Gore primed and ready (1 Viewer)

[kncks12]

I am very excited at FG this season, but can he do it for the whole ride and not just the early part? That is the big question with Frank. It sounds like he is in shape and primed for a huge year

Niners RB Frank Gore geared up for big season

By JANIE McCAULEY - AP Sports Writer

2009-08-11 02:47

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -Frank Gore walked around shirtless after practice the other day showing off his sculpted physique, confident as ever.

Gore feels so good, in fact, that San Francisco's star running back keeps referencing his career-best Pro Bowl season of 2006 - because he believes he's primed for a sequel.

It sure can't hurt that Mike Singletary is pushing a power-run offense in the coach's first training camp.

``I feel strong. I feel fast, quick and ready,'' Gore said. ``I put the time in. Every time on the field, I visualize myself in the game.''

Gore hasn't taken a day off through the first 10 days of camp and hasn't asked for one, either. That effort and energy is catching on with his offensive linemen and others. The coaches are closely monitoring Gore's workload to make sure he stays healthy and fresh, and he will be limited in Friday's exhibition opener against Denver.

``Frank is a workhorse out there,'' center Eric Heitmann said. ``I've never seen Frank take a play off. He's always running down hill, trying to get the right cuts, blowing up the hole. He's working tremendously hard this camp. He's taking a ton of reps and looking extremely good. It's a tremendous motivating factor for us to have a running back with that much intensity and enthusiasm about the game. It really fires us up and it's fun to block for a guy like that.''

Monday was a scorcher - the hottest day yet for the Niners during camp - with the temperatures reaching the low 90s with no breeze. Yet play after play, there was Gore adding an extra 10 to 20 yards to every run, channeling a tradition established in the days of Jerry Rice and Roger Craig and their extraordinary work ethics. Those two made plays in practice, then ran a little further just for the fun of it.

``Good job, Gore!'' one teammate hollered.

``Go get 'em, Frank!'' yelled another.

Gore charges up the middle and high-fives a lineman, then makes another nice run and slaps hands with running backs coach Tom Rathman. He pats linemen on their helmets, too - and they sure appreciate those gestures of support.

``We're very lucky to have a guy like Frank in our backfield,'' Heitmann said.

On Monday, in an 11-on-11 drill featuring the starting lines on both sides of the ball, Gore broke through and ran right into the arms of observing injured linebacker Patrick Willis for an embrace.

``I think Frank has a tremendous attitude this training camp,'' Singletary said after the day's first session. ``I think a lot of that has to do with his coach, Tom Rathman. Tom has developed a good rapport with all the running backs and getting to know who they are and coaching them hard. At the same time, being that father figure when you have to listen and help them work through things. So there's a trust that's there between Frank and Coach Rathman that only enhances what Frank can do.''

In the best of his four NFL seasons, Gore ran for 1,695 yards and eight touchdowns in '06 and also caught 61 passes for 485 yards and a TD. He carried the ball 31 times at Denver that season and rushed for 212 yards against Seattle, both career highs.

The 26-year-old returned to the University of Miami for his offseason regimen this year, rededicating himself to the kind of training that worked so well for him in 2006. He turned himself over to Hurricanes strength coach Andreu Swasey, the same man who helped Gore during his college days and early years in the NFL.

``I wanted to go back to him since '06 was one of my best years. I went back to all my old ways, like when I first got in the league,'' Gore said. ``I feel so strong right now. I just go on the practice field and visualize myself in the game. That's why I like to get the reps and why I go so far.''

Gore decided he needed to do something differently because he didn't finish the past two seasons the way he would have liked and has dealt with a bum ankle that kept him out two games in 2008. He still finished last year with 240 carries for 1,036 yards and six TDs and another 43 catches with two touchdowns.

He has missed only three games in three years despite the constant pounding his body takes.

``I think he has the eye of the tiger this year,'' said new Niners offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye. ``From what I've seen, his work ethic has been outstanding and he's looking forward to a good year - and we are looking forward to him having one.''

 

[Ghost of Bill Walsh]

He's certainly poised for a good year attitude and work ethic wise.He's also establishing himself as a team leader calling out Vernon Davis the other day. He's got Moran Norris back as lead blocker for him which helped him get 1695 yds. rushing/61 recpts-485 yds and 9 total td's in 2006(#4). Keeping him fresh and healthy will be key to his success this year. Looks like Glen Coffee will be Gore's primary backup to spell him and throwin wildcard Kory Sheets. They should be able to do an ample job of relief for Gore between the two of them. They have Crabtree, but will he sign and how much impact is he gonna have. If he doesn't play or play much they'll have to rely on vet Ike Bruce and much talked about Josh Morgan, who's gaining in solidifying his playing time. Then there's Vernon Davis and they've vowed to get the TE involved more but I'm kinda on the fence here lately with Davis. I think if he doesn't see they ball early and often his attitude's gonna be poor and that won't sit well with Singletary. Dude has talent he needs a head adjustment.

