run on his first carry. He added a 25-yarder during the drive to his winning 12-yard scoring run. And when the 49ers needed to run out the clock on their final possession, Gore carried five times in a row, getting at least 4 yards every time, as the Eagles burned through their timeouts.

For the season, Gore's 400 yards and three touchdowns put him on pace for 1,280 and 10, respectively. But if the last two games provide a more meaningful representation of Gore's projected production, the two-time Pro Bowl choice would be on his way to nearly 1,800 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The first three games of the season were rough on Gore. His offensive line was struggling and Gore didn't look quite right. An ankle injury suffered against Cincinnati raised questions about his ability to produce. Gore has answered those questions resoundingly. He was the choice to represent the 49ers on this list, even though teammate Alex Smith is on pace for 22 TDs and three INTs. Another game or two from Smith like the one he played Sunday might change the equation.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

The whispers began to grow, week by week, as Frank Gore struggled with a slow start this season.

He had lost a step. There was too much wear on his running-back tires. The 49ers never should have given him that big contract extension in August.

But the 49ers' star delivered a resounding message Sunday as he cranked out his second consecutive 100-yard game in a 48-3 rout of Tampa Bay at Candlestick Park: He's nowhere close to being done yet.

"Nah, I never heard any of that stuff," said Gore, who rushed for 125 yards on 20 carries with one touchdown. "Those were some tough games, no doubt. But defenses were gearing up to stop the run. But now my man Alex Smith is playing well, and they can't do that."

And Gore is running wild again.

"He has his burst back," coach Jim Harbaugh said. "He looked like Frank. He's having fun out there. That's the thing I see in Frank -- that he's enjoying football."

Gore clearly is benefiting from the 49ers' improved offensive balance as he and Smith, the 49ers' much-maligned quarterback, are forming a nice synergy under Harbaugh's direction.

Smith was coolly efficient against Tampa Bay, throwing for 170 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. That, in turn, helped create running space for Gore -- and vice versa.

It's completely different from what Gore said he saw as he studied game film from the first three weeks of the season.

"I could see what defenses were doing," said Gore, who also caught two passes for 18 yards Sunday. "They were out to stop me. You can't do anything with eight, nine men in the box. But everything has changed."

Those early games, though, stoked mounting concerns that perhaps everything was beginning to change for Gore. After all, he had spent his entire 49ers career finding a way to gain yardage despite a feeble passing attack.

But the third-leading rusher in franchise history had run for only 148 yards on 59 carries after three games. He also was hobbling because of an ankle injury suffered against Cincinnati on Sept. 25.

That just added to the already existing questions about the wisdom of awarding Gore -- who at 28 has reached an age when most NFL running backs are slowing down -- a three-year, $21 million contract extension. (In that deal, $13.5 million is guaranteed by the 49ers.)

If Gore was hurting, maybe it was even time to work rookie Kendall Hunter more into the offense.

Uh, not so fast.

Gore ran for 127 yards in the come-from-behind victory over Philadelphia on Oct. 2, scoring the game-winning touchdown on a 12-yard run with three minutes remaining.

And he looked like vintage Gore on Sunday against the Buccaneers. His 2-yard touchdown dive midway through the second quarter capped a short drive that gave the 49ers a 21-3 lead as the game quickly progressed into a blowout.

"It's amazing how he hits the holes," tackle Joe Staley said. "There were a couple of times where I thought he was stopped and got nothing. But then he managed to break them for 8 or 10 yards."

Gore was positively giddy after posting his 26th career 100-yard rushing game. He said his ankle no longer was giving him any problems. Each time he was asked a question about his personal performance, he tried to redirect it into praise of the entire offensive unit.

But he did acknowledge that the 49ers' 4-1 start is sweet redemption for both him and Smith after enduring so many losing seasons.

"I'm just happy, man," Gore said. "We came into the league together, and we've been through some rough times. But we believed. Now we're getting the opportunity to let everyone know that we know how to play ball."

Actually, Gore has been showing that from the moment he put on a 49ers jersey. Sunday was just another reminder.

"I've still got room to grow," he added. "And I will get there."

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(mercurynews.com)

Frank Gore practiced in an extremely limited fashion last week because of a right ankle injury, one he says feel better this week. “It’s alright. I’ll be good,” Gore said in anticipation of Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay.

As for how his 127-yard rushing effort looked upon film review, Gore responded: “The offensive line did a great job and the receivers did a great job down field. I do what I always do: run the ball.”

Coach Jim Harbaugh praised Gore’s ability to mentally prepare himself during the week and run plays in the game he didn’t even practice. Said Gore: “I feel that’s being a pro — when you’re not in, watch the play and see how it develops. It opened and I had a big run.”


(mercurynews.com)

PHILADELPHIA -- Frank Gore said he was "cool" with 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh's decision to start rookie Kendall Hunter at running back. In the end, it was Gore who finished off Sunday's 24-23 comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Gore overcame a right-ankle injury and ran for a season-high 127 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown run with three minutes left that was followed by David Akers' go-ahead, point-after kick.

"I just got in a zone," Gore said. "I told myself, 'I'm out here, let's go play.' The offensive line did a great job, and I just run the ball like I do."
Gore entered the game on the 49ers' third snap and delivered a 40-yard dash down the middle of the field. However, "I still wasn't sure I'd finish the game out," Gore said.

Once the 49ers recovered an Eagles fumble with 2:06 remaining, Gore helped run out the clock on five consecutive plays before Alex Smith took a knee on the final snap. Gore was extremely limited in practice last week because of his ankle.

"Being a captain of the team, the guys saw me all week standing around. I couldn't practice, couldn't be me," Gore said. "I was frustrated. Coach Harbaugh told me to keep my chin up, that everybody's watching me."


(sunherald.com)

49ers coach Jim Harbaugh was less committal Wednesday when asked about Frank Gore's (ankle) Week 4 status.

Two days after declaring Gore "good to go," Harbaugh only said, "We'll see." Kendall Hunter remains a prime pickup in fantasy leagues. The 49ers are prepping to face the Eagles, who are yielding a whopping 4.93 yards per rush attempt.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(rotoworld.com)

Frank Gore, 49ers running back: Gore is averaging 2.5 yards per carry through three games. He lost a fumble and had a pass bounce off his helmet during critical points of the 49ers' victory over Cincinnati. Gore's rookie replacement hasn't fared any better from a yards-per-carry standpoint, a reflection of shaky blocking. The 49ers haven't fielded offensive lines packed with Pro Bowl players in seasons past, yet Gore managed to get his yardage then. An ankle injury might have slowed Gore some against the Bengals.

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(espn.com)

SAN FRANCISCO -- 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh expects running back Frank Gore to play this week at Philadelphia despite a sprained right ankle that limited him in Sunday's win at Cincinnati.

Harbaugh, whose 2-1 Niners lead the NFC West, is game-planning this week as if Gore will start against the Eagles. San Francisco is practicing in Youngstown, Ohio, to avoid a return trip to the West Coast before facing Philadelphia.

"Frank's status, in my mind right now, Frank is good to go," Harbaugh said in a conference call. "We'll plan, we'll scheme and prepare for this game with Frank, along with the rest of the players on this team."

Harbaugh said Gore was walking without a boot Monday and also referred to rookie Kendall Hunter as "the backup tailback" -- leaving little question that Gore remains the guy, for now at least. Hunter ran 7 yards for the game's only touchdown with 3:59 left Sunday.

Gore received a new $21 million, three-year contract late last month.

While Harbaugh isn't ready to shake up a running game that ranks 29th in the NFL through the season's first three weeks, he might be headed for a change on the struggling offensive line.

Quarterback Alex Smith has been sacked 11 times over the past two games and sustained a concussion in a 27-24 Week 2 overtime loss to the Cowboys. Harbaugh said he is considering a change at right guard in place of Chilo Rachal before Sunday's game with the Eagles. Adam Snyder finished the game at right guard.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

Running back Frank Gore suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter Sunday and was mostly on the bench for the 49ers' decisive touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.

"I kind of tweaked it and I couldn't go the way I wanted to," Gore said. "Yeah, I couldn't be myself. Some of the runs, I couldn't make the cut I wanted to make. Hopefully, I get better this week."

Gore said he’d have to see how the ankle felt on Monday before determining whether he’d be available to play Sunday in Philadelphia.

Gore continued to play after the injury. However, following a Gore fumble early in the fourth quarter, rookie Kendall Hunter entered the game. His first carry was for eight yards and he later scored a touchdown on a 7-yard scamper off the left side.

Hunter seems to have more explosion than Gore, who once again was bottled up and averaged 2.5 yards. However, Hunter also had a hard time getting out of the backfield. He rushed nine times for 26 yards and had a 2.9 yards-per-carry average.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sportingnews.com)

Comrade Bach tells us from the far-flung outpost in Santa Clara that Frank Gore, the 49ers running back, endorsed the idea of faking an injury to slow down or change the pace of a game.

“Whatever it takes to win,” was the way he put it.

And there is why the sports’ various rulebooks are thicker than a whale omelet.

Every now and then someone complains that the rules are too complicated, especially in football, where 22 mesomorphs seek each other out at high speed in hopes of making new human shapes. They like the simpler game where the ground doesn’t cause a fumble, where a quarterback can be hit and not just engaged, where pass interference has the same rules in a bar fight that it does on Sunday afternoon.

And football was exactly that once. The NFL rulebook was once a hand towel. But competition attracts people who like to compete the hell out of something. And if there was only one rule in football – say, not shooting someone – there would be 31 head coaches and one general manager trying to figure how to smuggle concealed pistols on players.

Sport is about cheating, whether you like it or not, and all the things you teach your children about fair play and sportsmanship are put in abeyance (a fancy word meaning “ignored completely&rdquo when people get paid.

And every time someone figures out a way to bend an existing rule, a new one is introduced, to be circumvented and then repaired in an endless dance that leaves everyone properly cynicized about what is and what is not football any longer.

I mean, faking an injury is pretty greasy stuff in a sport whose proponents blather on endlessly about character and will and drive and an ongoing list of moral absolutes. But Gore speaks not only for himself, but for every player, coach, general manager, owner and cheerleader in the league.

“Whatever it takes to win, and if you get hit in the nethers in a pile-up, it’s your fault for not building up your nethers to withstand a human fist.”

In short, we are sending Comrade Bach out again tomorrow to see how many players believe carrying a gun into a game just in case is a good idea, and we are here to tell you that 91 percent will answer with some variation of “Lock and load.”

And the other nine percent will say, “I don’t know. What did Coach say?”

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(csnbayarea.com)

(09-19) 20:45 PDT -- Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett sought out 49ers running back Frank Gore after Sunday's game.

Garrett told Gore that he must have mentioned his name 80 times during the week of preparation for the game. He also told Gore that he admired how he ran against his team.

Yes, Gore gained only 47 yards on 20 carries in Sunday's 27-24 overtime loss, but the low yardage total is understandable considering Dallas used eight-man fronts and made a fundamental change in its approach: Instead of playing a standard 3-4 defense, the Cowboys stationed their rush linebackers right on the line of scrimmage on either side, essentially giving them five men on the defensive line.

The 49ers came out throwing, hoping to get Dallas to de-emphasize its run defense. The Cowboys did not, and their focus was all the sharper after wide receiver Braylon Edwards left with a knee injury.

"I've been in this predicament," Gore said Monday. "They know who I am out there. I know they are going to game-plan me. I know it's going to be tough."

Gore admits to being frustrated. He wants to live up to his recent three-year contract extension, which guaranteed him $13.5 million. He wants to improve his other numbers, such as his yards per carry, which stand at 2.5 for the season. Thirty-two of his 42 carries have resulted in 3 yards or less.

As Garrett noted, Gore ran with determination against Dallas. He finished most of his runs falling forward, and he flattened two linebackers, planting Keith Brooking and Bradie James on their backs.

But neither Gore nor the 49ers benefited from his efforts, and the offense often went in reverse.

