Build Around Smith, Not Gore

Originally posted by Nes49:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
Gore doesn't really fit the spread / shotgun offense. And he fumbles way too much. Plus he has takent a huge pounding for several years. I wouldn't mind seeing us trade him for some draft picks and a speed back who can catch out of the backfield. That would fit us better.

Gore has fumbled before we used the SPREADCOAST,...I believe a full OTA & Training Camp with Gore working in this offense will be good for him. Gore is 1 of our CORE pieces that can & WILL adapt his game.

He's just horrible out of the spread. And he really looks clumsy as a receiver. He's always stumbling around and falling down trying to catch passes. Look at Reggie Bush. He catches the ball very naturally out of the backfield and has amazing body control and coordination. I don't think Frank is a spread guy. He is a down hill I formation guy as Singletary has suggested.

I do not think trading Gore is the best idea at all. I do think we should draft/pick up a speedy Chris Johnson/Darren Sproles type RB to compliment our system. Look at the Saints with Bell, Thomas, and Bush. Reggie is more of the slash and cut speedy RB/SLOT WR while Bell and Thomas are more "Gore" like.

Trading Gore would be stupid.

Originally posted by Nes49:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
Gore doesn't really fit the spread / shotgun offense. And he fumbles way too much. Plus he has takent a huge pounding for several years. I wouldn't mind seeing us trade him for some draft picks and a speed back who can catch out of the backfield. That would fit us better.

Gore has fumbled before we used the SPREADCOAST,...I believe a full OTA & Training Camp with Gore working in this offense will be good for him. Gore is 1 of our CORE pieces that can & WILL adapt his game.

Dude what is a spreadcoast? The West Coast offense made sense because it originated on the West Coast, in SF, from Bill Walsh. The Spread coast??? There is no such things as a spread coast, unless we have a huge earthquake that takes CA and rips it up into different areas, thus spreading it around. There's no need to call it "spread coast" lol, because there is no coast involved. It's just the spread, and we don't even run a true spread, we just run more stuff out of the gun with the TE flexed out sometimes and that's mainly to compensate for a crappy line because it gives the QB 1-2 more seconds to throw.

Originally posted by WillistheWall:

Originally posted by Nes49:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
Gore doesn't really fit the spread / shotgun offense. And he fumbles way too much. Plus he has takent a huge pounding for several years. I wouldn't mind seeing us trade him for some draft picks and a speed back who can catch out of the backfield. That would fit us better.

Gore has fumbled before we used the SPREADCOAST,...I believe a full OTA & Training Camp with Gore working in this offense will be good for him. Gore is 1 of our CORE pieces that can & WILL adapt his game.

Dude what is a spreadcoast? The West Coast offense made sense because it originated on the West Coast, in SF, from Bill Walsh. The Spread coast??? There is no such things as a spread coast, unless we have a huge earthquake that takes CA and rips it up into different areas, thus spreading it around. There's no need to call it "spread coast" lol, because there is no coast involved. It's just the spread, and we don't even run a true spread, we just run more stuff out of the gun with the TE flexed out sometimes and that's mainly to compensate for a crappy line because it gives the QB 1-2 more seconds to throw.

Just a name I thought up....no biggie.....But back to my point Gore is STILL a core piece of this team....but Im open to look for another RB....

it's obvious you build around the qb. that's been our plan since smith was drafted.

Get a great offensive line, have a good system, and let the skill players find a way to make it work. Players get hurt. You can't build it all up around one guy.

Originally posted by Nes49:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
Gore doesn't really fit the spread / shotgun offense. And he fumbles way too much. Plus he has takent a huge pounding for several years. I wouldn't mind seeing us trade him for some draft picks and a speed back who can catch out of the backfield. That would fit us better.

Gore has fumbled before we used the SPREADCOAST,...I believe a full OTA & Training Camp with Gore working in this offense will be good for him. Gore is 1 of our CORE pieces that can & WILL adapt his game.

What. Gore's fine, he job is to stay in and block. and he couldn't find a hole in iform so how's he going to find one in spread.

