Indianapolis Colts: Don’t bet against Frank Gore
Thanks to an injury that ended Andrew Luck’s season before he had a chance to truly rebound, the Indianapolis Colts offense was a disaster behind a dumpster fire offensive line and the noodle-arm of Matt Hasselbeck that somehow escaped widespread criticism.
Related Story: What was the greatest team in NFL history?
Three heroes did their best to keep the Indianapolis Colts afloat, and without T.Y. Hilton, Frank Gore, and Donte Moncrief, an 8-8 finish couldn’t have been achieved. Though the Colts were dead last in net yards per pass attempt and second-to-last in yards per carry, those three players worked their hardest to ensure that the season could be salvaged.
Gore averaged just 3.7 yards per carry last season, and history isn’t on his side. According to ESPN NFL Nation’s Mike Wells, Washington Redskins legend John Riggins is the last 33-year-old player to run for 1,000 yards in a season. That was in 1984.
Set to turn 33 tomorrow, it may seem like Gore is facing an uphill battle, and he is livid that he missed out on the 1,000-yard mark last season, hitting 967 behind the NFL’s worst interior offensive line. As a matter of fact, that’s the first time since his rookie year in which he missed out on 1,000 yards when healthy enough to play in 12 games.
More from Indianapolis Colts
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- 5 rookies to target for your Fantasy Football drafts In 2023
- Indianapolis Colts: Jonathan Taylor and Jim Irsay are stuck together
- Another star running back is unhappy with his situation
- Jim Irsay is alienating his best player at the worst possible time
Last season, Gore never missed a single game and was the workhorse back, amassing 260 carries. The man hasn’t missed a game since the 2011 season, so while he may be 33 years old, he has shown no signs of slowing down and is undoubtedly on the shortlist of the NFL’s toughest players.
The Colts deserve to be applauded for aggressively upgrading their offensive line in the draft, selecting Ryan Kelly in the first round and plucking tackles Le’Raven Clark and Joe Haeg later on. All bets are off when it comes to projecting rookie impact from the two tackles, but Kelly should be a huge factor from Day 1, which will be critical for Gore’s success.
However, what will help Gore the most is the return of Luck, because it was the quarterback’s absence that most profoundly hurt the back’s efficiency. In the first half of the season, Gore averaged 4.3 yards per carry. Even though Luck was throwing interceptions at a high rate and finished the season with a QB Rating under 75.0, he was at least able to challenge defenses downfield.
So in the second half of the season, Gore’s yards per carry average plummeted to 3.22. Although he faced some unfavorable fronts in his final year with the San Francisco 49ers (the organization’s big meltdown season), what he had to deal with last year is something no running back would wish on their mortal enemy.
Per the Indianapolis Star’s Zak Keefer, Gore admitted that this was the hardest situation he faced in a career that started in 2005.
"“Toughest 967 I got,” he fumed after the end of the season."
Understandably, the focus is on the five or six men blocking in front of him (tight end Dwayne Allen didn’t have his best season), but don’t underestimate how much the quarterback situation suffocated his running lanes. Though Hasselbeck played as well as anyone could have reasonably expected, the 40-year-old played injured at times and just could not make all of the throws necessary.
Here’s what Hasselbeck said:
"“I think for me I’ve had this mindset of, ‘Hey just don’t screw it up. Be very, very careful. Let Adam (Vinatieri) have his three points in the red zone.'”"
Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski:
"“Look, we’re navigating through some challenging situations right now and are working to try to do our best to get what we need to be able to win.”"
Gore is one of the most accomplished rushers of our generation, and he’s a throwback to those old Riggins days when veteran backs could plow their way to 1,000. When the Colts signed Gore last offseason, there was plenty of buzz around how he could elevate the offense, giving one of the game’s most gifted quarterbacks someone to lean on in the backfield. That should finally materialize in 2016, which is shaping up to be a revenge season for both Luck and the Colts.
I wouldn’t bet on a player like Gore who still has the vision, burst, power, and sheer drive (seriously, read any of his quotes this offseason to get a feel for the fire burning within him) to eclipse 1,000. Just don’t call it a bounce-back season, because the only improvement needed is from some of the players around him.
More nfl spin zone: Who is the biggest draft bust in NFL history?
If you don’t think Gore still has it, check out the touchdown run that starts off this clip. Now that’s burst, determination, and a smidgen of veteran savvy.