2007 Outlook

In his rookie season, Gore shared with Kevan Barlow and though he only had 128 carries, he gained 613 yards for a healthy 4.8 yard rushing average. That showing made the 49ers comfortable dumping Barlow and going with Gore as the starting back when the new offense from Norv Turner was installed in 2006. Gore richly rewarded the move, running 313 times for 1695 yards (3rd best in the NFL) and scoring eight times. All this for a team that did not have a feared passing game to prevent constant eight man fronts. Gore finished 2006 with a 5.4 yard rushing average – 4th best in the NFL and the best considering only 300+ carries backs. Last year Gore was the 49ers offense and yet few could stop him.

Gore turned in nine games over 100 rushing yards and three of those went for more than 150 yards. He also added 61 catches (4th best again) for 485 yards and one more score. That’s 2180 total yards for a team that had no other running back or receiver with more than 733 yards of offense. Considering total yardage, Gore only had six games that failed to reach at least 100 total yards and he topped the 150 yard mark eight times with receiving added in. With the passing offense almost certain to improve, Gore’s 2007 is shaping up to be another strong year except for two possible factors.

The 49ers will be playing a tougher schedule this year though Gore still had big games against CHI (120 yards) and DEN (185 yards) – that may not matter much. The more intriguing aspect is that HC Mike Nolan has said that he wants to limit Gore’s carries this year to help preserve him. Gore had major surgery done on both shoulders and knees in his past and after giving him a four year extension worth $28 million over the next five seasons, the 49ers reasonably want to protect their investment. They gave him a guarantee for $14 million. As scary a notion as that may be to Gore owners, take into account that he has dropped five pounds and will play lighter after LaDainian Tomlinson shared with him that it will help his durability and help keep him fresh. Also consider that almost every coach with a big-time stud running back says the same and when the games are decided by how well the back plays, they pretty much always end up with just as big of a season. Gore wants a 2000 yards season –perhaps optimistic – but even with Nolan’s idea of limiting Gore, there is no one else to turn to anywhere near his ability. Limiting carries is a great notion looking at a season but calling plays each game is all about what will help them win. One caveat here - Gore opens the season with games @PIT and BAL in the first five weeks - that will likely cause a slower start.

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