still an elite back in 9th season

still an elite back in 9th season

'resolution race'Weird new California animals'Duck Dynasty' reversalCouples who drink alikeFrank Gore wore a gray, hooded 49ers sweatshirt and a weary look on his face. He slowly walked through the locker room one day last week, moving with the deliberate gait of an old, creaky man.

Don't be fooled.

The 49ers take a four game winning streak into Sunday's matchup with Jacksonville in London, fueled in part by their ageless and relentless running back. Gore reached an impressive http://www.nflfalconsofficial.com/Nike-Julio-Jones-Jersey.html milestone Oct. 13 against Arizona, surpassing 2,000 carries for his career.

He keeps getting the ball because he keeps cranking out yardage. Gore leads the NFL with 487 yards rushing over the past five weeks, a testament to his staying power at age 30. He also leads the league this season in runs of 20 yards or longer, with seven.

At least one former 49ers running back noticed.

"Frank doesn't play like he's hungry he plays like he's starving," said in a phone interview. "He runs with a lot of tenacity and resilience."

Those traits are pushing Gore into an elite neighborhood. He stands No. 32 on the all time list with 9,386 yards rushing; he needs only 22 more to pass Hall of Famer .

Among active running backs, only has gained more yards and carried the ball more times than Roddy White Women Jersey Gore.

Craig spent 11 years in the NFL and had 1,991 carries (Gore also passed him on the all time list Oct. 13), so he knows something about longevity at the position. Craig still lives in the Bay Area, follows the 49ers and closely watches the way Gore burrows through the slimmest of openings.

That running style helps explain how he's avoided catastrophic injuries throughout his pro career.

"He's not a big target, so you don't get a good clean shot on him," Craig said. "He stays low and his shoulders are always squared. Any time Matt Ryan Women Jersey a running back keeps his shoulders squared, he protects himself and doesn't take really vicious hits.

"Frank is smart, he's patient and he knows how to use his blocks. A lot of running backs don't set up their blocks they just run through the hole. Frank has a knack for setting up his blocks, and he's patient enough to hit the hole at full speed while staying really low."

Craig, in some ways, connects the generations of NFL running backs. He broke into the league with the 49ers in 1983, at a time when had established himself as the game's premier player at the position.

Payton also established one way for running backs to weather the weekly punishment: Hit force with force, as Craig put it.

That was the advice Payton gave Craig when they played together in the Pro Bowl after the 1985 season. More than two decades later, Craig passed along the same advice to Gore soon after he joined the 49ers.

Gore listened. Even now, after all these years, he initiates contact as often as he absorbs it.

"Those two guys really have one thing in common they attack the defense," said 49ers running backs coach , Matt Ryan Kids Jersey who blocked for Craig and now coaches Gore. "Both guys take the game to the defense instead of letting the game come to them. You've got Roddy White Red Jersey longevity if you do it that way."

Gore has discovered another, uncommon ingredient to longevity: boxing. He incorporated that into his offseason training program two or three years ago, coltsnflprostore.com/Nike-Darius-Butler-Jersey.html working out at Undisputed Boxing Gym in San Carlos and also at a gym in his hometown of Miami.