"We have negative plays," 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said. "Those plays - be it a tackle for a loss, or 1- or 2-yard gains, or sacks - those things we have to get better at and eliminate."

The offensive line is allowing too much penetration and the linemen are often failing to punch through the defensive line to block the linebackers. Against Dallas, the linebackers ran nearly free and were focused on Gore.

Center Jonathan Goodwin might have a partial solution: get 4 yards.

"Just because you've got eight guys in the box doesn't mean you can't find a way to get 4 yards," he said.

Gore and tackle Alex Boone believe that if they keep hammering away, the dam will break.

"You've got to pound, pound, pound, and then they start to give up a little bit, and then you take off with it," Boone said.

Whether it's limiting negative plays, setting the small goal of getting a consistent 4 yards or staying with the ground game until it produces, Harbaugh wants the running game to a be major piece of his team's offensive identity.

"We want to be a running team; we want to be a throwing team," Harbaugh said. "We want to be darn near 50/50, and equally good in both."

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sfgate.com)

Back in August, before he was averaging 2.5 yards on 42 carries, 49ers running back Frank Gore spoke with great anticipation about playing in a creative West Coast offense that would better utilize the Niners’ talent.

In doing so, he looked back on previous San Francisco attacks that were so predictable (here’s comes Gore up the middle!) opposing defenses called out the 49ers’ plays at the line of scrimmage.

“That was tough,” Gore said, recalling the disastrous one-year reign of offensive coordinator Jim Hostler in 2007.

I recalled those words last week because, well, Gore basically repeated them.

Asked about running against a Seahawks defense that routinely threw eight defenders in the box to stop him, Gore said, “It was tough, man.”

Yes, the new offense is producing eerily similar quotes from Gore – and the opposition – two games into the season.

Said Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware after Dallas stuffed Gore (20 carries, 47 yards) on Sunday: “Frank Gore is their guy. That’s the guy. They have that ground-and-pound offense, really physical. We had to be able to make them one dimensional and stop Frank Gore.”

Sound vaguely familiar?

The results, so far, have actually been worse.

Consider that Gore has gained three yards or fewer on 32 of his 42 carries (76 percent) this season. In addition, he’s averaged less than three yards a carry in consecutive games for just the third time in his career (Nov. 23-30, 2008 and Nov. 29-Dec. 6, 2009).

What’s going on?

The run blocking — and Gore not being what he was circa 2006 — are certainly contributing factors. But the Niners’ inability to de-clog opposing defenses with a stretch-the-field passing game likely tops the list: Alex Smith ranks 30th in the NFL in yards per completion (9.8).

* As noted, 32 of Gore’s 42 carries have gained three yards or less.

Here’s a look at the breakdown:

Negative yardage: 7

No gain: 4
1 yard: 8 (one was a one-yard TD run)
2 yards: 6
3 yards: 7
4 yards: 1
5 yards: 2
6 yards: 1
7 yards: 3
8 yards: 0
9 yards: 1
10 or more: 2

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sfgate.com)

Running back Frank Gore rued how the 49ers couldn't close out the Dallas Cowboys and suffered a 27-24 overtime loss Sunday.

"Coaches, players, we've just got to finish it," Gore said. "When it comes to getting first downs, we have to get it."

And it was there for the taking, according to Gore: "I give credit to us. We whupped their (butt) up and down the field all game. Key plays, man. And we didn't finish."

Gore managed just 47 yards on 20 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown run that gave the 49ers a 7-0 lead in the second quarter. Gore also struggled to gain yards in the 49ers' season-opening win at Seattle, totaling 22 carries for 59 yards.

Asked if he's concerned the 49ers couldn't run out the final minutes with a 24-21 lead, coach Jim Harbaugh said: "We didn't run the ball down anybody's throat, to use your question, but yeah, we need to get better."

Now in his seventh season, Gore insisted the 49ers deserve a better ending than Sunday's: "We aren't the old 49ers hoping to win. We're going out knowing that we can win. We can't let any more get away like this.”

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(contracostatimes.com)

Was Frank Gore, who had 22 carries for 59 yards Sunday, slower than normal? It's a question I received over and over again during a Tuesday chat. After re-watching the game tape the answer is both, 'No, I don't think so' and, 'It's hard to tell.'

That's because Gore, as has been the case in recent seasons, had a hard time finding running room against a defense that was intent on stopping him. His No. 1 scourge was second-year safety Earl Thomas, whom you'll recall is the safety Pete Carroll chose in the first round last year, disappointing Taylor Mays in the process.

During the lead-up to the Seattle game, both Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman were asked separately about the Seahawks defense. The first name out of both of their mouths was Thomas', and he lived up to their compliments. He finished with eight tackles - fellow safety Kam Chancellor (a one-time Barrows draft crash, I might add. Bigthroatclear) had a game-high nine stops - and continually flew in from the secondary to trip up Gore. Indeed, Thomas had a very Polamalu-like performance on Sunday.

One sequence in the second quarter typifies what happened with the 49ers run game on Sunday. The 49ers were facing 3rd and 2 at the Seattle 29-yard line with 5:54 left in the half.

3rd &2: Alex Smith pitches wide to his left to Gore. Tight ends Delanie Walker and Vernon Davis block down on Seahawk defenders and left tackle Joe Staley, who is very good at hitting moving targets, goes wide and absolutely crushes Chancellor. Gore seemingly has plenty of room to pick up the first down and much more, but Thomas, who was initially 15 yards from the play, comes streaking in, steers Gore back to the inside and then cuts him down after only a yard pickup.

4th&1: The Seahawks jump off sides when Adam Snyder, who checked in as an eligible receiver, starts to go in motion.

1st&10: On one of the few plays where he has running room, Gore looks like his old self and picks up seven yards before he's tackled by Thomas.

2nd&3: The 49ers use a play they've been working on all offseason, one in which the run is set up to go one way but in which the team takes advantage of the defense's dedication to stopping Gore by breaking it the other way. Walker comes flying in to deliver a textbook block on Thomas, taking out his legs and wiping him out of the play. But despite running room, Gore can't get around the corner, and he is tackled by cornerback Brandon Browner a yard short of the first down. It's one of the plays in which Gore seemingly should have picked up more yards than he got and likely prompted the questions of fans. Gore seems to be nicked on the play, and Kendall Hunter comes in for the next few snaps.

3rd&1: Hunter is stopped for no gain by Chancellor, one of several instances where a Seahawks safety quickly penetrated the 49ers' backfield. A final bit of evidence that Gore is fine: Hunter finished the game with a 2-yard average on two carries. Gore's average was 2.7 yards.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sacbee.com)

Frank Gore said his ho-hum statistics Sunday were the results of the Seahawks stacking the line of scrimmage against him and playing good defense.

Gore has bludgeoned Seattle in past seasons, rushing for 212, 207 and 144 yards in previous meetings. In those games, he exposed Seattle’s safeties, who either were late in closing holes at the line of scrimmage or allowed Gore to break through their tackles.

Seattle has upgraded that position in recent years, and both their new safeties – Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor – were effective against him Sunday.

Chancellor finished with a game-high nine tackles. Thomas was right behind him with eight stops. Both also tackled Gore behind the line of scrimmage at times.

“After me whooping up on them for so many years, they didn't want that to happen again," Gore said.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sportingnews.com)

Frank Gore played on 46 of the 49ers' 52 offensive snaps in Week 1, with Kendall Hunter getting the other six reps.

The 49ers' offensive line was overwhelmed by the Seahawks, leading to just 2.68 yards per carry on 22 attempts for Gore. The good news is that the 49ers aren't afraid to ride Gore, and he's proven he can handle monster workloads before. Look for another 25-touch outing against the Cowboys this week.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(rotoworld.com)

Frank Gore rushed for just 59 yards on 22 carries and caught three passes for 19 yards in the 49ers' Week 1 win.
Gore was stuffed countless times at the goal line in the second half, narrowly missing out on a short-yardage score that could have saved his fantasy day. The good news is the 49ers want to ride Gore relentlessly; his 25 touches were easily a game high. Expect a better performance in Week 2 against Dallas. When Gore did have lanes, he looked fast and quick through the hole Sunday. We don't think he's lost anything in terms of burst from last year.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(rotoworld.com)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers still are in learning mode as they prepare for Sunday's season opener, and nobody really knows what to expect from the team's new offense.

But the catalyst of the attack, running back Frank Gore, says the Niners have a lot of weapons and that other teams are going to see "some real good stuff."

"We've always had talent on the offensive side of the ball, but not like we have it now," Gore said Thursday. "And now we really have somebody to show us how it's done. It should be real good for us all. (Other) teams better be ready."

New head coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff didn't show much during an exhibition season when the 49ers ranked 31st in the NFL in total offense and last in passing offense.

While Harbaugh insists his offense wasn't "vanilla" during the preseason, the 49ers could have an element of surprise in their favor when they host defending NFC West champion Seattle to begin the season.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Gore is surrounded by more Pro Bowl talent at the skill positions in tight end Vernon Davis and newcomer receiver Braylon Edwards. The 49ers also welcomed the return this week of receiver Michael Crabtree, who says he's ready to play against the Seahawks.

Crabtree missed training camp and all four exhibition games for the third consecutive year with a left foot injury that required surgery at the end of July. But he practiced without limitations for the second day in a row Thursday and hopes to have a role in the opener.

"I'm full speed," Crabtree said . "I'm all good. I've been here before. This is nothing new to me. I'm ready and focused. It feels like a game today."
Crabtree led all San Francisco wide receivers last year with 55 receptions for 741 yards, one catch fewer than Davis, who led the team with 914 yards and seven touchdowns receiving.

Crabtree returned from the physically unable to perform list last week to find himself in the middle of a heated competition at wide receiver that includes Edwards, Ted Ginn Jr. and Josh Morgan, who had 44 receptions for 698 yards last season.

San Francisco added Edwards to that group in August, and like many players this summer he has been feeling his way around in Harbaugh's version of the West Coast offense while attempting to develop a rapport with quarterback Alex Smith.

The 49ers were far from impressive with Smith at the controls during a 2-2 preseason. But other players have shared Gore's excitement this week that the offense is ready for a breakout once the real games begin.

Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman were known for their creative use of different formations and personnel groups last year at Stanford, when the Cardinal scored a school-record 524 points. But Harbaugh and Roman are downplaying the suggestion this week that the 49ers have been holding back for the regular season.

"We're a new group," Roman said. "I met most of these guys a month ago. We've had a shorter time frame to work with, and therefore we're probably not going to have the volume that you would normally have. I'm not sure we've been able to get anything together that is really going to surprise anybody. But you are what you are. We're going to do everything we can to win the game."

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sacbee.com)

Frank Gore doesn't feel old, but he was reminded of his advancing years during the offseason.

The 49ers running back has worked out at the same training facility in Miami for years alongside recently retired running back Fred Taylor, 35, and other NFL players.

This past offseason, Taylor was gone, but Gore's group included Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew, Detroit's Kevin Smith, Chicago's Matt Forte and even Kendall Hunter, who was training for the NFL combine.

At one point, Gore realized that, at 28, he was the oldest athlete around.

"Since Fred was gone the trainer wanted me to demonstrate everything," Gore said. "I said, 'Man, you're treating me like I'm Fred T.'"

Gore may be getting up there -- NFL backs age in dog years -- but as he noted in this article, he believes a creative offense will take defenses' focus off him and add years to his career.

Gore didn't directly slam any of his past coaches in the story (he did admit the brief Jim Hostler era was "tough"), but his praise of Jim Harbaugh also served as an indictment of past offensive regimes.

"We've got all the talent," Gore said. "And I think we have the right coaches now who can use all the talent ... Now I can see myself playing this last contract out just because of how they get the ball to everybody. People won't be able to just come in here and be like, 'They're running power.'"

It remains to be seen if Gore's high hopes for the new West Coast offense will be realized. But, let's face it, the bar is low.

Last year, the Niners' first offensive play in their opening five games was a run to Gore, generally up the middle. In a Week 5 loss to the Eagles, Gore ran on their first eight first-down plays.

