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.