Once again though we have the QB situation. Alex Smith, former #1 overall pick, seems to be progressing in camp and could be week 1 starter. Shaun Hill's not gonna just turn the job over to Smith which I think will be good for the both of them. However, whichever one ends up being the starter they're gonna need to be productive to a point or Gore's production could suffer. I'm not giving up on Smith, he's had a different OC every year he's been with the Niners, but 2009 will be his pivotal year as to whether he'll continue next year as a SF QB.

Even if they get erratic QB play Gore will be the focal point and how well he produces will be determined how well they manage his play. Regardless I'm still excited about Frank Gore this year. I wouldn't mind less yardage and would like to see an increase in td's. He hasn't scored double digit td's yet and if he's going to be a top back he needs to increase his td total. I think that's very doable this year and we'll see his best year yet overall numbers wise.

 

[CentralPA]

I hope Gore does well, I traded him away in the off season because I could not keep 4 players. It was a hard decision but I decided to keep Matt Forte over Gore. If he puts up the numbers he did in '06 then I would have made the wrong move. Needless to say though he has the talent and the work ethic to be the best back in the game, good luck to him and to the Niners coming back to prominence.

 

[B. Nugget]

I hope Gore does well, I traded him away in the off season because I could not keep 4 players. It was a hard decision but I decided to keep Matt Forte over Gore. If he puts up the numbers he did in '06 then I would have made the wrong move. Needless to say though he has the talent and the work ethic to be the best back in the game, good luck to him and to the Niners coming back to prominence.

How good is the SF O-line?I know that they have a couple of young guys with tons of potential, but how do they stack up against the rest of the league as a unit? Average? Above Average?

 

[CentralPA]

I'd say they are average but I don't follow them that much. Not sure if they signed any new lineman or who they drafted in the off season. I do know that bad o-line or not Gore usually will produce good numbers.

 

[Ignoratio Elenchi]

How good is the SF O-line?

I know that they have a couple of young guys with tons of potential, but how do they stack up against the rest of the league as a unit? Average? Above Average?

D+. 25th in the league.

 

[RUSF18]

How good is the SF O-line?

I know that they have a couple of young guys with tons of potential, but how do they stack up against the rest of the league as a unit? Average? Above Average?

D+. 25th in the league.

I think the split analysis is right though: C+ run blocking, D pass blocking. With a RB as talented as Gore, IMO a C+ O-line is plenty to get him the numbers you would need out of him.

 

[Pooh Tong and Nemo]

The O-line is definatly young, but the good news is that it has remained largely intact now for 3 years which is always positive. Staley is a beast and a great leader. Baas, Heitman, and Sneider have all made great strides in all aspects of thier game. The off season aquisition of Marvel Smith brings much needed experience and even if he only starts half of the season will be a huge upgrade from Jonas Jennings. Vernon Davis is still one of the best blocking TE's in the game. All of these things in my opinion point to a good, possibly great year for Gore ,barring injury which for #21 is always a concern.

 

[burd]

that o-line is a little suspect but i love Gore's upside for a couple of reasons that im sure have been mentioned many times:

1) he's a great receiver out of the backfield. between rushing and recieving, i think Gore's going to have a lot of touches this year.

2) the already mentioned underperforming O-line should translate into a lot of dump off passes to Gore as the yet-to-be-named-QB avoids the sacks.

i try to avoid players on bad teams but Gore and SJax are the exceptions because they touch the ball so much.

 

[Pooh Tong and Nemo]

that o-line is a little suspect but i love Gore's upside for a couple of reasons that im sure have been mentioned many times:1) he's a great receiver out of the backfield. between rushing and recieving, i think Gore's going to have a lot of touches this year. 2) the already mentioned underperforming O-line should translate into a lot of dump off passes to Gore as the yet-to-be-named-QB avoids the sacks. i try to avoid players on bad teams but Gore and SJax are the exceptions because they touch the ball so much.

I agree with you in regards to the amount of touches Gore gets this year, but that is what also scares me. He has never been the most durable back, even going back to his Hurricane days. I really do believe the O-line will be dramatically improved, so hopefully that should keep him on the field moreso than in the past.

 

[brakeyawself]

How good is the SF O-line?

I know that they have a couple of young guys with tons of potential, but how do they stack up against the rest of the league as a unit? Average? Above Average?

D+. 25th in the league.

I think the split analysis is right though: C+ run blocking, D pass blocking. With a RB as talented as Gore, IMO a C+ O-line is plenty to get him the numbers you would need out of him.

Hes only missed like 5 games i think. The injury concerns go back to when he was younger mostly. He has gotten dinged up, but no more than Barber, Westbrook and so on. And far less than Sjax, allthough Sjax is the more talented back so hes managed to put up better stats even with missing more time. Im not very concerned with Gore getting injured. And Coffee can be had for pretty much nothing just in case.

 

[prgromek]

I'm lovin' me some Frank Gore this year. Pick him up late in the 1st round and get yourself a stud WR in the 2nd and you're on your way to a championship in your PPR league. And Coffee is looking better and better as a super-late handcuff.