Those days are over, Gore believes.

"We have great coaches," he said. "We have a great staff. They see what we have in the locker room and I think they're going to use it the best of their ability ... Everyone is just believing in the coaches and seeing the difference. Just seeing everyone sitting down and talking football with the coaches. They know what they're doing. Coach Harbaugh and his coaches are good."

More from Gore:
* Gore said there's only one running back he's excited about watching on film: LaDainian Tomlinson.

Gore brought up L.T. when asked about hearing whispers that, as a 28-year-old running back coming off a hairline hip fracture, he's on the downside of his career.

"Everybody has to go through that," Gore said. "One of the best backs in this league, who I think can still play, is LaDainian Tomlinson. That's just the position I play. I don't even think San Diego should have gotten rid of L.T. He's still got gas in the tank to me. I feel like if he was in New York as the only back, he would still be up there with the best NFL backs. That's how much I respect L.T."

During the course of a nearly 30-minute interview, Gore was perhaps at his most animated when he described a favorite Tomlinson run he was able to replicate.

"It was a game against the Rams," Gore said. "It was a power to the right and he got through the hole and stiff-armed a safety, No. 21, and scored a touchdown. A week later, I think, I kind of did the same thing and ran over 21, too."

* Before he signed his contract extension, Gore said there were moments where he imagined signing with a more successful franchise if he became a free agent after the 2011 season. But he was quick to say how happy he was to stay in San Francisco.

He said his teammates are the main reason he wants to retire with the 49ers.

"I see that we've got talent here and it's a great group of guys in that locker room," he said. "I hear a lot of stuff going on in different locker rooms about different player that don't like each other, and it's not like that here. It's like a family. We're all grown men, but when we're together we're like kids. And football is supposed to be fun, and I think when all of us are together, we make it fun. I love my team. I love my teammates here. I'm happy to have the opportunity to be here for 10, 11 years."

* Gore, who has watched the NFL playoffs at home after the first six seasons of his career, said the Seahawks' wild-card win over the Saints last year was the most painful postseason game he's watched.

"I'm not going to lie. I hated watching Seattle win that game," he said. "Oh, man, I hated that. That was supposed to be us."

(sfgate.com)

After talking with Jim Harbaugh in the offseason, 49ers running back Frank Gore began to believe that, finally, all that other talk would disappear.

For starters, his family members would stop openly dreaming about him playing for the Colts or Patriots, teams with elite quarterbacks directing visionary offenses.

And the NFL defensive players with whom he trained in Miami would stop telling him about their Gore-centered game plans from that past season: "They would come up to me and say, 'Man, that's all we talked about - you, you, you,' " he said.

And, best of all, Gore never again would line up in the backfield and hear defenders yelling out the 49ers' play before the snap. Gore says that happened in last year's 31-10 loss to the Chiefs and during the ill-fated tenure of offensive coordinator Jim Hostler three years earlier.

"In '07, when we had Jim Hoss," Gore said, shaking his head wearily, "yeah, that was tough."

Gore is the only back in franchise history with four straight 1,000-yard seasons, and he needs 931 yards to become the Niners' all-time leading rusher. Those are particularly impressive feats considering he hasn't been surrounded by a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard receiver or an offense that has ranked higher than 23rd in the league.

"Like I told (Harbaugh), it's been tough out there, man," Gore said. "It's been tough in my career here facing defenses that knew what we were going to do. That's what's made me really think - would another running back be able to do what I did? In the position I was in?"

Gore, 28, is confident he'll be in a far better position this season thanks to the arrival of Harbaugh, the first offensive-minded head coach he has had.

Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman were known for their creative use of formations, motion and personnel groups at Stanford, where the Cardinal scored a school-record 524 points last year.

In contrast with former offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, who announced his intention to run on 60 percent of San Francisco's plays, Harbaugh and Roman have been tight-lipped about their West Coast offense and kept the preseason play-calling vanilla - but what Gore heard from Harbaugh in the offseason had him, in effect, salivating. Gore has said those conversations contributed to his decision to end his contract holdout after four days at the start of training camp.

"Even though football should be simple, you don't have to make it look simple," Gore said. "And the coaches here now don't make it look simple. That's what I like."

And after signing a three-year, $21 million contract extension last week, he can envision playing until he's 31. He believes the creative use of other personnel will add years to his career by taking the bull's-eye off his back.

"We've got all the talent," Gore said. "And I think we have the right coaches now who can use all the talent. ... Now I can see myself playing this last contract out just because of how they get the ball to everybody. People won't be able to just come in here and be like, 'They're running power.' "

For his part, Harbaugh appears to be just as taken with Gore, whom he calls one of the NFL's best running backs. Gore is fully recovered from a hairline hip fracture he sustained in November, but he has missed nine games over the past three seasons because of injuries as his 5-foot-9, 217-pound frame pays the price for 1,371 career carries. Still, Harbaugh has said he doesn't anticipate Gore, who excels as a pass-catcher and blocker, coming off the field often.

Beyond his respect for Gore's on-field ability, Harbaugh loves the life story of an athlete who grew up in extreme poverty in Coral Gables, Fla., and overcame a learning disability.

"Frank is a true 49er," Harbaugh said. "I've said that from when I first got here, that's how I thought I would feel about Frank Gore. Now I know how I feel about Frank Gore. The guy is awesome. Somebody should do a movie. Somebody should do 'The Frank Gore Story,' because it's an awesome story."

The respect for Gore runs throughout the organization. His teammates voted him the offensive captain last week.

Gore is acclaimed for his football smarts and eye for talent - former head coach Mike Nolan used to call him to get his evaluations of teammates and players around the NFL. And general manager Trent Baalke and Gore have talked, somewhat jokingly, Gore says, about him filling a similar role in his retirement.

When Gore was sidelined by his hip injury last year, Baalke brought him upstairs to watch video of two Pac-10 running backs. It was an experience that might have given Gore second thoughts about getting into the talent-evaluation business.

"At first, I thought you've just got to watch one game," Gore said. "But, man, I had to watch like five games with one person. I told Trent, 'Man, you should know once you've seen one game or two games of a guy, you should know what type of player he is.' But, no, he told me I had to watch like five games. That's the tough part right there."

Gore was laughing. And with good reason. As a running back with a target on his back, he has experienced the toughest part of football.
But his toughest days, he believes, are finally behind him.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sfgate.com)

On the day that cuts were made to 53 players, the 49ers held a vote to select their two captains for the season.

The result of the vote was interesting. It spoke to what the players value from a teammate.

Leadership might be great, but the quality that swayed the 49ers players was production.

The defensive captain is Patrick Willis, an understated tackling machine who has been named to the Pro Bowl each of his first four NFL seasons. He is on pace for a Hall-of-Fame career. Willis is the 49ers' best defensive player.

The captain on offense is running back Frank Gore. His team-record streak of four consecutive 1,000-plus-yard rushing seasons ended last year when he still gained 853 yards despite missing the final five games with a fractured hip. Gore is the 49ers' best offensive player.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(csnbayarea.com)

Frank Gore's agents announced yesterday that they had snagged the San Francisco running back a three-year contract extension worth about $21 million.

But as we've seen with many NFL contract lately, the truth is slightly less rosy that the headlines would want you to believe.

To begin, only $13.5 million of it is guaranteed money. Not bad for a 28-year-old running back, as most of the stories about the deal mentioned.
But NFL Network's Jason LaCanfora dug a little deeper and reminds us that "guaranteed money" isn't always so "guaranteed".

The guarantee for 2013-14 is an "injury" guarantee, not a "talent" guarantee. That means it only applies if Gore suffers a catastrophic injury and is unable to play. If his performance suffer and the Niners cut him, they're off the hook.

Also, the guarantee doesn't apply to the final year of the contract if he gets hurt before it begins.

Oh, and there's one other thing: $4.9 million of that $13.5 million total was money from Gore's existing 2011 contract, which they would have had to pay him anyway, with or without the extension. The contract adds nothing to his 2011 salary and provides no extra up-front money or signing bonuses.

So all Drew and Jason Rosenhaus really got him was $8.6 million spread over three years, and most of it guaranteed only if he's physically unable to play. If Gore simply wears down or becomes ineffective, the 49ers can cut him at almost any time and owe absolutely nothing. Even if they do end up paying the injury guarantees, the salary cap hit will be minimal.

Yes, if Gore is healthy and productive, he can earn all $21 million ($13.5 million in salary, plus another $7.5 million in performance and roster bonuses), which is great for him and the 49ers. Gore has stated that he hopes to finish his career with the team that drafted him in 2005 and technically this gives him the opportunity to do so.

But the commitment (and $21 million paycheck) is entirely dependent upon Gore and his ability to be an effective NFL runner for another four years. If he's not, it's no skin off the Niners' back. The risk for San Francisco with this deal is almost non-existent.

As we've seen with the Michael Vick deal and plenty of other big money contracts, the numbers are never what they seem. (Unlike Gore, Vick can't even reach his advertised selling price of $100M.)

But trying telling that to the agent who wants to brag about the big money they earn for their clients.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(businessinsider.com)

Running back Frank Gore on Wednesday signed a three-year extension through the 2014 season that will pay him $21 million in new money, including $13.5 million guaranteed.

Gore was the sixth running back taken in the 2005 draft. And he said being chosen in the third round continues to provide him with motivation even after six NFL seasons. In fact, Gore had no problem ticking off the names of the five running backs picked ahead of him.

"I still carry that chip on my shoulder, especially with the guys who went before me, like Ronnie Brown, Cadillac (Williams), Cedric Benson," Gore said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters. "They're all great players.

"J.J. Arrington, Eric Shelton, and then me. I told myself when I came into the league that I'm going to show everybody that they passed up the best back. Look at the career, look at the numbers, and it shows. I do carry that chip on my shoulder, and I'll continue to carry that on my shoulder."

Here are the career stats of those running backs:

Ronnie Brown, No. 2, Miami: 76 games, 1,128 att., 4,815 yards (4.3), 36 TDs Cedric Benson, No. 4, Bears: 76 games, 1,256 att., 4,702 yards (3.7) 25 TDs Cadillac Williams, No. 5, Buccaneers: 70 games, 968 att., 3,677 yards, 20 TDs J.J. Arrington, No. 44, Cardinals: 58 games, 183 att., 654 yards (3.2), 3 TDs Eric Shelton, No. 54, Panthers: 9 games, 8 att., 23 yards (2.9), 0 TDs Frank Gore, No. 65, 49ers: 84 games, 1,371 att., 6,414 (4.7), 35 TDs

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(csnbayarea.com)

Gore spoke with reporters on a conference call. Here is that transcript:

Q: How did this come about and what kind of relief is it for you to get this over with? Gore: "It's real big, especially knowing that the team drafted me and stepped up and told me they want me here for my whole career, and to my fans, I'm a Niner for life. I also want to recognize (team president) Jed (York), (general manager) Trent (Baalke), my coach (Jim) Harbaugh, (chief negotiator) Paraag (Marathe) and my agent Drew (Rosenhaus) and his brother Jason for working it out and getting a fair deal for both sides. That's a plus. And, now, I can just get ready for Seattle and try to take a step every week to win the West. It's blessing. I'm a Niner, and I'm happy."

Q: Why is it important for you to finish your career as a 49er? Gore: "Because of the guys in the locker room, and this is the team that drafted me. Coming out of college, they saw something in me. You rarely see running backs get to finish their career with the team with drafted them. Obviously, I'm one of them. And, hopefully, I can get my name on the 10-year wall, and break some more records out here."

Q: Frank, the 49ers haven't had a winning record since you've been here, your home is in Miami, why do you feel such an affinity for the 49ers? Gore: "Like you said, we haven't had a winning season, and fans here have been 100 percent. There are great fans here. I see coach Harbaugh and his coaching staff, they're football guys. I have no doubt. I know we can get it done. I know we have talent in the locker room -- probably more than a lot of teams in the NFL. I love my teammates and I feel we can get it done with the talent in the locker room."

