Frank Gore to See Reduced Role in 2014

San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore has been doing the dirty work for the last nine years. Playing for the only team he’s ever known, Gore has put up seven 1,000+ yard seasons during that span, and has carried the ball less than 203 times just once. He’s touched it less than 250 times just twice.

It sounds like the 31-year old tailback might finally start to get a bit of a break.

According to reports, Gore could lose up to 50 carries in 2014, as the Niners aim to keep him fresher for the stretch run of the regular season and the playoffs. That shouldn’t prove to be all that difficult, either, as San Francisco has slowly built a strong stable of running back talent behind Gore over the years.

Kendall Hunter is expected to continue on in his change of pace role, but could gradually steal more third down and passing down work from the aging Gore, as well. Gore was already being slowly phased out of that area anyways (less than 30 receptions in each of the past three seasons), but that’s an element of his game the 49ers are likely to look to take away even more.

Doing so could help Gore stay healthier deeper into the season, which could in turn help him avoid a drop-off in play.

Second-year running back Marcus Lattimore and rookie back Carlos Hyde could also come into play as quality early down and short-yardage subs that could help spell Gore.

Lattimore has yet to prove he’s healthy enough to make much of a difference, but if he can get anywhere near the level of play we saw out of him at South Carolina, he could prove to be a huge asset to a run-based offense. The same goes for Hyde, and probably even at a higher level, as he offers a more physical running style than Lattimore and has no health issues coming into his pro career.

The end game is to keep Gore the main starter, overall, and to let him once again guide San Francisco on a deep playoff run. To even make sure they get to the playoffs, though, the 49ers will need a healthy and effective Gore doing his best work against the Seattle Seahawks twice in the team’s final few contests.

 

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