 

[gump]

How has his OL looked in the preseason?

I'd say Coffee's gaudy stats were a positive sign.

 

[hauser42]

With Mad Mike at HC this team is going to pound the ball and control the clock. This means Gore will be feed the rock time and time again. Short passes out of the backfield will also let him get some big gainers for more yardage. IMO he is a late 1st early 2nd round pick. You know he will get the ball not like the share backfields around the league.

 

[two_dollars]

He will outperform his ADP. I predict the young line will gel into something respectable, possibly a B grade by the end of the season. Not many tough teams in the NFC West either.

 

[Deuce'sWild]

I think Gore will have a HUGE year, and I really don't care if he does it all year or not, because I have Coffee too, and I think he could be even better.

 

[karmarooster]

1st, why does gore get the injury prone label? he's missed 3 games in the last 3 years. that is not injury prone, in fact that is incredibly healthy considering he's had over 800 carries in those three years. makes no sense.

2nd, i was really really high on gore going into the pre-season. in fact i've considered taking him #6 overall in PPR leagues and had him as RB#4 on my draft board. i thought he was primed for a 2006 repeat season with the possibility of 10+ TDs.

i think coffee's play changes that. now that coffee has shown he's a legit backup, i don't see gore going over 300 carries. to repeat his 2006 numbers, gore would need over 300 carries, possibly alot more than 300 because in 2006 he averaged 5.4ypc on 312 carries. coffee is just good enough to push gore down the board... now i think he's a solid pick around the turn if someone wants to go WR-RB.

 

[Sinrman]

At first, I was going to compare SF to Carolina, but Carolina at least has a top WR. If SF had some semblance of a passing game, that would take the pressure off the running game some, I'd say Gore would indeed have a big year. But I'm not convinced he'll return to 2006 form. That's not to say that he won't have a decent year (assuming he stays healthy). I think Coffee will indeed help some, but it is a double edged sword in that it takes touches away from Gore. They better pray their WRs step it up this year and Shaun Hill does something...

 

[tim]

i hope you guys are right i have gore in 5 out of 6 leagues and he came pretty cheap in my opinion 2nd round.

 

[thehornet]

1st, why does gore get the injury prone label? he's missed 3 games in the last 3 years. that is not injury prone, in fact that is incredibly healthy considering he's had over 800 carries in those three years. makes no sense. 2nd, i was really really high on gore going into the pre-season. in fact i've considered taking him #6 overall in PPR leagues and had him as RB#4 on my draft board. i thought he was primed for a 2006 repeat season with the possibility of 10+ TDs.i think coffee's play changes that. now that coffee has shown he's a legit backup, i don't see gore going over 300 carries. to repeat his 2006 numbers, gore would need over 300 carries, possibly alot more than 300 because in 2006 he averaged 5.4ypc on 312 carries. coffee is just good enough to push gore down the board... now i think he's a solid pick around the turn if someone wants to go WR-RB.

Settle down. Coffee had one nice game. This isnt all of a sudden changing the teams philosophy.And to deuceswild above....Dude, better than Gore? You're nuts.

 

[Ray_T]

1st, why does gore get the injury prone label? he's missed 3 games in the last 3 years. that is not injury prone, in fact that is incredibly healthy considering he's had over 800 carries in those three years. makes no sense. 2nd, i was really really high on gore going into the pre-season. in fact i've considered taking him #6 overall in PPR leagues and had him as RB#4 on my draft board. i thought he was primed for a 2006 repeat season with the possibility of 10+ TDs.i think coffee's play changes that. now that coffee has shown he's a legit backup, i don't see gore going over 300 carries. to repeat his 2006 numbers, gore would need over 300 carries, possibly alot more than 300 because in 2006 he averaged 5.4ypc on 312 carries. coffee is just good enough to push gore down the board... now i think he's a solid pick around the turn if someone wants to go WR-RB.

I agree. It is a label that some have applied overzealously. Although he is a player that seems to get a lot of minor injuries that do not bump him out of the lineup.either way, this info is not going to prevent me from taking him if he falls to the second half of the first round and I'm up to draft, I'd strongly consider taking him.

 

[massraider]

It pains me as a Raider fan to say this, but you Coffee drinkers need to tap the brakes. It was a godawful performance by the rush D for Oakland. Well, either that, or the 49ers have one of the most underrated O-lines in recent history.

They were 31st vs. the run last year, and did nothing to get better.

 

[hootyhoo22]

ask yourself this? is frank gore's drop off after 2006 because of norv turner leaving and martz becoming off co.. or is it because teams have had a year to get game film on him and actually stop him. im not gonna sit and here and say that martz being the off co didnt have a hand in gore's drop off. but i also think that maybe gore isn't as dominant as we think he is. 2 years now below 1200 yards. that can't be all coaching!!!!