Q: You followed career of LaDainian Tomlinson. He's one of the guys who started with one team and went to another. Is that what you're talking about, guys like him who don't end finishing their careers with their original team? Gore: "Yeah, LT, for example. Clinton Portis, for example. Larry Johnson, for example. The list goes on. The team stepped up and showed they wanted me here for at least 10, 11 years. I'm happy about that. I can go out there and keep giving it my all on Sundays."

Q: What running back did you try to pattern yourself after? Gore: "I always liked Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith. I liked those guys when I'm younger."

Q: Barry Sanders played 10 years, is that where you think you're going to max out and walk away from the game? Gore: "I won't say that. My body is feeling good. If can go more, I would love to go more because I love the game of football. I won't say that. But I would say, I'm happy to be on the Niners and they gave me a three-year extension."

Q: Have you thought about life after football? Do you foresee yourself remaining with 49ers after your playing career is over? Gore: "Trent and I joked around about it. He knows how much I love the game of football, and he knows how much I pay attention to other guys and see what kind players they are. He did say I do have a skill to pick talent out. We'll see when that time comes. If they want me here to help them pick out players, I'll do it."

Q: Mike Nolan always said you had a talent in that area. What is it that enables you to find out what a teammate is all about? Gore: "I go off, especially being from the University of Miami, being around Andre Johnson and Clinton Porton, Willis McGahee and Jonathan Vilma . . . I know they love the game. And I know I love the game. Just pick people by talking to them and watching them in practice, especially when you get into gear and pads. When go live, seeing who shies away from contact and who brings it every time. That's how I judge it . . . just by being from the University of Miami and playing high-school ball in Miami and being around a lot of talented guys."

Q: When both Jed and Trent said they wanted you to be a 49er for life, you believed them. What gave you a good feeling that these guys were being sincere and it would get done? Gore: "I know they wouldn't say it if they didn't mean it. Since I've been here, they've been true to me. Like my first deal, when I was coming off that good year in 2006, they said I'd be taken care of the following year, and they did it. Just knowing they wouldn't say anything unless it's true."

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(csnbayarea.com)

Last hour, the 49ers and running back Frank Gore had not agreed to terms on a new deal.

This hour, they have.

Per a league source, the player and the team have agreed to terms on a three-year extension.

The extension has $21 million in new money, with $13.5 million guaranteed.

Coupled with his current deal, which pays out $4.9 million in 2011, Gore can earn $25.9 million over four years.

It’s a far cry from DeAngelo Williams money, but no one not named Adrian Peterson or Chris Johnson is going to get close to what Williams got.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(profootballweekly.com)

Frank Gore is encouraged that progress might be made toward the new contract he wants.

His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was scheduled to meet Monday with the team, though Gore wasn't sure when the process would begin. The two-time Pro Bowl running back has repeatedly said he would like a new, long-term commitment from the team before the Sept. 11 season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

"He's here. I'm happy about that," Gore said about Rosenhaus during an interview with The Associated Press. "It may pick up. That's a positive. I hope I'll get a fair deal. I want to be a 49er for my career. I love it here. I love my teammates. I like the new coaching staff. I can see that we're going to get things together here. Having a football coach like Jim Harbaugh and his style of doing what they're doing and knowing what they want from each and every player, and that's being a football player."

The 28-year-old Gore, who missed the final five games last season with a broken right hip, said it's "a step" in the right direction that Rosenhaus and Niners executives are meeting face to face.

"I just want to get it done, man. Hopefully both sides will come to a fair deal and I can be here and get it out of my head and try to get (going on) these 16 weeks and move on and win the West," Gore said. "It's best for me to let the fans know I want to be here. It's not me. It comes down to the organization and the team."

Both general manager Trent Baalke and team president Jed York have said they would like to make Gore a "49er for life," while Harbaugh has made similar statements.

The 28-year-old Gore, who held out for the first four days of training camp, was sidelined for the last five games of 2010 after sustaining the hip injury in a Monday night game at Arizona on Nov. 29.

Gore would like a contract comparable to the $43 million, five-year deal running back DeAngelo Williams — 20 days older than San Francisco's star — recently received from the Carolina Panthers. That includes $21 million guaranteed. Williams missed the final 10 games last year with a sprained right foot.

Gore begins the year third on the franchise career rushing list. He needs 931 yards to be No. 1. He wants to have a big year to help turn the 49ers around after eight straight seasons without a playoff berth or winning record.

He ran for 853 yards and three touchdowns last year before getting hurt in his sixth NFL season. Gore also caught 46 passes for 452 yards and two TDs. His 24 100-yard rushing games are the most in 49ers history.

The 49ers rewarded two other key players with long-term contracts last year.

Tight end Vernon Davis signed a five-year extension worth $37 million overall, including $34 million guaranteed, a night before the 2010 season opener. That made him the highest-paid tight end in NFL history. In May of last year, All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis received a $50 million, five-year contract extension that takes him through the 2016 season and includes $29 million in guaranteed money. He earns $10 million per season.

Willis is one of several teammates to say he's hoping the offensive star will receive a new deal soon.

"Frank is a very valuable asset to our team. The offense for many years now has gone right through him," Willis told the AP on Monday. "I would love to just have him as a part of this team and I'd love to have him get that off his mind so he can put it all in what he knows how to do best, and that's to play football."

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtonexaminer.com)

SAN FRANCISCO – Frank Gore spoke at his locker shortly after the game about the upcoming meeting between the 49ers and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. The meeting is scheduled for Monday.

Here are selected quotes from that interview.

Q: Your agent is scheduled to meet with the 49ers on Monday. Is there a goal in your head as far as what you’d like to happen?
GORE: I want something to get done. Hopefully it can get done. Hopefully I can get something done. But like I said, if it doesn’t happen I’ll be here for my teammates, you know, and try to stick it out.

Q: Will you be involved with the negotiations?
GORE: No, I’m a football player. If I was an agent I would, but that’s my agent’s job, and hopefully, hopefully, hopefully, I hope it gets done.

Q: Is your preseason over?
GORE: No. Whatever the coach tells me to do. Coach is a great coach and I like him a lot and I respect him a lot.

Q: Are you ready for the regular season?
GORE: I’m ready, I’ve been, hey, I trained my behind off this offseason, I practice hard every day. When my number is called, 21 is going to be ready. When it’s time to shoot my gun, I’m going to shoot my gun.

Q: So you’re not going to request a trade if a deal doesn’t get done?
GORE: I don’t have nothing, it’s up to the team. I don’t have anything to do with it. That’s my agent and the team. The team has to do that, and hopefully they don’t. I want to be here, I want to be a 49er, and I want to be treated right.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(pressdemocrat.com)

Drew Rosenhaus is scheduled to meet with the San Francisco 49ers beginning Monday in efforts to hammer out a contract extension for running back Frank Gore(notes), who recently has “snapped” at assistant coaches as the pressure of the situation wears on him.

Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area reports that it’s out of character for Gore, who staged a brief holdout at the start of training camp. The running back wants a big deal along the lines of the $43 million, five-year deal DeAngelo Williams(notes) received from the Carolina Panthers last month, a contract with $21 million guaranteed. Williams, however was an unrestricted free agent, and Gore is under contract so there is an element of comparing apples to oranges.

Per the report, Gore is unhappy he is being used as much as he is in preseason. Entering his seventh season, he should become the 49ers’ all-time leading rusher provided he remains healthy in 2011. He trails Joe “The Jet” Perry by 930 yards.

Gore’s considered the possibility he doesn’t get the extension he wants.

"I'd be upset, but I'm still a football player," Gore said. "I want to be here for my whole career. That's up to upstairs, the team. If they want me here, I want to be here. I'm just going to come out every day and practice hard."

From the sounds of things, he’s already upset by the situation.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sports.yahoo.com)

Frank Gore views himself being in the middle of his career and as the 49ers' best offensive player. The 49ers may see Gore as a declining player coming off a hip fracture and with a history of ankle and knee injuries. Those two views are in deep conflict as the 49ers try to workout a contract extension for their prized running back. ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted yesterday that a face-to-face meeting between the two sides will take place Monday.

Gore and his agent will likely contend that his knee injuries are long in the past. He tore the ACL in his left knee in 2003 and then snapped the same ligament in his right knee a year later. Since then, his knees have been injury free.

But his knee history is one reason Gore lasted until the third round of the 2005 draft. Since then the injury label stuck. In 2008 and 2009, Gore hobbled through a frustrating string of ankle sprains but those injuries disappeared last season.

Niners management might find his 1,371 carries concerning. But several running backs have played well far past that threshold. Emmitt Smith enjoyed six straight 1,000 yards seasons after the 1,200 carry mark. Former Jet Curtis Martin gained 1,697 yards right around the 3,000 carry mark. Ram Steven Jackson galloped past 1,300 carry mark two years ago and is still running effectively.

So what does Gore deserve particularly in light of Panther DeAnglo Williams' five year, $43 million deal with $21 million guaranteed? Williams' career average of 5 yards per carry is slightly higher than Gore's 4.7. Williams missed more games in the last three seasons with injury, and it's hard to believe Williams is Gore's equal in pass protection or locker room leadership.

But Gore has 530 more carries than Williams, which means he's about two seasons further down his career than Williams. Gore deserves a three year, $30 million with $20 million in guarantees. Such a contract would probably be extended to a five-year, $42-$47 million deal with the final two years gratuitous and meaningless in order to inflate the overall contract value to make the agent look good - a common practice in the NFL.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sfgate.com)

49ers running back and current preseason holdout Frank Gore is scheduled to meet with the team on Monday along with his agent Drew Rosenhaus, to see if the two sides can make any head way on contract talks, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Gore’s contract talks have been described as “volatile.” He is reportedly looking for an extension similar to what the Panthers gave DeAngelo Williams last month (five-years, $43 million).

Gore, 28, has rushed for over 1,000 yards four times in his six-year career. He is in the final year of his contract.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sportingnews.com)

Frank Gore, who said he was happy to be back with his teammates after ending a short holdout earlier this training camp, acknowledged Monday that he is indeed frustrated by the status of contract negotiations with the 49ers and could become a free agent in March.

Gore is entering the final year of his contract with the 49ers that will pay him $4.9 million this season.

It is believed Gore and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, want a five-year, $43 million deal with $21 million guaranteed.

"If it doesn't happen, then I'm going to have to go out there and show everybody that I'm healthy and that I can be the Frank Gore I've always been," said Gore, a third-round draft pick by the 49ers in 2005. "If I have to test the market, that's what I'll have to do."

Gore said he plans to play out the season and become a free agent in March if no contract extension is reached. He said he wanted to finish his career with the 49ers but was prepared to move on if he doesn't get a deal he thinks is fair.

On Sunday, first-year 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh dismissed as "water-cooler talk" two national reports that said Gore was upset over stalled negotiations. One report called the situation volatile and said Gore could request a trade soon.

That did not appear to be Gore's intent. He spoke twice about playing out his contract, adding that he was "going to come to work and be here for my teammates and try to do the best for me."

Asked whether he would request a trade, he said he had no comment.

"That's up to the team and my agent," he said. "If they want to trade me, that's what it is."

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sacbee.com)

49ers running back Frank Gore isn’t happy with his contract.  He’s frustrated regarding the lack of progress on a new deal, and he won’t comment on a PFT report that he could soon request a trade.

Coach Jim Harbaugh has dismissed accounts of frustration and a possible trade request as “water-cooler talk.”  Meanwhile, G.M. Trent Baalke has expressed a strong desire to keep Gore around.

“The best thing we can say is we’re doing everything we can to make Frank a 49er for life and whether that gets accomplished in the near future or not remains to be seen,” Baalke told Pat Kirwan and Tim Ryan of SiriusXM NFL Radio.  “But Frank’s a 49er.  He’s a heck of a football player, he’s a heck of a young man, and he’s a leader.  You can’t say enough good things about Frank.”

It all comes down, as it usually does, to money.  And with Gore, who is 29 and who has a lengthy injury history, wanting to be paid like Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams (five years, $43 million, $21 million guaranteed), our own money currently is on the “or not.”

