The Inconvenient Truth

Frank Gore is heading into his sixth season as an NFL running back, thankfully he still 3 years away from turning 30 years old, the expiration date of NFL running backs.  Yet, the 49ers are already worried, and for good reason.  

As history has proven time and time again, NFL running backs don't slowly detoriorate, they fall off cliffs.  The days of Eric Dickerson, Jerome Bettis, and Emmitt Smith are long gone.

These days, running backs are lucky to have a 5 year career.  They know it, we know it, everyone knows it.  Why do you think they want to get paid after a breakout season? Chris Johnson is smart enough to know that he can't play forever, so he wants to get paid today.  The wear and tear is unbearable, defenses are faster, and far more physical. 

This is no joke.  Just ask Shaun Alexander, Edgerrin James, Willis McGahee, Brian Westbrook, and LaDainian Tomlinson.  Bet they didn't think it wouldn't happen to them either.  Franchises recognize this too, the NFL didn't start becoming a 2-back league for no reason.  Sure every team would like a couple of backs that compliment each other, to hopefully give defenses a change of pace.  But the real reason seems to be more so that teams want their franchise back to last as long as possible.

Don't get it twisted, sometimes teams get lucky with a Thomas Jones, who flourished later in his career.  However, general manager's are still asking themselves that same question: "About how far away is that cliff?"

So, this brings us back to Frank 'Inconvenient Truth' Gore, how much does he really have left?  He's had four straight 1,000 yard seasons with a bad offensive line, and for three of those seasons, the Niners have been looking for a back to spell Gore on occasion.  

Why? The 49ers want Frank Gore to play forever, that's why.  Glen Coffee and Anthony Dixon need to step their game up because it's starting to get real serious.

Look at it this way, if there was one season that Frank Gore needed to be at his best, it is definitely this one.  The offense looks like, well, like an actual NFL offense.  Alex Smith has the same offensive coordinator as he did last year for the first time in his career, the offensive line is showing a lot more promise with rookies Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis, Michael Crabtree is looking to have a coming out party like Vernon Davis did last year, and that Patrick Willis led defense is looking like a force to be reckoned with.

Couple all that with the the worst division in football, the NFC West, getting even worse, and the 49ers 2010-11 season looks very promising.

So, Mr. Gore, if you could do the 49er empire a favor, defy the odds, and give us 5-6 more 1,000-yard seasons, that would be great.  You know you're going to have the ball a lot, that's just Coach Singletary's philosophy.  No pressure.