 

[lynx4ben]

ask yourself this? is frank gore's drop off after 2006 because of norv turner leaving and martz becoming off co.. or is it because teams have had a year to get game film on him and actually stop him. im not gonna sit and here and say that martz being the off co didnt have a hand in gore's drop off. but i also think that maybe gore isn't as dominant as we think he is. 2 years now below 1200 yards. that can't be all coaching!!!!

If coffee is running over people, just think what gore is going to do...

 

[karmarooster]

Settle down. Coffee had one nice game. This isnt all of a sudden changing the teams philosophy.

It pains me as a Raider fan to say this, but you Coffee drinkers need to tap the brakes. It was a godawful performance by the rush D for Oakland. Well, either that, or the 49ers have one of the most underrated O-lines in recent history.They were 31st vs. the run last year, and did nothing to get better.

well it wasn't just one game, it was two games. vs. denver - 14 for 67 at 4.8ypc vs. oakland - 16 for 129 at 8.1ypcnow obviously these are not strong defenses, but coffee did exactly what he was supposed to do and that was chew up these below average defenses. i'm not saying coffee is going to be a stud, but he's a bona-fide back up who will take 100-140 carries away from gore. he's better than robinson.in 2006, gore had 312 rushes, robinson 38, hicks 29, and morris 2... a total of 381 rushes by RBs. if coffee gets his 100, how is gore going to have more than 300 carries? even if the team rushes more, there's still robinson to get involved on a limited basis (possibly out of the wildcat). i don't think i'm overreacting by saying that since coffee has shown he is a competent backup, gore is no longer worth a mid-first round pick - which is where i had him, significantly higher than his ADP. listening to the audible, they ripped coffee, said he went down easy, and owed half his money to LT andre smith. looks like they were wrong... coffee can get what the line blocks and maybe a little more. now gore's worth a late first round pick, back at his ADP.

 

[massraider]

Settle down. Coffee had one nice game. This isnt all of a sudden changing the teams philosophy.

It pains me as a Raider fan to say this, but you Coffee drinkers need to tap the brakes. It was a godawful performance by the rush D for Oakland. Well, either that, or the 49ers have one of the most underrated O-lines in recent history.

They were 31st vs. the run last year, and did nothing to get better.

well it wasn't just one game, it was two games. vs. denver - 14 for 67 at 4.8ypc

vs. oakland - 16 for 129 at 8.1ypc

now obviously these are not strong defenses, but coffee did exactly what he was supposed to do and that was chew up these below average defenses. i'm not saying coffee is going to be a stud, but he's a bona-fide back up who will take 100-140 carries away from gore. he's better than robinson.

in 2006, gore had 312 rushes, robinson 38, hicks 29, and morris 2... a total of 381 rushes by RBs.

if coffee gets his 100, how is gore going to have more than 300 carries? even if the team rushes more, there's still robinson to get involved on a limited basis (possibly out of the wildcat).

i don't think i'm overreacting by saying that since coffee has shown he is a competent backup, gore is no longer worth a mid-first round pick - which is where i had him, significantly higher than his ADP. listening to the audible, they ripped coffee, said he went down easy, and owed half his money to LT andre smith. looks like they were wrong... coffee can get what the line blocks and maybe a little more.

now gore's worth a late first round pick, back at his ADP.

Actually, I think you are dramatically overreacting. Who were the preseason leading rushers last August? Did they force their way onto the field?Mendenhall and Mason from the Redskins. Oooof.

Here's a link to last year's preseason studs. Check out those leading rushers:

http://www.nfl.com/schedules?seasonType=PR...mp;week=-1#Week

 

[karmarooster]

Settle down. Coffee had one nice game. This isnt all of a sudden changing the teams philosophy.

It pains me as a Raider fan to say this, but you Coffee drinkers need to tap the brakes. It was a godawful performance by the rush D for Oakland. Well, either that, or the 49ers have one of the most underrated O-lines in recent history.

They were 31st vs. the run last year, and did nothing to get better.

well it wasn't just one game, it was two games. vs. denver - 14 for 67 at 4.8ypc

vs. oakland - 16 for 129 at 8.1ypc

now obviously these are not strong defenses, but coffee did exactly what he was supposed to do and that was chew up these below average defenses. i'm not saying coffee is going to be a stud, but he's a bona-fide back up who will take 100-140 carries away from gore. he's better than robinson.

in 2006, gore had 312 rushes, robinson 38, hicks 29, and morris 2... a total of 381 rushes by RBs.

if coffee gets his 100, how is gore going to have more than 300 carries? even if the team rushes more, there's still robinson to get involved on a limited basis (possibly out of the wildcat).

i don't think i'm overreacting by saying that since coffee has shown he is a competent backup, gore is no longer worth a mid-first round pick - which is where i had him, significantly higher than his ADP. listening to the audible, they ripped coffee, said he went down easy, and owed half his money to LT andre smith. looks like they were wrong... coffee can get what the line blocks and maybe a little more.

now gore's worth a late first round pick, back at his ADP.