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(profootballtalk.com)

Frank Gore has rushed for 6,414 yards in his 49ers career, and he has scored 44 touchdowns. But the number he most wants to change is 2.9.
That's the number, in millions, that Gore is due in base pay (he could get an additional $2 million should he stay healthy the entire season).

What Gore wants is a contract extension on par with the five-year, $43 million deal with $21 million in guarantees that the Panthers just gave running back DeAngelo Williams.

Gore, 28, is a month younger than Williams and has missed nine games in the past three years to Williams' 13. Gore also has 530 more career carries than Williams.

While many contend Gore is the team's best offensive player, tight end Vernon Davis signed a six-year deal last year worth more than $42 million, with $23 million in guaranteed money. Davis is also younger and plays a less demanding position. So what should a fair deal for Gore look like?

That's what Gore's agent and the 49ers are grappling over. The website Profootballtalk.com reported that Gore might insist on a trade if his contract demands are not met. Gore staged a four-day holdout at the start of training camp in hopes of getting an extension.

He spoke to the media about his contract status Monday and said he had no comment on trade demands.

"I'm a football player, and it's my job to play football and hopefully, things get right," Gore said. "I would like things to get done before the season so I could just focus on football, not whether they will get it done or not. Like I said before, I want to remain with the 49ers for my career. If it (doesn't) happen, hopefully I'll have a great year and I'll test the market."

In speaking with reporters Sunday, coach Jim Harbaugh said he believed a deal would be forthcoming. He also repeated his desire for Gore to be his main running back and possibly his chief offensive weapon.

Whether Gore gets an extension or not, he'll be highly motivated this year.

"I have to go out there and show everybody that I'm healthy, that I can be the Frank Gore that I've always been," he said.



(sfgate.com)

Frank Gore should be frustrated over his contract situation, and he is, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Unfortunately for Gore, he's a 28-year-old running back coming off an injury-shortened season with one year remaining on his contract. Getting a lucrative long-term extension right now will be harder than getting one when he's pushing 29 years old next offseason.

The reality is that Gore has probably signed the final long-term, big-money deal of his career. He's sacrificed his body for the 49ers when they didn't have enough help around him. He's played hurt, demonstrated tremendous toughness and remained a team player even when the organization was suffering through dysfunction, particularly on offense.

There are two sides to this story.

The 49ers tore up Gore's rookie deal in 2007 after only two years, rewarding him for exceeding expectations that came with his status as a third-round draft choice.

"It's a little early," then-49ers coach Mike Nolan said at the time. "Frank just finished his second year. But we identified somebody we want in Frank. He's a young player and we wanted to extend it and it's still very early in his career."

The alternative for Gore would have been playing out that rookie deal, then signing a more representative extension a year or two later, in which case Gore would have multiple years remaining on his deal. Cashing in when he did, in 2007, reset the clock.

I do not envision the 49ers giving Gore millions in new money under the current circumstances. The team has a first-year head coach, a promising backup in Kendall Hunter and legitimate questions about Gore's durability.



(espn.com)

Frank Gore said Tuesday he feels six years younger than his listed age.

The 49ers' running back would feel even better if his up-in-the-air contract situation is resolved within the next several weeks.

Gore, who held out the first four days of training camp in an effort to get an extension on his expiring contract, is still waiting for a new deal. Gore will earn a $2.9 million base salary and a $2 million roster bonus this season.

"Hopefully, it will get done before the season," Gore said. "If it doesn't, I've just got to go play and if I have to be a free agent, I'll be a free agent."

On Aug. 2, when Gore arrived at training camp, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said the team anticipated getting a deal done "sooner rather than later." On Tuesday, Harbaugh said of Gore's contract, "I'm confident we'll work out something fair, hopefully soon."

After missing last season's final seven games with a hairline hip fracture, Gore, 28, said he feels like "the 22-year-old Frank Gore. Ready to take the load. Ready to play. I feel like I can score any time I touch the ball."

Quarterback Alex Smith said Gore, post-injury, doesn't look any different.

"I think Frank looks great," Smith said. "Frank always looks great in my opinion, though. He's a true professional. I've never seen Frank out here and thought 'Man, Frank doesn't look very good.' It just doesn't happen. The guy just lives and breathes football."

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sfgate.com)

Frank Gore walked in his white socks into the 49ers' locker room Tuesday, with his cleats carried like a football in his right hand.

Another three-hour shift was complete for the 49ers' most consistent offensive weapon.

"He's a joy to be out on the practice field with, because he really loves football," coach Jim Harbaugh said. "We were both kind of sharing that same topic today, how we felt about the game. You know, this is the medicine, when you're out here on the field and all you've got to think about is football."

Gore is not worried about the hip he fractured Nov. 29 to halt his season. Nor is he irate that his contract has yet to get extended beyond this season.

"Hopefully it will get done before the season," said Gore, a seventh-year veteran who is slated to make $4.9 million this season. "If it doesn't, I just have to go play here. If I have to be a free agent, I'll be a free agent."

Gore missed the first four days of training camp in search of a new deal. Harbaugh expressed confidence that "something fair" will get done, possibly soon.

If the 49ers sought assurances Gore is healthy, he has provided proof on a daily basis. He has not missed a practice since reporting, and he played Friday night in his first exhibition opener since 2008.

"I was hoping not to play because I like to work hard in practice," Gore said. "But I was happy Coach let me get out there for just a couple plays, to let me get some hits in and get the speed of the game back again. Once I got in, I didn't want to come out."

He took part in the 49ers' opening three series. The offense struggled mightily against the host New Orleans Saints to set the tone for a 24-3 loss. But Gore's four carries for 20 yards further convinced him he is healthy.

"I feel like 22-year-old Frank Gore, ready to take the load, ready to play," Gore said. "I feel I can score any time I touch the ball, block anybody I've got to block. Right now I'm just trying to get the offense down pat and get ready for Seattle" in the Sept. 11 season opener.

Gore did not undergo surgery for the non-displaced fracture in his right hip. Instead, he wore a brace and couldn't move his leg for a month, per doctor's orders.

When it comes to hip injuries and running backs, Bo Jackson's career-ending tale with the Raiders springs to mind. Did it with Gore?

"The doctor told me it was serious but it wasn't as risky as the Bo Jackson injury," Gore said. "I asked him, 'Would I ever be able to be the same?' He said, 'Yeah.' I was like, 'OK.' "

Before each practice, Gore goes through some individual conditioning, and Tuesday's stretching session included what appeared to be a cordial, supportive visit from general manager Trent Baalke.

Quarterback Alex Smith is in awe of his fellow member of the 2005 draft class.

"Frank looks great. But Frank always looks great in my opinion," Smith said. "He's a true professional. I've never seen Frank out here and thought, 'Man, Frank doesn't look very good.' It just doesn't happen.

"The guy just lives and breathes football, loves this team and this organization, and he's always ready to go," Smith added. "I know with the hip thing, he's worked extremely hard this offseason to make sure he's back 100 percent, and it shows."

As for how Gore fits in to the West Coast system being revived by the 49ers' offense, Harbaugh raved about being able to use Gore for any play, any run, any catch, any block. Gore expects to tally a lot of receptions in this quick-strike attack. In terms of rushing, he ranks third on the 49ers' all-time list with 6,414 yards, 930 shy of Joe Perry's record.

Up until two weeks ago, the 49ers didn't know if Gore's hip would permit him to take on that typically exhaustive workload.

"That was an unknown until he got here," Harbaugh said. "But he is in great shape. He's a tireless worker out there. There have been times I've had to say, 'OK, Frank, we're going to get another back in here to take a few reps."

And during those rare breaks, Gore now has an offensive-minded coach who shares his obvious passion for football.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(mercurynews.com)

Running back Frank Gore not only likes the 49ers revamped offense, he envisions quarterback Alex Smith thriving in the detail-oriented scheme.

"You can tell the (offense's) energy is different. You can see it in Alex," Gore said Tuesday. "He looks really confident. He's able to go. ... Alex is going to be really good in this offense."

Smith also expressed optimism a day earlier about the 49ers' return to the West Coast offense system. One reason: Having a capable running back like Gore.

Said Smith: "Checking the ball down is kind of the epicenter of the West Coast offense -- hitting backs quick, getting them the ball in space and letting them run."

Gore has not played in an exhibition opener since 2008, but he might do so Friday night when the 49ers visit New Orleans. Coach Jim Harbaugh has said he wants Gore to get a few touches in the opener, and Gore is willing to partake in the offense's unveiling.

"I know Coach doesn't like me saying this, but on the offensive side of the ball, everybody is on the same page," Gore said. "When you watch the film, man, it just looks different. Everybody knows what they're doing. They're flying around, motioning fast. It's not boring."

The 49ers offense ranked 24th last season during a 6-10 campaign.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(mercurynews.com)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Frank Gore grabs the handoff from Alex Smith snap after snap, charges up the middle and adds a few extra yards to each carry as is his customary routine on the practice field.

He treats every carry as if he were in a game. Always has.

"Watcha think?" Gore said, chuckling, when asked if he's his old self again.

A week into training camp after his four-day holdout, the star running back is eagerly looking ahead to San Francisco's Sept. 11 season opener against Seattle. No. 21 isn't sure he needs many touches in the exhibition games to be ready, even this year coming off a fractured right hip that sidelined him for the final five games of 2010.

Gore seems as good-natured and geared up as ever to play under new coach Jim Harbaugh.

"I love it. I've been here a week and half. I like what Coach Harbaugh and the coaching staff are doing with the offense," he said. "You can tell the energy is different. You can see it in Alex (Smith), man. He looks really confident, like he's ready to go. I like what we're doing on the offensive side of the ball."

If Gore has any hard feelings about his unsettled contract situation, you can't tell. He obliged when a female fan asked for a hug during Tuesday's open practice.

Gore said he will get with Harbaugh soon to discuss the plan for him this preseason.

Harbaugh said he "would like to see Frank get some touches." Gore typically plays only a handful of snaps - last year, it was one series in one game with two carries for 58 yards.

"I'm used to not playing. I'll see," Gore said. "It's all about what coach says. He wants me to play, then I'll play."

Harbaugh has been encouraged by his team's progress, calling Monday's practice the best yet. The 49ers have been filling out their roster with new acquisitions left and right leading up to Friday's exhibition opener at New Orleans. That will be the first true test of how the players are grasping Harbaugh's complex system.

Gore isn't concerned about being up to speed in the West Coast offense. He doesn't feel behind despite missing the first four days of training camp, including three practices. In the final season of his contract, Gore is hoping for a big year and a big-paying new deal as he tries to become San Francisco's all-time leading rusher. The two-time Pro Bowler begins the year third on the list, needing 931 yards to be No. 1.

"I just want to continue and be the player I've always been, knowing they're going to get 110 percent from me every time I touch the field on Sundays, the practice field," Gore said. "And I can be myself. If I can be myself, that's great. So far I've been feeling good in practice, trying to give it my all and trying to get this offense down pat and get ready for Seattle - get ready and get going."

Gore fractured his hip at Arizona on Nov. 29. He's fully healthy again now.

Gore showed it to a couple of thousand people Tuesday as he plowed through the defensive line in one of a series of open practices for fans on a perfectly clear summer day in the South Bay.

"Makin' it look too easy, Frank!" one man cheered during 11-on-11 drills.

"He looks pretty damn good to me," defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said afterward. "He seems like a guy who is out here and loves football, competes hard. He's got great vision. He's an elite running back."

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(signonsandiego.com)

Frank Gore did more Tuesday than simply show up for his first practice of 49ers training camp after a four-day contract holdout.

He glided with ease through the 49ers' increasingly makeshift defense. He picked up blitzing linebackers. He instructed and encouraged teammates.

He didn't do any of it out of spite, either, while still awaiting a possible contract extension.

"I felt like a kid out there. I was happy," Gore said. "It's a blessing to come back from the (broken right hip). A lot of people doubted I would be back. I feel good. I feel like a 22-year-old running back out there."

