While he only had 48 yards rushing in the game, Indianapolis Colts running back Frank Gore reveled in Sunday's victory over his former team – the San Francisco 49ers. Of course, the classy running back still has a lot of respect for his former team and even journeyed from the Colts' locker room to the visitors' locker room at Lucas Oil Stadium to greet some players and chat with team CEO Jed York.
He also revels in the success of some of his former teammates. For example, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, who on Sunday night won his fifth-straight game of the season and remained undefeated. Smith spent his first eight NFL seasons with the 49ers and was selected during the same draft as Gore, who spent his first 10 seasons with the 49ers.
Gore, who remains a fan of his former team, was happy to voice his opinion of what caused the 49ers' downfall in recent years.
"Trent messed that team up," Gore said via the San Francisco Chronicle.
Of course, Gore is referring to former 49ers general manager Trent Baalke, who was ousted prior to the 49ers' final game of last season. There aren't too many among the Niner Faithful who would argue with Gore's assessment.
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Following the final game of last season, head coach Chip Kelly also found himself unemployed. John Lynch became the team's new general manager while Kyle Shanahan succeeded Kelly.
The 49ers have started the 2017 season winless through five games. Despite the lack of success on the field, Gore likes what the 49ers have done during the offseason and keeps up with the team.
"I think they're going in the right direction," Gore told Bay Area reporters last week via a conference call. "They're really tough. I like their coaching staff. I like what they're doing on offense ... I think they're going to be alright. I think Jed [York] did a great job of picking the guys he picked to run the team."
During the call, Gore sounded more like a fan than an opposing player during parts of the conversation. He even asked reporters what they thought of the team. While he originally didn't appreciate the way his departure from the 49ers was handled, that all seems to be water under the bridge now.
"I want to see them do great," Gore said. "I've been there 10 years. That's what I bleed. I want to see them do good."
Gore's 48 yards rushing against the 49ers moved him to seventh on the all-time rushing list with 13,304 career rushing yards – surpassing Eric Dickerson. Gore rushed for a franchise record 11,073 yards with San Francisco. No 49ers running back in franchise history had more 1,000-yard rushing seasons than Gore's eight.