Actually, I think you are dramatically overreacting. Who were the preseason leading rushers last August? Did they force their way onto the field?Mendenhall and Mason from the Redskins. Oooof.

Here's a link to last year's preseason studs. Check out those leading rushers:

http://www.nfl.com/schedules?seasonType=PR...mp;week=-1#Week

what you're saying is BECAUSE coffee has done well in the pre-season, that means for sure he's all smoke and mirrors. that makes no sense.i dont think i'm overreacting because i had gore "too high" in some people's eyes to begin with, #6 overall and RB#4. i said he's now late first round material... exactly where his ADP is. i've gone from saying i would reach for him in the mid-first to now i probably won't.

why would they draft a RB in the 3rd round to play on a run-first team, give the kid lots of carries in the preseason to see how good he he is, see him perform above expectations, and then not give him 100 carries on the season?

what exactly are you disagreeing with? i stated that gore won't have more than 300 carries if there are only about 400 total RB carries to go around. how many carries do you project for gore and coffee and robinson? where do you put gore in the first round pecking order?

if you don't mind, show me some numbers.

ETA - it's not so much coffee's total yardage numbers that impress me, but his ypc

 

[massraider]

Settle down. Coffee had one nice game. This isnt all of a sudden changing the teams philosophy.

It pains me as a Raider fan to say this, but you Coffee drinkers need to tap the brakes. It was a godawful performance by the rush D for Oakland. Well, either that, or the 49ers have one of the most underrated O-lines in recent history.

They were 31st vs. the run last year, and did nothing to get better.

well it wasn't just one game, it was two games. vs. denver - 14 for 67 at 4.8ypc

vs. oakland - 16 for 129 at 8.1ypc

now obviously these are not strong defenses, but coffee did exactly what he was supposed to do and that was chew up these below average defenses. i'm not saying coffee is going to be a stud, but he's a bona-fide back up who will take 100-140 carries away from gore. he's better than robinson.

in 2006, gore had 312 rushes, robinson 38, hicks 29, and morris 2... a total of 381 rushes by RBs.

if coffee gets his 100, how is gore going to have more than 300 carries? even if the team rushes more, there's still robinson to get involved on a limited basis (possibly out of the wildcat).

i don't think i'm overreacting by saying that since coffee has shown he is a competent backup, gore is no longer worth a mid-first round pick - which is where i had him, significantly higher than his ADP. listening to the audible, they ripped coffee, said he went down easy, and owed half his money to LT andre smith. looks like they were wrong... coffee can get what the line blocks and maybe a little more.

now gore's worth a late first round pick, back at his ADP.

Actually, I think you are dramatically overreacting. Who were the preseason leading rushers last August? Did they force their way onto the field?Mendenhall and Mason from the Redskins. Oooof.

Here's a link to last year's preseason studs. Check out those leading rushers:

http://www.nfl.com/schedules?seasonType=PR...mp;week=-1#Week

what you're saying is BECAUSE coffee has done well in the pre-season, that means for sure he's all smoke and mirrors. that makes no sense.

No. That's what you're saying I am saying. Frankly, that's such a wild leap of logic, I don't even know where you got that from.I am saying that there is a good chance that his performance vs. the Raiders isn't going to vault Coffee into some "We have to get this guy carries!" status.

 

[karmarooster]

you pointed to mendenhall and mason. they were pre-season rushing leaders. they turned out to be not-so-good (not sure yet about mendenhall). this year, coffee might be the pre-season rushing leader. therefore, "oooof." almost like it's a bad thing. but fair enough, you say that's not a bad thing, but not a 'boost' either.... so coffee's pre-season performance isn't a positive or a negative, its meaningless.

do u think gore is worth an early-to-mid first round selection in PPR? i am still on the fence a little bit... coffee may be good enough to give gore some rest, keep him healthy and effective, but not still a ton of carries. still interested in your opinion and projections for gore and coffee, but you're reticent.

 

[Blue-Kun]

what you're saying is BECAUSE coffee has done well in the pre-season, that means for sure he's all smoke and mirrors. that makes no sense.

Jeez, step back 09'er. Perhaps your new to all this hullabaloo, but the preseason generally does jack-all to indicate future regular season fortune. Coffee played against two teams which will most likely have incredibly soft running defenses this year and spent half his time against second-stringers.

i don't think i'm overreacting by saying that since coffee has shown he is a competent backup, gore is no longer worth a mid-first round pick - which is where i had him, significantly higher than his ADP

First off, yes this is an overreaction already. You really can't make this claim without actual play that counts to back this up with.Second, even if we took that premise at face value, that would mean the following RB's might be in line for a downgrade because they could get carries stolen from them from their backups.

ADP

DeAngelo Williams

Micheal Turner

LaDainian Tomlinson

As you can see, it's a bit silly to start downgrading high-end RB's because their back-ups might take some carries away from them.