Gore, 28, is entering the final year of a contract, one he wants extended to keep him in a 49ers uniform "forever." He is slated to make $2.9 million in base salary and $2 million in a roster bonus.

"There will be a resolution at some point," coach Jim Harbaugh said of Gore's contract status. "There will be diligent negotiations. We want Frank here, and we want Frank happy."

Gore, who ranks third on the 49ers' all-time rushing list, made a terrific first impression on Harbaugh, especially in terms of communication skills in the huddle and on the field.

After failing to report with his teammates Thursday and missing the first three days of practice, Gore couldn't cope with extending his absence further. He showed up Monday at the 49ers' facility and underwent a crash course in Harbaugh's playbook, spending nearly four hours with running-backs coach Tom Rathman.

"I'm a football player. I missed being out here with my team," Gore said. "I have a new coach and a new playbook I had to learn. Talking to Coach Harbaugh before the lockout was here, he had some good stuff. I told him I would be 100 percent behind him."

That is just how many of Gore's teammates feel about him.

"I was real excited," wide receiver Joshua (no longer just Josh) Morgan said. "I almost hugged him and gave him a kiss, but I tried to play it cool."
Added left tackle Joe Staley: "Frank's a leader on this team. It's good to have him back. The energy is up. Anytime he's back there, you know he's going to take care of business. The linemen especially, we like blocking for him."

Gore liked the way his body felt after its first practice, a frame he said wasn't fully healthy until midsummer.

"I'm 214 (pounds), 215 -- fighting weight. I'm back and ready to go," he said.

After praising the offense's potential and variety of calls, he expressed admiration for rookie quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

"What surprised me today is the quarterback,: Gore said. "Man, he's a rookie. He's looking real good. He gets in the huddle, and he's making great reads. I told him, 'Man, you're doing a great job.' "

Gore's upbeat return helped take the sting off nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin's departure for the New Orleans Saints after reaching a one-year deal, according to ESPN. Franklin is the fourth defensive starter to head elsewhere, the others being cornerback Nate Clements (Cincinnati Bengals) and linebackers Manny Lawson (Bengals) and Takeo Spikes (San Diego Chargers). Safety Dashon Goldson remains on the free-agent market.

Harbaugh downplayed those exits and instead relished Gore's vocal leadership and "extremely fast" speed through the line of scrimmage.
"He gives young backs a good example of what a top-notch pro looks like," Harbaugh said.

Second-year running back Anthony Dixon welcomed back the "funny dude" he rotates with in the backfield: "It's good to have him back. Frank brings confidence. He's got great talent."

Gore showed no signs of trouble from the broken right hip he sustained Nov. 29. He did have his left ankle taped 30 minutes into practice but soon was taking handoffs -- from Harbaugh -- in a running-backs drill.

"I felt good out there, and I'm happy to be back," Gore said. "I want to tell my friends I'm sorry about the little holdup. But I'm back and ready to go to work."

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(mercurynews.com)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Frank Gore practiced Tuesday with the San Francisco 49ers for the first time this offseason, breathing life into an offense that has been working this summer without several top players.

The two-time Pro Bowl running back ended his four-day holdout Monday and was back on the field a day later as the 49ers conducted their second padded practice of camp.

Gore was welcomed back by a new coaching staff and several players that have been anticipating his arrival.

"I almost hugged him and gave him a kiss, but I tried to play it cool," wide receiver Josh Morgan said. "It was really exciting to see him."

Gore, who missed San Francisco's final five games last season with a fractured hip, is in the final year of his contract with the 49ers that will pay him $2.9 million this season with a $2 million roster bonus. He is seeking a contract extension.

Gore said the holdout was a mutual decision between him and agent Drew Rosenhaus. But a few days away from the team was all it took to convince Gore to return.

"I love the game and I missed the game," Gore said. "I'm a football player and I missed being out here with my team. I'm here to get better and try to take this organization where it needs to go."

Gore has led the 49ers in rushing every year since being drafted in 2005, including a team-record four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2006-2009. Gore was on his way to extending that string last season before his injury. He finished the season with 853 yards rushing and 46 receptions for 452 yards.

The 49ers are installing a new offense this summer under new coach Jim Harbaugh, and Gore once again figures to be a key component of San Francisco's attack. Harbaugh wasted no time giving Gore extensive duty with the first-team offense during his first day back.

"There's quite a difference in communication when he's in the huddle," Harbaugh said. "I'm very impressed with the way he hits the hole extremely quick and fast. It raises the competition and gives some of our young backs an example of what a top-notch pro looks like."

The 49ers had second-year player Anthony Dixon and rookie Kendall Hunter taking most of the snaps at halfback with the first unit during previous camp practices.

Gore was a welcome addition to an offensive huddle that also has been missing incumbent starting quarterback Alex Smith and No. 1 wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

Smith and other free agents that recently signed contracts with the team can't practice until Thursday, and Crabtree has a foot injury that could keep him out several weeks.

Gore spent the offseason working out near his home in Miami and did not participate in player-organized 49ers workouts in June that were attended by most of his offensive teammates at San Jose State University.

The entire offensive tempo seemed to pick up with Gore back on the field.

"Frank's a leader on this football team and the energy is up," tackle Joe Staley said. "Any time Frank's back there, he's going to take care of business. Just having him back on the field, his presence, is good for everybody and it raises spirits. The way he prepares and the way he communicates is a standard to live up to."

Harbaugh said "diligent" contract negotiations continue with Gore's representatives and he expects there to be a resolution on a new deal "sooner rather than later."

"Frank's a 49er and we want Frank here," Harbaugh said. "We want Frank happy, too."

Said Gore: "I want to be a 49er forever, and if the contract comes, it comes. I felt like a kid out there today, and I'm just happy to be back. I'm sorry about the little holdup, but I'm back and I'm ready to go to work and get better."

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

Disgruntled San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore plans to end his holdout and report to training camp, first-year coach Jim Harbaugh told CSNBayArea.com on Sunday.

"I talked to Frank and it is my understanding that he is headed to Santa Clara," Harbaugh told the website. "I feel good about that. I'm really excited about that."

Gore has missed four days of camp while he openly seeks a new contract.

"He's coming back under his deal, and we'll earnestly look at that, in terms of extending," Harbaugh told CSNBayArea.com.

Gore, the heart of the 49ers' offense, is in the final year of his deal. He has been deemed healthy by his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who hasn't responded to phone messages or emails from The Associated Press.

Gore went down with a season-ending fractured hip in a Monday night game at Arizona last Nov. 29. Gore, who avoided surgery on the hip, ran for 853 yards and three touchdowns in his sixth NFL season and caught 46 passes for 452 yards and two TDs.

He can be fined $30,000 for each day of camp missed under the new NFL labor agreement.

On Saturday, San Francisco general manager Trent Baalke said the 49ers were prepared to play without Gore this season.

"I think you always have to be prepared for everything that comes up. So are we prepared to (play without him)? Certainly," Baalke said. "There are other players that are going to have to step up. But at the same time, we fully expect Frank to be back."

(espn.com)

San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore will be 29 years old when his current contract expires following the 2011 season.

Gore apparently -- and correctly, in my view -- realizes teams won't be lining up to pay him lavishly at that time.

That's the best explanation for Gore's decision to hold out when the 49ers open training camp Thursday, as ESPN's Adam Schefter says Gore plans to do.

A few facts and opinions:
• Gore's contract pays him $2.9 million in salary with a $2 million roster bonus this season. His cap number is $7.1 million thanks to more than $2.1 million in bonus proration. The deal averages $6.9 million.

• The 49ers need Gore. Finding a way to resolve this issue and get Gore on the field will serve the team well. But there's no way the 49ers can give into Gore's demands while general manager Trent Baalke and coach Jim Harbaugh are still establishing themselves. This is a chance for Baalke, Harbaugh and the 49ers to take a stand. Gore will show up eventually.

• Running backs tend to wind down near age 30. Gore missed the final five games to injury last season. This was going to be his final big-money contract, most likely.

• Gore will take heat publicly if he does stay away, I predict. His timing is poor following the lockout. Fans love Gore, but it's tough for some to relate to someone turning up his nose at millions.

• Gore's agent is Drew Rosenhaus, who has experience taking these things public. I'm not expecting any driveway news conferences, however.

This is no way for the Harbaugh era to begin on the field, but he's in it for the long haul. He'll be there long after Gore is there. The 49ers have been talking all along about the long term. I doubt they'll cave to short-term demands here, even for a highly-respected player such as Gore.


(espn.com)

San Francisco 49ers' offense lacked subtlety under former coach Mike Singletary. That was the point. Singletary vowed to "hit people in the mouth" with a power running game.

If opponents loaded up against the run, too bad. The 49ers were going to establish physical dominance anyway. That was the mentality.

The 49ers' new coaching staff shares similar values, with a twist: more sophisticated run-game scheming from coach Jim Harbaugh.

"It's not that my running style will change," running back Frank Gore told Jonathan Jones of SI.com. "He's just going to get me catching the ball more and getting me a lot of space. He'll be doing a lot of different things instead of [running against] the eight or nine men in the box. He's just trying to get the box loosened up for me."

Questions arose upon reading that passage. How effective were the 49ers running against defenses with eight or more defenders in the box? Did Gore run against these fronts a disproportionate amount of the time? Might a shift in approach help extend his career?

Jason Starrett of ESPN Stats & Information came through with a file showing how NFL teams and running backs have fared in these situations over the past two seasons. I'll break out some of the findings below.

1. Gore was leading the NFL in yards per carry last season against defenses showing eight or more defenders in the box.

Twenty-three players had at least 25 carries in these situations through Week 12 last season, when Gore suffered a season-ending hip injury.
ore ranked only 19th on the list with 26 such carries, but he averaged an impressive 6.4 yards per attempt on them. That was the highest average among players with at least 25 attempts against these fronts.

The Pittsburgh Steelers' Rashard Mendenhall led the NFL with 70 such carries. He was among eight players with at least 45.

Mendenhall faced eight or more in the box on 29.4 percent of his carries through Week 12, compared to only 12.8 percent for Gore.

Such percentages vary for backs across the league. The Houston Texans' Arian Foster, who ranked second to Mendenhall with 57 carries against defenses with at least eight defenders in the box through Week 12, was at 25.4 percent. Seattle's Marshawn Lynch was at 24 percent. The St. Louis Rams' Steven Jackson was at 13.8 percent.

Brandon Jacobs (5.7), Adrian Peterson (5.6) and Chris Ivory joined Gore in averaging at least five yards per carry on these runs.

The seven lowest averages: Cedric Benson (1.3), Lynch (1.7), Marion Barber (1.7), Jackson (2.1), LaDainian Tomlinson (2.1), Ray Rice (2.4) and Chris Johnson (2.5).

The stats do not take into account variables such as down, distance, game situation or personnel groups. They tell us Gore wasn't especially likely to run the ball against defenses with eight or more defenders in the box.

2. Gore's carries against defenses showing eight or more defenders in the box have declined recently.

In 2009, Gore carried 84 times for 358 yards and a 4.3-yard average against these defenses. That worked out to six such carries per game for the 14 games Gore played. The average fell to 2.4 per game last season.

What changed from 2009 to 2010?

The 49ers changed offensive coordinators early in the 2010 season. Troy Smith brought a boom-or-bust dynamic to the offense for a while. The 49ers also added about five snaps per game with more than two wide receivers on the field, inviting different looks from opposing defenses. Gore's short-yardage carries did not vary much.

The offensive line changed.

First-round draft choices Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis started as rookies, with Iupati quickly establishing himself as an emerging player. David Baas took over at center. Right guard Chilo Rachal stood out to Pro Football Focus for improved run blocking. And rookie Nate Byham showed signs of becoming one of the better blocking tight ends in the league.

No matter the reason, Gore's carries against stacked fronts were already on the decline.

3. The number of blockers available matters, but the stats are confusing.

ESPN Stats & Information charts box counts apart from whether or not boxes were "loaded" with more defenders than available blockers.

