Gore ‘bleeds’ red and gold, even with Colts
In the final two games of the 2014 season, Frank Gore rushed for 140 yards in back-to-back games for the first time since 2006, ripped off his longest touchdown run since 2009 and tied a career high with 51 carries in consecutive games.
He was 31. And he was hurting so much entering that turn-back-the-clock stretch against the Chargers on Dec. 20 that 49ers running back Carlos Hyde figured playing — forget dominating — wouldn’t be possible.
“I thought he was going to sit out,” Hyde recalled Wednesday.
What got into Gore three years ago?
Well, those two games were the final two starts of his 10-year career with the 49ers. And, looking back, there is a poignancy to his finish with the franchise he adored.
It was as if Gore, the oldest of eight running backs to start 16 games that season, willed himself to send a last-ditch plea to the 49ers’ front office: I can still do it; don’t let me go.
This week has served as a strong reminder of Gore’s love affair with the 49ers, whom will he face as an opponent for the first time Sunday in Indianapolis as a member of the Colts, his team since 2015.
During a 14-minute conference call with Bay Area media, Gore referred to his former team as “we” and “us,” and at one point posed a question to his questioners: “So what do ya’ll think about the 49ers, man?”
It turned out to be an excuse for Gore to praise his former team, which has a 7-29 record since he left: “I think they’re going in the right direction,” he said.
Gore said much more. He broke down their defense, which makes sense because he’ll face it Sunday. He also revealed he’d studied video of Hyde’s performance against the Seahawks in Week 2. Gore’s fondness for his ex-team prompted a reporter to note that he sounded like a fan. He didn’t deny it. “I want to see them do great,” Gore said. “I’ve been there 10 years. That’s what I bleed.”
When told about Gore’s fandom, 49ers left tackle Joe Staley, Gore’s teammate for eight seasons, all but offered a no-duh response. He speaks with Gore often.
“He acts like he’s still a part of the team,” Staley said. “He gets bummed when we lose. … He’s always asking how the guys are doing. How coaches are doing. ‘You look good on film. Keep going.’ He wants to see us turn it around. He’s 100 percent a Niner. And he’ll always be a Niner.”
Gore wanted to play his entire career with the 49ers, who drafted him in the third round in 2005 despite a medical file that include two torn ACLs. He did not test the free-agent market during his playing career with the 49ers, signing contract extensions in 2007 and 2011.
In 2014, however, no extension was forthcoming. Before the season, the 49ers used a second-round draft pick on Hyde and they offered Gore only a one-year contract after a season in which he rushed for 1,106 yards.
Gore was angry after their breakup, but he couldn’t stay mad for long.
“My first year, I was kind of bitter,” Gore said. “But that’s the business of the league. They had a young guy and (general manager) Trent Baalke had drafted him and they wanted to play him. They wanted to go in a new direction. What can I do?
“I just know that when I left, I left on good terms. I played great ball for the York family and my fans out there. They can only say positive things about me in that organization.”
Three years later, Gore appears to be a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
And that’s because he’s remained productive well beyond the average NFL running back’s expiration date.
Consider: Entering his final game with the 49ers, Gore ranked 21st in NFL history in rushing yards. Now, entering his first game against the 49ers, Gore (13,256 career yards) will pass Eric Dickerson for seventh place on the all-time career rushing list with 4 yards Sunday. He needs 429 yards to pass LaDainian Tomlison for fifth place.
Last year, Gore became one of five players in NFL history with nine 1,000-yard seasons, and the first running back age 33 or older to rush for 1,000 yards since John Riggins in 1984.
Gore acknowledged it’s satisfying to know he’ll likely cap his career in Canton after he began it being questioned.
“When I got drafted, people said even ... me getting drafted in the third round was a reach,” Gore said. “I won’t be in the league two or three years just because of my (injury) history. But I’m still playing and I’m still having a little success at this age. I feel real blessed, man. I’m still working my behind off and I still love it.”
Staley said if Gore isn’t a Hall of Famer, “then I don’t know what the criteria is.” And he noted Gore’s candidacy goes well beyond stats. He said Gore, regarded as one of the best passblocking backs in NFL history, influenced his teammates with a team-first approach in which he worked like an undrafted rookie. It made a lasting impression on Staley, a first-round pick.
“Frank,” Staley said, “100 percent impacted my life by the way he played and the way he worked. He made everyone better.”
Hyde spent just one season with Gore, but he had a ready answer when asked about the biggest lesson he took from his mentor as a rookie.
“I’ll never forget it,” Hyde said. “He told me never let a rookie come in and take your spot. It always stuck with me.”
Gore didn’t let Hyde beat him out, but even Gore can’t beat Father Time.
Four games into this season, he’s averaging 47.7 yards a game and 3.1 yards a carry, which would be a career low. This week, he didn’t rule out playing at least another season, and he’ll be a free agent in the spring.
The rebuilding 49ers probably won’t have interest in a mid-30s running back, but Staley, 33, offered a fitting way for Gore to cap his career when posed this question: Will he or Gore leave the NFL first?
“Maybe we’ll just retire together,” he said. “He can sign back for a day and retire with the 49ers.”