Finally, the idea that Gore would've gotten 300+ carries didn't hold a lot of weight to begin with. In 2007 he was only on pace for 278 and in 2008 he was on pace for 275-280 again. Only 5 RB's in the NFL had over 300 carries last year. In 2007, only 6 had over 300 carries. Coffee could be complete garbage and I would still take the under on Frank Gore getting 300 carries.

The data your basing this conjecture off of is awfully shaky.

 

[karmarooster]

what you're saying is BECAUSE coffee has done well in the pre-season, that means for sure he's all smoke and mirrors. that makes no sense.

Jeez, step back 09'er. Perhaps your new to all this hullabaloo, but the preseason generally does jack-all to indicate future regular season fortune. Coffee played against two teams which will most likely have incredibly soft running defenses this year and spent half his time against second-stringers.

i don't think i'm overreacting by saying that since coffee has shown he is a competent backup, gore is no longer worth a mid-first round pick - which is where i had him, significantly higher than his ADP

First off, yes this is an overreaction already. You really can't make this claim without actual play that counts to back this up with.Second, even if we took that premise at face value, that would mean the following RB's might be in line for a downgrade because they could get carries stolen from them from their backups.

ADP

DeAngelo Williams

Micheal Turner

LaDainian Tomlinson

As you can see, it's a bit silly to start downgrading high-end RB's because their back-ups might take some carries away from them.

Finally, the idea that Gore would've gotten 300+ carries didn't hold a lot of weight to begin with. In 2007 he was only on pace for 278 and in 2008 he was on pace for 275-280 again. Only 5 RB's in the NFL had over 300 carries last year. In 2007, only 6 had over 300 carries. Coffee could be complete garbage and I would still take the under on Frank Gore getting 300 carries.

The data your basing this conjecture off of is awfully shaky.

you sound like a 2nd grader when you say that. just because i joined this forum recently doesn't mean i haven't played fantasy for years or been on other forums before FBGs.the only data i based this on were coffee's YPC in two preseason games, and the 49ers RB carries in 2006. how is that data shaky? here's some more data:

turner - last year norwood had 95 carries

dwill - last year stewart had 184 carries (goodson wouldn't duplicate that if stewart weren't around, but he could probably get half that)

adp - last year chester taylor had 101 carries

LT - sproles was under-utilized and still had 61 carries

that sets a ball-park for carries by a backup RB. you think coffee can't match these numbers? gore wasn't a 300 carry back last year because of martz. he was a 300 carry back in 2006 and could easily return there IF they don't use coffee to spell him.

again, if you're going to disagree, what about some numbers? you think coffee is only going to get 40 carries? if not, how many? how many will gore have? san fran RBs as a whole?

gore 280

coffee 95

robinson 25

total 400

 

[War Eagle]

Draft him and trade high. Dudes production or health always seems to slip in the final weeks (fantasy playoff weeks). He'll start with a bang though.

 

[Cabby]

I am really hoping to get this guy in my auction keeper league this year. I tried to get Coffee in the rookie draft but failed. I really don't think that Coffee will affect Gore much this year. I was reading an article today that said Gore owners should definately draft Coffee as well. What do you guys think? How much will Coffee be involved?

 

[jurb26]

I am really hoping to get this guy in my auction keeper league this year. I tried to get Coffee in the rookie draft but failed. I really don't think that Coffee will affect Gore much this year. I was reading an article today that said Gore owners should definately draft Coffee as well. What do you guys think? How much will Coffee be involved?

Gore owners should draft Coffee because Gore has an extremely long list of injuries and if he goes down Coffee could light it up. No other reason.

 

[prgromek]

I am really hoping to get this guy in my auction keeper league this year. I tried to get Coffee in the rookie draft but failed. I really don't think that Coffee will affect Gore much this year. I was reading an article today that said Gore owners should definately draft Coffee as well. What do you guys think? How much will Coffee be involved?

definitely grab Coffee...he'll be real cheap and he's the clear back-up to Gore so it'll be well worth it for you to acquire him. SF should have a real nice running game this year.

 

[gregjcross]

I am really hoping to get this guy in my auction keeper league this year. I tried to get Coffee in the rookie draft but failed. I really don't think that Coffee will affect Gore much this year. I was reading an article today that said Gore owners should definately draft Coffee as well. What do you guys think? How much will Coffee be involved?

If you look at Singletary's play calling, even if they are behind, Gore will be very good. That is why they were closer to 8-8 and not 2-14 last season

 

[baconisgood]

in 2006, gore had 312 rushes, robinson 38, hicks 29, and morris 2... a total of 381 rushes by RBs

In 2006 SF ran 918 plays- 82 fewer than the league average that year and 2nd last in the league. They rushed the ball 13 times fewer than the league average as well, its pretty easy for a team that was below the league average to add 20-30 running plays to give to their backup. Its not at all as stretch to say Gore could have 310 and Coffee 90 rushes.

