2012-GameRelease-Divisional

Frank Gore’s style, all his own
By Taylor Price, 49ers.com
Player Feature Story
To get a sense of how much Frank Gore means to the San Francisco 49ers, all one must do is pop on the
tape of the franchise rushing king’s 23-yard touchdown against the Green Bay Packers.
Lined up in the backfield as part of the team’s seven-linemen personnel package, Gore followed fullback
Bruce Miller and pulling left guard Mike Iupati’s kick-out blocks around the right edge to score San
Francisco’s first rushing score of 2012.
But there was more to it.
Gore was first hit at the 4-yard line by Packers safety Morgan Burnett. The hit, however, didn’t derail Gore
from reaching the end zone. Instead, Gore spun off the body blow to his right, staying in bounds long
enough to backpedal into the end zone, where he was blasted backwards at the goal line by Green Bay
cornerback Tramon Williams.
On its own, the play spoke to the many impressive traits that have made Gore one of the NFL’s best
running backs in his eight playing seasons.
Gore’s linemen mobbed him in the end zone, too. Daniel Kilgore and Jonathan Goodwin, first on the
scene, lifted the 5-foot-9, 217-pound runner off the ground and into their arms. At that point, all of San
Francisco’s offensive linemen reached Gore to give him a lift.
“It was a really good job of on that particular play Kilgore and Leonard Davis sealing off the edge,”
offensive coordinator Greg Roman recalled. “Bruce Miller came around with Mike Iupati did a great job of
sealing. Bruce Miller did a great job. He forced (Charles) Woodson to basically hurdle him, which freed up
Frank and then Frank just made a guy miss and spun into the end zone. Wasn’t perfect, but it was a great
run. A lot of good things happened on it. We loved the end result.”
In turn, Gore loved the play call, its design and the coordinator utilizing all of his personnel, not just the
starters.
“I like our coaching staff, they do a great job of getting us in the right positions,” said Gore, who picked up
112 yards on 16 carries against Green Bay. “Coach G-Ro, he’s probably the best I’ve been around as a
coordinator.
“G-Ro, I’d put him at No. 1 so far… He makes it fun.”
Teammates certainly appreciate the diverse play-calling from the team’s second-year coordinator, but
they also value everything Gore brings to the table.
Exceptional vision, quick footwork, patience through running lanes and a relentless running approach
make Gore one of the best backs around.
Third-year running back Anthony Dixon considered Gore’s 23-yard score as one of the best he’s seen
from San Francisco’s all-time leading rusher.
“With what we were trying to accomplish out there, yes it was,” Dixon said. “That was one of my favorite
runs I’ve seen from him. He didn’t go out of bounds – he toughed it out, took a hit – and got back up.”
Gore, himself, doesn’t really like to categorize his running ability, nor does he compare it to others.