49ers' Gore willing to give up a few carries

SANTA CLARA – It's a tricky issue for an NFL running back. Sharing carries with another rusher can cut down on wear and tear and elongate your career. But it also can give a younger teammate a foothold from which to take your job.

That's what happened to former 49ers running back Garrison Hearst, who split carries with a younger rusher, Kevan Barlow, for several seasons. Hearst was displaced by Barlow following the 2003 season.

After splitting time with Frank Gore in 2005, Barlow was traded to the New York Jets before the 2006 season.
Three years later, it's Gore, 26, who is suddenly surrounded by eager rookie runners.

The 49ers used a third-round draft pick – the same round in which Gore was drafted – to select Alabama running back Glen Coffee. The team also is excited about another rookie, Purdue's Kory Sheets, a non-drafted free agent.
Coach Mike Singletary made it clear on draft weekend that Gore was still the team's primary running back. But he also said Coffee's acquisition was in Gore's best interest.

"Frank is smart enough to know that taking every snap, getting injured in the last couple of years – a little nick here, a little nick there – it helps to have somebody in there who can give him a break, share some of that load," Singletary said.

Gore, however, said the ankle injuries that caused him to miss games in 2007 and '08 were not because his body broke down. And he insisted he is the type of running back who gets better the more he touches the football.

"I couldn't help that someone fell on my ankle, and the year before it was the same," Gore said. "Last year, I felt like I was getting stronger. And I did get hurt. I won't say it was because I was worn down. It was just unlucky injuries."
Singletary and the 49ers have not yet decided how many carries Coffee and the team's other backups will see in a game. Gore, however, almost certainly will get more rest than he did last year when DeShaun Foster was the No. 2 running back.

Before Gore injured his ankle in a Week 14 game against the Jets, Foster had 21 carries for 42 yards. Ten of those carries came in the second half of a Week 11 blowout win against the Rams.

Gore said Tuesday that Jimmy Raye's offense suited his style of running more than Mike Martz's system did last season. Martz had Gore run outside the tackles more than he had in previous seasons, something Gore referred to as "finesse running."

"I like it so far," Gore said of Raye's offense. "We run the ball a lot. We're doing a lot of downhill runs, and that's my type of running style."

He also said he's gotten a good first impression from Coffee – "He's working very hard. He's learning the offense. I like him" – and wouldn't mind if the rookie got a few carries here and there.

That is, as long as Gore continues to get his fill.

Said Gore: "As long as I'm in most of the time and getting my rhythm and doing the best I can to help the team win, I'm fine with it."

(sacbee.com)