Originally posted by BSofSF:
I'm not here to bash Gore. He is a good player and has a lot of heart. Running backs in the NFL simply don't last long enough to build a team around.

Some are writing today that we don't have an identity. We were built to run, but now all we do is pass, and the result is the same either way...losses. Why, then, take one of the team's proven strengths, Gore, and replace it with a promising but still unproven Alex Smith-based passing attack.

The case for Gore would be more compelling if we had a good OL, but at this point it's academic. We are competing now with a spread attack that superficially masks how weak our OL is. I think most would concede that if Gore ran behind a great OL, he is a top echelon back, if not All-Pro caliber. But by the law of averages, Gore probably only has about two years of good productivity left.

It is maddening to get a talent like Gore and not be able to parlay it into a sustained run as a playoff team. The more important story of the season, however, is the (unexpected?) resurrection of Alex Smith. There are lovers and haters, I know, but it is becoming increasingly apparent that Smith has turned a corner and shed what Urban Meyer termed the period of "dysfunction". And a QB, if protected, is not only the most important player on the field, but they can last 15 years. We may well be coming into a ten year period of high level QB play, and our roster is pretty well stocked with talented and young targets.

Given the cards we are dealt, I think we have to build an offense tailored to the skills of the resurrected Smith. This doesn't mean we have to trade Gore, but Gore may or may not be the RB when this team captures its sixth Lombardi trophy. That will depend on how quickly we can remake our offensive line and get to a point where, after our pass first attack grabs a lead, we can control the tempo of a game and effectively run. Right now we're one dimensional out of necessity.

Agree -- only a fool builds around a running back.

Originally posted by YuNGaCE:
it's obvious you build around the qb. that's been our plan since smith was drafted.

It SHOULD have been the plan. Problem is we've had a million and one "plans" since Smith was drafted.

i agree with the OP but there is no way in hell we should let go of Gore. let's see what happens this offseason with a focus on working Gore into this new offensive scheme.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
The team needs to restructure their OL, dumping the bigger, lumbering players, for linemen who are more nimble, athletic.

Second, they need to find RB's who are comfortable lining up in a one-back set, especially lined up next to the QB in the shotgun. Gore is clearly a lost puppy in this set, and needs to adjust or be traded.

The writing is on the wall for this team. The combination of Smith, Davis, Crabtree, Morgan, Walker is pretty solid. We do need to run the ball more, there is no doubt. However, we need to find a guy who is shifty enough to make more than one cut and get through a hole. Right now, Gore looks to be the odd man out in this current system.

These four weeks are a big test for Gore, in my opinion. If he cannot adjust, it is time for the team to pick up a Chris Johnson/CJ Spiller-type RB for the future.

Don't get me wrong. I think the world of Frank Gore.

Good post & I agree.

Originally posted by darkknight49:
I think you need to build around an O-line. As we have seen, if those guys are successful, then you can do whatever you want. I do believe, however, you need to decide which aspect of the game you are going to prioritize--pass or run.

Since we are going pass first now, you build a team around the Oline and QB to suit that scheme. I think we are going to have to go with more nimble, athletic linemen in the draft. Mauling OL dont seem to work now.

Build around Smith AND Gore.

O-LINE O-LINE O-LINE O-LINE O-LINE O-LINE O-LINE O-LINE O-LINE

O-LINE O-LINE O-LINE O-LINE O-LINE O-LINE O-LINE O-LINE O-LINE

Frank is my favorite Niner currently on the roster but I don't think he'll be able to play at a high level much longer. We might be seeing the beginning of the end for Frank. Unless the ankle(s) are worse than the team is letting on, it might be downhill from here on out.

Back when we drafted Gore and Smith, the intention was to have Gore and the running team to compliment Smith and the passing game. If we improved the Oline I don't see where that still can't be the case. All this talk about Smith can't operate under center is rubbish.

Shore up the Oline! Priority #1 in the offseason for McCloughan in FA and Draft.