 

[karmarooster]

in 2006, gore had 312 rushes, robinson 38, hicks 29, and morris 2... a total of 381 rushes by RBs

In 2006 SF ran 918 plays- 82 fewer than the league average that year and 2nd last in the league. They rushed the ball 13 times fewer than the league average as well, its pretty easy for a team that was below the league average to add 20-30 running plays to give to their backup. Its not at all as stretch to say Gore could have 310 and Coffee 90 rushes.

so Gore 310, Coffee 90, plus another 30 to robinson?... thats 430 RB carries, to mention a few QB scrambles and WR end-arounds. the 49ers will still be a losing-to-middling team, so i doubt they have more plays or more running plays than the league average. i think these numbers are slightly ambitious.

 

[Grahamburn]

Draft him and trade high. Dudes production or health always seems to slip in the final weeks (fantasy playoff weeks). He'll start with a bang though.

Gore faces the Lions in week 16. He's worthy of a first round pick for that fact alone, and I have a feeling the 49ers could possibly be fighting for a playoff berth at that point in the season. Gore could win the championship for you singlehandedly if your fantasy team can get you there.Also, the Gore vs. Coffee debate in here is getting ridiculous. Sure, Coffee is going to get some touches, but when the games start to count Frank Gore is going to be the RB getting the ball. Come on guys, be reasonable...

 

[karmarooster]

Also, the Gore vs. Coffee debate in here is getting ridiculous. Sure, Coffee is going to get some touches, but when the games start to count Frank Gore is going to be the RB getting the ball.

Come on guys, be reasonable...

coffee will keep gore fresh and possibly more effective by giving him intermittent breathers throughout the game. to deny that at this point is to ignore the evidence. from rotoworld august 25th:

Beat reporter Matt Maiocco projects the 49ers to use a 17:6 carry ratio between Frank Gore and Glen Coffee this season.

Coffee's still just a "handcuff" fantasy pick, but has earned an early-season role with an outstanding preseason. Over 16 weeks, the 17-carry per game estimate would result in 272 for Gore, or more than he's had since 2006. It should keep him fresh, and Gore will remain oft-used in the passing game.

the source is twitter... and it's just a guess, but it's an educated guess from a beat writer. coffee's 5 or 6 rushes a game is 80 - 96 carries on the season, and that has a significant impact on Gore's placement in the first round. compare him to a SJax who has no one as talented as coffee behind him. before, i was seriously considering gore over jackson because i love gore's attitude and the offensive game-plan. but now gore's place in the late-first/early-second is cemented in my opinion, and jackson remains very high on my board.

unless someone can produce a quote from the 49ers staff that indicates coffee will get fewer carries.....

 

[Grahamburn]

Also, the Gore vs. Coffee debate in here is getting ridiculous. Sure, Coffee is going to get some touches, but when the games start to count Frank Gore is going to be the RB getting the ball.

Come on guys, be reasonable...

coffee will keep gore fresh and possibly more effective by giving him intermittent breathers throughout the game. to deny that at this point is to ignore the evidence. from rotoworld august 25th:

Beat reporter Matt Maiocco projects the 49ers to use a 17:6 carry ratio between Frank Gore and Glen Coffee this season.

Coffee's still just a "handcuff" fantasy pick, but has earned an early-season role with an outstanding preseason. Over 16 weeks, the 17-carry per game estimate would result in 272 for Gore, or more than he's had since 2006. It should keep him fresh, and Gore will remain oft-used in the passing game.

the source is twitter... and it's just a guess, but it's an educated guess from a beat writer. coffee's 5 or 6 rushes a game is 80 - 96 carries on the season, and that has a significant impact on Gore's placement in the first round. compare him to a SJax who has no one as talented as coffee behind him. before, i was seriously considering gore over jackson because i love gore's attitude and the offensive game-plan. but now gore's place in the late-first/early-second is cemented in my opinion, and jackson remains very high on my board.

unless someone can produce a quote from the 49ers staff that indicates coffee will get fewer carries.....

Are you really this worried about Coffee because he had a couple nice preseason games?How many RBs are there that take every single carry for their respective teams?

I don't think the 49ers are going to be blowing many teams out, so I expect Gore to be in the game getting the touches. He won't get all of them, of course, who does?

Steven Jackson is about the only player left that we can expect to get the majority of the RB snaps for his team. He has his own set of question marks.

I don't think anyone expects Gore to be a 350 carry back this season. He'll get 270-300, possibly more if he's extremely effective, and he'll catch 40-50 passes. That's the kind of player you want in the first round.

Frank Gore is a talented runner with a nice schedule, and every report out of camp is sparkling with positives (just read this thread).

Peterson, MJD, Turner, DeAngelo Williams, and maybe Steven Jackson are the only players I personally would draft over him in a standard scoring league.

 

[karmarooster]

Peterson, MJD, Turner, DeAngelo Williams, and maybe Steven Jackson are the only players I personally would draft over him in a standard scoring league.

this mirrors my rankings, with the exception of Turner. I have Peterson, MJD, Sjax, and probably Dwill in front of Gore. Dwill has likely replaced gore as the RB#4 on my board. the only problem is that when it gets to the point in the first round where i would take gore, i'm already thinking about Moss.