Improbably, the 49ers led the NFL in 2009 with a 5.4-yard average against loaded boxes featuring at least eight defenders. They ranked only 29th that year with a 2.2-yard average when facing eight or more in the box in "unloaded" situations that should have proven more favorable.

This makes little sense on the surface.

The stats flipped in 2010. San Francisco ranked 25th with a 2.5-yard average against loaded boxes featuring at least eight defenders. They ranked second only to Houston with a 5.4-yard average when facing eight or more in the box in unloaded (more favorable) situations.

This makes more sense.

It's possible the 49ers' reliance on heavier personnel -- formations featuring two backs and/or two tight ends -- affected their averages in unexpected ways. For now, though, I'm not drawing any conclusions from the "loaded" and "unloaded" breakdowns.

They're a load of confusion at this point.

4. These stats included information of interest for teams other than the 49ers. More on that in a separate item (or two).

For example, the Arizona Cardinals' Beanie Wells faced less favorable running situations a very high percentage of the time.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

Frank Gore has been one of the most consistent backs in the league since he entered the NFL in 2005. But the closest his San Francisco 49ers have come to the playoffs was last year when they went 6-10, just a game behind NFC West champ Seattle. Now Gore has a new coach in Jim Harbaugh and is recovering from his 2010 season-ending hip injury. He spoke with SI.com's Jonathan Jones about the offensive-minded Harbaugh, his reaction to the James Harrison rant and how Terrelle Pryor looks in workouts.

SI.com: What are your initial impressions of new head coach Jim Harbaugh and how do you think he will benefit you?
Gore: Talking to him, you can tell that he's a very smart man. He told me that before I left to make sure that I'm in great shape after the lockout because he'll be counting on me this year. He also told me the way he's going to use me and show the whole world that I'm the best back in the league.

SI.com: How will he be able to do that?
Gore: It's not that my running style will change. He's just going to get me catching the ball more and getting me a lot of space. He'll be doing a lot of different things instead of the eight or nine men in the box. He's just trying to get the box loosened up for me.

SI.com: The writing was on the walls for Singletary's firing. What were your thoughts on your coach for the previous two seasons being shown the door?
Gore: In the league you got to win, you know? I love him and the attitude but you have to win. And I understand that. I think with our coach now, just going over little stuff on all sides of the ball, I think a lot of teams will a tough time defending us after just listening to what Harbaugh has talked about. He knows offense and I think that'll help us a lot. He played in the league. He was one of the best quarterbacks in the league at his time so he knows what he's talking about.

SI.com: How's your hip doing and do you think you'll be back to your 2009 form when you posted some of your best career numbers?
Gore: I feel great I've been working very hard. I've been taking one day at a time with my trainers with my therapy people. I'll be fine. I'll probably be a little nervous when I first touch the field. But being scared to move or make cuts or do anything? Nah I'll be great.

SI.com: The 49ers drafted Oklahoma State running back Kendall Hunter in the fourth round. What did that pick tell you and do you feel any pressure heading into training camp?
Gore: They let me know like they always do. I don't put nothing past no man who ever played the game of football. It let me know that I have to come in and prepare to work and I'm going to do that. I know we also need a backup if we don't bring Brian Westbrook back. And Kendall is a similar style guy and has a similar style of play (to Westbrook). But I'm not scared of any kind of competition. If I ever was, I would have never went to Miami where there are running backs everywhere. I'm not scared of any man.

SI.com: How much truth was there in James Harrison's most recent rant?
Gore: Hold up, what happened? I haven't heard anything about that.

SI.com: Well he called Roger Goodell a devil and a puppet. He said he wouldn't piss on him if he were on fire. And he called out Ben Roethlisberger to stop trying to act like Peyton Manning and said Rashard Mendenhall is a fumble machine.
Gore: I have no comments to that. He's a great defensive player but I've got no comments to that. He had his ups and downs and took his fines.

SI.com: How does it make you feel when defensive players call out offensive players?
Gore: Defensive guys don't really understand. It's totally different for offense. Defensive guys are convinced they know us but they just don't understand. Quarterbacks have so much that they have to read and adjust to. They have to look at everybody on the defense. It's totally different for the offense.

SI.com: The team has two quarterbacks in Alex Smith and Troy Smith, but in the past couple seasons neither has really shined. Do the 49ers need a Hall-of-Fame caliber QB in order to make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2002?
Gore: I just think that getting on the same page and everybody going out and playing ball. Alex is our quarterback and I think Alex can do it and I know he has a lot of talent. His career has had some ups and downs. Like last year, if he had never got hurt he would have had a great year. If he can just come out and play football with all the talent we have, we'll be fine.

SI.com: Because of the lockout, you've had more time to do...
Gore: To get better. To spend more time with my trainer in Miami who I feel very comfortable with to get me ready for the season whenever the season starts.

SI.com: You worked out with Terrelle Pryor recently. What did you see out of the guy and how do you think he'll fare in the NFL?
Gore: One thing I know being around him the first time working out with him, I know that every team likes a guy who's going to try their best and work very hard. He works very, very hard. I've seen him out there by himself throwing drop backs 100 yards. He wants to do everything right and if he does that, I think he'll be fine.

SI.com: Lil Wayne recently dropped a new mixtape, but in 2007 Lil Wayne mentioned you in his mixtape song "Get High, Screw Da World." What did that do for your street cred?
Gore: I didn't hear it at first but then a lot of people starting calling my phone saying, 'Aw Lil' Wayne talking about you on his new song.' I got the CD and I heard it. I was real surprised. It let me know that a lot of people see what I do out there. It's real big.

SI.com: The U is obviously known for its swag, but Al Golden doesn't really embody what some would consider that "U swag." What's your take on him taking over the Miami job?
Gore: You can't really say that. As long as he brings discipline and let them guys play ball. Don't have them up under pressure and scared to play and make mistakes. There's a lot of talent. I feel that he'll do a good job. I go back to us, some of the things on the offensive side of the ball used to be tight just because Singletary was so tough on us. He didn't know, if he just let us play ball we knew what to do and that's how we have success. As long as he let those guys at the U be themselves, we'll be back.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(cnnsi.com)

All but two of the 49ers' returning starters from a year ago participated in the two weeks of "Camp Alex" -- the offensive workshop sessions at San Jose State that took place in June.

Although a lot was made of Michael Crabtree's level of participation, he sat in on seven of the eight classroom sessions. That was the important stuff, as quarterback/head coach/offensive coordinator Alex Smith installed a sizable portion of the 49ers' base offense.

Likewise, I attended seven of the eight days. Each day, I scribbled notes on which players attended and which players were absent during the offense-only get-togethers.

Team player director Takeo Spikes cited that scrutiny as one of the reasons he did not like the idea of players getting together for workouts during he owners-imposed lockout.

"The next thing I hate about it is the fact that some guys legitimately they can't come," Spikes said last week on the 2 Live Stews radio program. "They can't come and so when you let the media come in and tape the workouts the first thing they are going to say is, 'Where is so-and-so?' From that point, on whether it is wrong or right or indifferent, the media guys will paint a picture to the public about a guy who can't legitimately come."

He's correct. It was duly noted that running back Frank Gore and right guard Chilo Rachal were the 49ers' only returning starters who did not attend any of the sessions.

Gore is reportedly 100 percent after sustaining a hairline fracture of his right hip Nov. 29 against the Arizona Cardinals. Gore chose to remain in Miami and continue to work at Bommarito Performance Systems, rather than disrupt his physical conditioning with cross-country flights.

My take?

It's not a big deal at all because of the player we're talking about. Gore might be the most intelligent football player I've been around. Smith told me that Gore only has to see a play once to "get it down cold." Former 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan once said he would consider hiring Gore as a scout once his playing career was over.

It's amazing now to think that there were concerns when he was coming out of college about Gore's ability to digest an NFL playbook because of a learning disability. Of course, it has never been an issue.

Gore and Smith got a chance to learn a good chunk of the offense before the lockout. So with a pretty good grasp of the basics of the 49ers' offense, Gore chose to focus his attention on getting in top physical condition for the opening of training camp.

Right guard Chilo Rachal is the only other returning starter who did not attend. Word was that he had a prior commitment for the first week of "Camp Alex." No explanation was readily available for his absence during Week 2.

After the lockout, the 49ers will break into full cram mode as the coaches attempt to prepare the team for the start of the regular season, which is less than two months away.

Assuming center David Baas re-signs, Rachal is the 2010 starter whose position for the upcoming season is the most tenuous. Adam Snyder, the backup at right guard a year ago, helped Joe Staley organize all the work for the offensive linemen during the player-led workouts. Snyder knows the terminology and line calls as well as anyone right now.

My take?

The door might open for some good competition at right guard this summer.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(csnbayarea.com)

(hurricanesports.com)

13. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers running back: Gore missed five games in 2010, and injuries remain a constant concern with him. Gore is the focus of every defense he faces and takes a beating every week. I worry that the arrow is beginning to go down on Gore’s excellent career. The drafting of Kendall Hunter could pay huge dividends for Gore and the San Francisco offense if it helps to keep the star back fresh for an entire season. Gore played the fewest games and had his worst yards-per-carry average of his career in 2010. His sub-par supporting cast obviously contributed to Gore’s decrease in rushing production, but he needs to take some of the blame as well. The play-calling and San Francisco’s young offensive line should be improved in 2011, which will help. He was better than ever in the passing game and remains a very impressive do-it-all running back.

14. Calais Campbell, Arizona Cardinals defensive end: It could be argued that Campbell is more effective than his Arizona defensive end counterpart, Dockett. To me, it is a coin flip to decide. Although he also took a slight step backward last season, Campbell is an ascending player with a boatload of talent. Only 25 years old, Campbell is still learning how to best use his outstanding length and agility while playing with proper leverage. The best should be yet to come. Mix in Dan Williams, who almost made this list, and Arizona has a chance to have a fantastic defensive line.

See the rest of the rankings here.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s or Calais Campbell’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

Frank Gore stayed in Miami to continue rehab on his hip rather than join Alex Smith's players-only workouts this week.

We wouldn't make too much of this. Gore has always worked out like a madman in Miami, and this year is no different. He's doing all he can to ensure that the hip will not be an issue in 2011. The 28-year-old is expected to be fully healthy for the beginning of training camp.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(rotoworld.com)

With 931 yards rushing in 2011, Gore would pass Joe Perry atop the team’s career rushing list. He would have done it in just seven seasons, and since Gore just turned 28 in May, he would ostensibly have a few more seasons of quality production before his career goes into decline. Since’s Gore’s 4.7-yard average per carry entering this season ranks third in team history among the San Francisco greats, his career rushing numbers would be totally legitimate.

But numbers don’t tell everything, particularly when you are talking about great football players.

Joe “The Jet” Perry was great – one of the greatest running backs of his era. Roger Craig was great – also one of the best of his era, and certainly the greatest running back to define the 49ers during their championship dynasty of the 1980s and 1990s. Craig is the other running back besides Perry that currently stands between Gore and the top of San Francisco’s all-time rushing chart.

To be sure, other great running backs played for the 49ers. Two of them – Hugh “The King” McElhenny and O.J. Simpson – join Perry and Johnson in the Hall of Fame.

Gore stands today on a second tier of standout backs who defined the 49ers that includes Craig, Ken Willard, Garrison Hearst and J.D. Smith. The latter three names currently stand behind Gore as the Nos. 4-6 career rushers on San Francisco’s all-time list. The latter three all had great stretches with the 49ers, and there was a time while in San Francisco that each was a Pro Bowl running back considered among the very best playing the game

A few other backs had flashes of brilliance with the 49ers: Ricky Watters (a fantastic multi-threat talent despite his audacity and bravado), Delvin Williams (the NFC’s No. 2 rusher with a then-franchise record 1,203 yards rushing in 1976), Wendell Tyler (1,262 yards rushing for the 1984 Super Bowl champions) and Charlie Garner (back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 1999-2000).

But neither of those four running backs did enough with the 49ers, or was around long enough with the 49ers, to be considered in the all-time best conversation.

