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On Sunday, fans will see a familiar face going against the San Francisco 49ers for the first time in his career. When the 49ers defense takes the field in Indianapolis, the running back on the other side of the football will be Frank Gore, who played 10 years for San Francisco. Gore has been praised this week by his Sunday opponents.
"I know everyone knows how good he is," 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Wednesday, "but I still think he's one of the most underrated backs of our generation. I have nothing but respect for Frank."
"He's still a tough S.O.B," 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said on Thursday. "He'll still run downhill. He'll still put his face right on you. He's still pretty good out of the backfield. He's still a dynamic running back and he's still able to create when there's nothing there."
Gore,
who remains a fan of his former team, likes what the 49ers have done this season in an attempt to revive the franchise.
"I think they're going in the right direction," Gore told Bay Area reporters on Wednesday. "They're really tough. I like their coaching staff. I like what they're doing on offense."
"I want to see them do great," Gore continued. "I've been there 10 years. That's what I bleed. I want to see them do good."
On Thursday night, former teammate Joe Staley joined "The Damon Bruce Show" on
95.7 The Game and was asked if he would seek out Gore on Sunday to give him a hug or have a chat.
"Oh yeah," Staley said. "100 percent. Frank's one of the biggest influences on my career as a football player. I came in as a rookie, didn't really know what to think as far as the NFL and how guys work and everything. I just knew that I wanted to kind of keep my mouth shut and look at the guys that had success in the league and try to follow them. There's no better person on this football team, at the time, than Frank Gore.
"The whole time he was here, the guy worked like he was an undrafted free agent every single day of the time here. He always had kind of a chip on his shoulder and showed me what it was to work and how to practice and that mindset that I was talking about – always trying to improve on something.
"The guy was coming off a 1,600-yard season the year before. You'd think, if they had known any better, the guy would think that he made it and that he could have success in the league and he was always trying to fine-tune different keys that he could see on linebackers and if someone was overplaying it or what his footwork was on a specific route or pass protection, completely understanding everything that we were doing to make his job easier and also communication and all that stuff. Let alone the stuff he was doing off the field in the weight room and the training room.
"He was someone that had a definite impact in my career and kind of taught me how to work and what it was to be a professional. We still keep in contact often so I'll see him, if not before, then after the game."
Another of Staley's teammates and friends is finding great success in Kansas City. Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith is the third-highest graded quarterback in the NFL this season,
according to Pro Football Focus. He has completed 76-percent of his passes for 1,067 yards, eight touchdowns, and no interceptions through four games. The Chiefs are undefeated and look like a favorite in the AFC. Smith is having the best season of his career, again, according to
Pro Football Focus' metrics.
Staley could not be happier for his former quarterback.
"I'm very happy for him and I've kept in contact with him, obviously," Staley said. "We're still pretty close. Just the way he's fought through so much adversity with it being here and then being let go and having to go there and start over, basically. I'm just happy to see him having success and finally getting his due."
The 49ers tackle was asked to confirm reports that he wasn't happy with the decision to trade Smith to Kansas City.
"No, I wasn't," Staley said. "I think that was pretty well documented. I was not at the time. But at the same time, Colin took us to the Super Bowl that year and we went to another NFC Championship game there with him so he was able to do a lot of good things too."
New San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall spoke to reporters after becoming the No. 31 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Here is everything he had to say.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Did you have an inkling that the 49ers were this interested in you to take you in the first round? What were your interactions with them leading up to this?
"I think the only time I actually met with them was during the Senior Bowl when you're kind of doing like the little speed dating meetings. So that's really the only time I really got to talk to them. But as far as that, I didn't really have too much conversation and contact with them. My agent was trying to contact them leading up,
Shortly after the San Francisco 49ers finalized their selection of former Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan shared insights with Bay Area radio station KNBR. Reflecting on Day 1's events, Lynch was questioned about the team's approach for the remaining six rounds.
"Well, we will see," Lynch responded thoughtfully, trying not to reveal too much. "We'll get a good sleep right now. We'll wake up. Tomorrow will be a busy day and a fun day. We've got a lot of picks. We just got to make them count; all of them count."
San Francisco has nine more draft picks, barring any trades. The team's next pick is currently the 63rd overall selection toward the end of the second
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, trading San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel may prove more difficult than anticipated. During an appearance on the Rich Eisen show on Friday morning, Rapoport elaborated on the obstacles involved.
Leading up to the draft, speculation swirled regarding the potential trade of another 49ers receiver—Brandon Aiyuk. However, following the selection of former Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 overall pick, attention has shifted towards Samuel.
While Rapoport acknowledged the possibility of the 49ers trading Samuel, he highlighted the challenges involved, stating, "It's hard to do because you want to get a guy a physical. So, worst-case scenario is, let's say the 49ers trade him tonight on the
Former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh claims to have recently spoken to Brandon Aiyuk, stating that the star player has no desire to leave the San Francisco 49ers.
Aiyuk and the 49ers are currently negotiating a contract extension, aiming to finalize a new deal. Of course, that hasn't prevented significant media speculation surrounding Aiyuk's future, with many wondering if the delay might hint at a potential trade.
Well-informed 49ers fans know that the team typically finalizes its significant contract extensions closer to training camp, as seen with George Kittle in 2020, Fred Warner in 2021, and Deebo Samuel in 2022. Last year, negotiations with Nick Bosa concluded just days before Week