 

[OnTheReg]

Peterson, MJD, Turner, DeAngelo Williams, and maybe Steven Jackson are the only players I personally would draft over him in a standard scoring league.

this mirrors my rankings, with the exception of Turner. I have Peterson, MJD, Sjax, and probably Dwill in front of Gore. Dwill has likely replaced gore as the RB#4 on my board. the only problem is that when it gets to the point in the first round where i would take gore, i'm already thinking about Moss.

I'd take LT over Gore as well, adding to that list.

 

[OnTheReg]

Peterson, MJD, Turner, DeAngelo Williams, and maybe Steven Jackson are the only players I personally would draft over him in a standard scoring league.

this mirrors my rankings, with the exception of Turner. I have Peterson, MJD, Sjax, and probably Dwill in front of Gore. Dwill has likely replaced gore as the RB#4 on my board. the only problem is that when it gets to the point in the first round where i would take gore, i'm already thinking about Moss.

I'd take LT over him as well.

 

[Grahamburn]

I had LT ahead of him as well before the preseason games began.

LT doesn't look like he as that explosiveness/burst anymore on the carries I saw. He's still going to score TDs, get yards, catches, etc., but I guess I like the possible 2006 upside potential of Gore this season.

And, like I said before, I always like to have someone on my team that is playing the Lions in week 16.

 

[Day Drinker]

Draft him and trade high. Dudes production or health always seems to slip in the final weeks (fantasy playoff weeks). He'll start with a bang though.

In the last 3 years in PPR leagues Gore has averaged 20.7 ppg in weeks 12-16. That is hardly slipping in the final weeks. He got hurt last year and missed week 15 and 16, but before that, his track record in the fantasy playoffs was REALLY good. That is a common mistake in the fantasy world, only rememberring last year.

 

[karmarooster]

Draft him and trade high. Dudes production or health always seems to slip in the final weeks (fantasy playoff weeks). He'll start with a bang though.

In the last 3 years in PPR leagues Gore has averaged 20.7 ppg in weeks 12-16. That is hardly slipping in the final weeks. He got hurt last year and missed week 15 and 16, but before that, his track record in the fantasy playoffs was REALLY good. That is a common mistake in the fantasy world, only rememberring last year.

also gore's injury-prone label is not deserved. in the past 3 years he's missed 3 games. there aren't many players who miss 1 game per year on average with as many carries.

 

[the spanker]

Right now I have ahead of Gore (in 1PPR) MJD, Forte, and Jackson (SJax is even debatable in my eyes). I have him tied right now with Slaton. Anyone else have Slaton very close to Gore?

 

[massraider]

Also, the Gore vs. Coffee debate in here is getting ridiculous. Sure, Coffee is going to get some touches, but when the games start to count Frank Gore is going to be the RB getting the ball.

Come on guys, be reasonable...

coffee will keep gore fresh and possibly more effective by giving him intermittent breathers throughout the game. to deny that at this point is to ignore the evidence. from rotoworld august 25th:

Beat reporter Matt Maiocco projects the 49ers to use a 17:6 carry ratio between Frank Gore and Glen Coffee this season.

Coffee's still just a "handcuff" fantasy pick, but has earned an early-season role with an outstanding preseason. Over 16 weeks, the 17-carry per game estimate would result in 272 for Gore, or more than he's had since 2006. It should keep him fresh, and Gore will remain oft-used in the passing game.

the source is twitter... and it's just a guess, but it's an educated guess from a beat writer. coffee's 5 or 6 rushes a game is 80 - 96 carries on the season, and that has a significant impact on Gore's placement in the first round. compare him to a SJax who has no one as talented as coffee behind him. before, i was seriously considering gore over jackson because i love gore's attitude and the offensive game-plan. but now gore's place in the late-first/early-second is cemented in my opinion, and jackson remains very high on my board.

unless someone can produce a quote from the 49ers staff that indicates coffee will get fewer carries.....

Is there a quote from the coaches saying Coffee has earned a slice of the carries? Isn't that easier to find than a quote saying a player will get less carries? BTW, less carries than what? What he had last year (zero)? What the beat writer is GUESSING?

 

[karmarooster]

from joe's daily email:

SF - RB Frank Gore still focal point of offenseSource: Matt Maiocco - the Santa Rosa Press-DemocratMatt Maiocco, of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, reports that 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye insists that RB Frank Gore is the focal point of the offense. "This deal is 21," said Raye, referring to Gore's number. "This ballclub is going to be run by No.21. It was never going to be that the lead dog in this race was going to be the quarterback. The bell cow in this operation will be No.21."[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]That should be music to fantasy owners ears. The league is moving away from workhorse do-everything lead backs, but that's exactly what Gore is going to be in San Francisco. He's a worthy mid-first round pick, and a steal if he falls to the second.

my current PPR RBs board:1. AP2. MJD3. DWill4. Sjax5. Gore