All the aforementioned others did and were, except for Johnson and Simpson, who were either on the way up or on the way down when they played for the 49ers. Each of those Hall of Famers spent their best days as a professional, and made their names as NFL greats, playing for other teams.

Which leaves Gore alone with Perry, McElhenny, Craig, Willard and Smith as the six greatest running backs to play for the 49ers.

Smith, who led the 49ers in rushing five consecutive seasons from 1959-1963 and was second in the NFL with 1,036 yards rushing in 1959, doesn’t quite make the final cut.

Willard led the 49ers in rushing seven consecutive seasons from 1965-1971 and went to four Pro Bowls over a five-year span. But he never broke the 1,000-yard barrier, had only one season of more than 855 yards rushing, and was more of a plodding runner than enduring threat who finished his 49ers career with a 3.7-yard average per carry.

McElhenny, whose famous misdirection runs and elusiveness provided some of the top highlight-reel material of his day – or any day – was more of a complementary threat in a loaded backfield that at one time or another also featured Perry, Johnson and Smith. McElhenny twice led the 49ers in rushing, but he needed only 478 yards to do so in 1957. He had only two seasons of more than 515 yards rushing – 684 in his rookie season of 1952 and a career-high, team-leading 916 in 1956.

Undoubtedly an all-time NFL great, McElhenny – who also had 264 career receptions and once recorded an 89-yard touchdown run, 77-yard reception and 94-yard punt return in the same season – would be a better finalist in discussion for best multi-threat player.

Which leaves Perry, Craig and Gore.

The credentials of the former two speak loud and clear.

Perry, who died in April at age 84, is San Francisco’s all-time leading rusher with 7,344 yards, averaging 4.9 a pop. He led the 49ers in rushing seven consecutive seasons from 1949-1955, then again in 1958. He was the first player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons (1,018 in 1953 and 1,049 in 1954, Perry’s two most productive seasons). Perry was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro who was inducted into the Hall of Fame six years after his career ended.

Craig also sits ahead of Gore with 7,064 yards rushing as a 49er. He led the 49ers in rushing five consecutive seasons (1985-1989) during his wonderful career, including a 1,502-yard season in 1988, when he was the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year. Craig had three 1,000-yard seasons with the 49ers, and in 1985 – the first of his four Pro Bowl seasons – became the first player in NFL history to record 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season.

Craig also ranks third in 49ers history in receptions with 508 for 4,442 yards. His 11,506 yards from scrimmage rank second in team history behind only Jerry Rice. Just as significantly, Craig is the only running back among the six finalists to win a Super Bowl. Craig won four of them, three in seasons he was San Francisco’s lead back and leading rusher. Craig was a Hall of Fame finalist in 2010 and probably won’t have to wait many more years before he’s inducted.

Here’s how Gore stacks up with his predecessors: He has led San Francisco in rushing each of the past six seasons, and is the only player in team history to rush for 1,000 yards or more in four seasons, each of them coming consecutively from 2006-2009.

Gore’s 1,695 yards rushing and 2,180 yards from scrimmage in 2006 both are team records. His 4.7 rushing average is second among all NFL running backs since Gore entered the league in 2005. Gore’s 24 100-yard rushing games is a team record, and his 8,697 yards from scrimmage already ranks fourth in team history. He ranks 14th in team history with 270 receptions and has been to two Pro Bowls.

Significantly, Gore’s body of work has been assembled in just six seasons. And even more significantly, here is the primary reason he seriously deserves consideration with Perry and Craig today as the 49ers’ best ever:

Simply put, Gore has done it on his own.

He has produced consistently despite being a marked man in an offense that, for the most part, has had virtually no other legitimate threats and not once has finished a season higher than 23rd in the NFL rankings since Gore arrived on the scene. He has played with eight different starting quarterbacks. He has never played on a winning team.

Gore has led the 49ers in receptions twice and not once has played with a wide receiver who recorded more than 61 receptions in a season. Since joining the 49ers, Gore has played with just one other offensive skill player to make the Pro Bowl, tight end Vernon Davis, and just one lineman to earn that status, guard Larry Allen.

Gore has carried the San Francisco offense every season since becoming a starter in 2006 and still consistently produced star numbers. Perry and Craig never had to do that.

Perry played in a powerhouse backfield, the legendary “Million Dollar Backfield” at that, which had three other players that would reach the Hall of Fame. Enough said.

Craig played for one of the greatest enduring offenses in NFL history, an attack that featured two Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Joe Montana and Steve Young, a Hall of Fame wide receiver, Jerry Rice, and a host of other Pro Bowl stars who were among the best at their positions at that time. During Craig’s eight seasons as a regular starter, the 49ers had an offensive player selected to the Pro Bowl 24 times. Enough said.

So if Gore passes Craig and Perry to become San Francisco’s all-time leading rusher this season, does he become the 49ers’ greatest ever?

The answer, of course, is no.

From this vantage point, Craig is the greatest running back in franchise history. He was a magnificent dual-threat halfback who also had the size and power to start at fullback early in his career. And, bottom line, he was a star on four Super Bowl champions. The 49ers might not have won all four of those Lombardi trophies without him.

But give Gore time. He figures to again be the central figure in San Francisco’s offense this season, working in a new system designed by coach Jim Harbaugh that should take full advantage of Gore’s diverse skills.

And despite the wear and tear Gore has absorbed during his career, including a fractured right hip that ended his season after 11 games last year, Gore’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, recently sent out this status report regarding his client via twitter: “(Gore)’s 100% healthy and fully recovered from his hip injury. He’s never looked better!”

To be sure, Gore has looked pretty good so far as a 49er. He will be a free agent after the 2011 season, and Gore’s return to the team in 2012 and beyond is essential for him to add to his credentials as a franchise great.

But if Gore does play further into this decade with the 49ers, and can finally get this floundering franchise into the playoffs and turn it into a winner again, he will earn status as the best ever, if he isn’t there already.

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sfo.scout.com)

Kyle from Rockford, Ill., doesn't see why ESPN.com voters would favor Steven Jackson over Frank Gore in the recent Power Rankings. Gore has a higher average per carry and more touchdowns. Also, the difference in games missed over the past three seasons -- nine for Gore, five for Jackson -- was not all that significant.

Mike Sando: I suspect how the players finished last season influenced perceptions of them. Gore's totals last season were down because he missed the final five games to injury. This is a good discussion to have, however, because both backs are outstanding. How they run and for whom they run will influence preferences. One is a Mustang, the other a Camaro. Both are classics. Both rank among the more productive backs in the NFL over the past few seasons.

We should appreciate both players while we can. The position they play exacts high physical costs. It'll be an upset if both are still producing at high levels even two seasons from now. It could be an upset if both are with their current teams beyond the 2011 season. Gore is entering the final year of his contract with the 49ers. He recently turned 28. The final two years of Jackson's contract can void after the 2011 season. He turns 28 in July. Running backs rarely produce past their late 20s.

Which back is better? This is a discussion I'd like to open for debate. Jackson has clear size advantages over just about every back in the NFL. He is physically superior. Gore's ability to produce on a similar level despite being much smaller stands as part of his appeal. There's no way Gore should be so powerful and punishing, but he is.

Both players are exceedingly tough. They play with admirable heart. Gore's 2010 season ended with a broken hip, but there's no video of him getting carted off or laying on the field. He actually came back into the game after suffering the injury. The 49ers had to hide his helmet to make sure he remained on the sideline. Jackson gives up nothing to Gore in this category. He has played through a back injury that required surgery even though his team was struggling toward a 1-15 record. He has played through numerous other injuries, including groin and finger problems last season.

Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. recently downgraded Jackson as a player who had "lost a step" and could no longer make big plays in the open field. Was this simply a reflection of a groin injury limiting Jackson's stride? Or is he markedly less explosive?

The stats show Jackson breaking seven runs of at least 20 yards last season. He had 10 in 2009 and six in 2008. Gore had six last season, 11 the year before and eight in 2008. Fourteen players had at least eight last season, including Tim Hightower (eight). Darren McFadden led the NFL with 14 such runs. Maurice Jones-Drew, one of the more explosive players in the league, had eight such plays. Adrian Peterson had nine. Marshawn Lynch had five.

I've put together a chart showing cumulative rushing yardage totals for both players over the past three seasons. Jackson has played in four additional games during that span. Some of the statistical comparisons are imperfect, but the overall body of work does favor Jackson, in my view. The fact that he has missed fewer games during that span skews some of the comparisons, but Jackson was also more valuable for his ability to play in additional games.

2008-2010 Rushing Yardage Totals

Rushing Category	Frank Gore	Steven Jackson
Games Played	39	43
Total Yards	3,009	3,699
September	803	771
October	790	1,048
November	829	803
December	480	969
January	107	108
First quarter	1,008	967
Second quarter	653	1,173
Third quarter	821	881
Fourth quarter	487	676
Overtime	40	2
Games 1-8	1,684	1,968
Games 9-16	1,325	1,731
Left sideline	268	218
Left side	374	977
Middle	1,394	980
Right side	685	1,049
Right sideline	288	475
Own 1- to 20-yard line	728	639
Own 21- to 50-yard line	1,262	1,729
Opponent 49- to 20-yard line	726	1,101
Opponent 19- to 1-yard line	257	230
Inside opponent's 10-yard line	111	57
First down	1,675	2,086
Second down	1,077	1,391
Third down	245	195
Fourth Down	12	27
Third-and-short	113	105
vs. NFC West	1,169	1,186
vs. Arizona	444	379
vs. Seattle	425	428
Home	1,897	1,995
Away	1,112	1,704

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.

Alan from Long Beach, Calif., cannot understand why Frank Gore's stock seems to be dropping in various NFL rankings, including the ones ESPN.com has put together recently. Alan considers Gore more valuable to the 49ers than any back is to his team, but he's seeking confirmation.

Mike Sando: Gore ranked tied for 10th in our balloting for best running backs in the NFL this offseason. I ranked Gore seventh behind Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Steven Jackson, Arian Foster and Jamaal Charles. Gore has missed nine games over the past three seasons, including the final five in 2010, and he was limited in other games.

Gore recently turned 28 years old. I still think he's among the very best backs in the NFL when healthy. He hasn't been healthy enough lately. His carries have diminished every season since 2006, but his production has been consistently strong. He's tough, runs hard and breaks tackles. He catches the ball well and set a career best last season by averaging 9.8 yards per reception. He blocks well in protection.

Gore has no weaknesses beyond concerns about his durability. Those concerns are real based on games missed and age relative to the 30-year-old barrier that has struck down plenty of running backs. The 49ers keep drafting running backs as insurance, but Gore remains their best back by a wide margin. I'd expect him to start the next two seasons and remain as productive as injuries allow him to be. His line should improve and that will help.

The chart lists the top 10 running backs in our rankings while providing basic rushing stats for them over the past three seasons. I've also included how many games they've played and how many they've missed to injury or other factors.

2011 RB Power Rankings: Three-Year Rushing Totals

Power	RB	Team	Games	DNP	Carries	Yards	Avg.	TD
1	Chris Johnson	Titans	47	1	925	4,598	5.0	34
2	Adrian Peterson	Vikings	47	1	960	4,441	4.6	40
3	Maurice Jones-Drew	Jaguars	46	2	808	3,539	4.4	32
4	Arian Foster	Texans	22	10	381	1,873	4.9	19
5	Jamaal Charles	Chiefs	47	1	487	2,944	6.1	12
6	Michael Turner	Falcons	43	5	888	3,941	4.4	39
7	Steven Jackson	Rams	48	5	907	3,699	4.1	17
8	Ray Rice	Ravens	45	3	668	3,013	4.5	12
9	Rashard Mendenhall	Steelers	36	12	585	2,439	4.2	20
10	Frank Gore	49ers	39	9	672	3,009	4.5	19
10	LeSean McCoy	Jets	31	1	362	1,717	4.7	11
10	Darren McFadden	Raiders	38	10	440	2,013	4.6	12

(espn.com)