Frank Gore (21) runs the ball against the Seahawks in the first half of the 2013 NFC Championship football game at CenturyLink Field. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
Frank Gore is over the hill by NFL running back standards, but the Pro Bowl starter for the San Francisco 49ers had a message for the growing number of challengers lining up at training camp this week: Get in line.
“I’m from Miami,” Gore said of the much-discussed running back competition. “I’ve been competing since I left high school. I’ve been with top guys who’ve been in the league. I’m up for it. One day, they’re going to get this role. But I’m here, and I’m going to make it a challenge.”
Gore, 31, averaged 4.1 yards per carry in 2013 with a team-high 1,128 yards on 276 carries. That compared to 2012 (4.7, 1,258, 258) shows his consistency and proven production, all bundled into what coach Jim Harbaugh considers a highly valuable package.
In March, Harbaugh scoffed at the idea that 2,000-plus career carries would lead to Gore’s steep decline.
“I really think Frank has three more good years,” he said. “I truly believe that. But we’re in a game of taking it one year at a time.”
In the increasingly brutal NFC West, where Seattle and St. Louis are loaded with dynamic defenders, more than one running back is required. That’s not to say Gore can’t remain as San Francisco’s bell cow. Gore needs 33 rushing yards to reach 10,000 for his career.
Harbaugh is fiercely loyal to Gore, who is dependable not only because of his experience, but his ability to pick up schemes and on-the-fly adjustments without instruction.
Second-year running back Marcus Lattimore, who spent his rookie season on injured reserve after multiple leg injuries at South Carolina, and incoming rookie Carlos Hyde — a powerful package at 5-10, 230, with a penchant for uprooting defenders by hitting them first — have been impressive throughout the offseason, offensive coordinator Greg Roman said.
“Carlos, since he got here from the draft, really impressed me as a guy that, football really makes sense to him. If you can just tell him what to do, you don’t have to tell him too much, Roman said. “That’s a beautiful thing in a running back because they have a lot of adjustments to make and protection … Marcus is right on track. He brings a little bit more of a slashing style. So, very different styles, but we like what we see out of both of them.”
Veterans Kendall Hunter, LaMichael James and Jewel Hampton remain on the roster, but with each passing carry, the opportunity for reps could shrink in a numbers game that will ultimately be decided by how effective the newcomers are in preseason and the impact the rest of the bunch can have in other areas, including special teams.
