Frank Gore (hip) is limited in practice

This is Wednesday’s Week 10 practice participation report, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department.

49ers

Did not participate: LB Dan Skuta (ankle), DE Justin Smith (not injury related), LB Patrick Willis (toe)

Limited participation: CB Tramaine Brock (toe), RB Frank Gore (hip), WR Brandon Lloyd (hamstring), NT Ian Williams (shin)

Saints

Did not participate: LB David Hawthorne (hand), RB Khiry Robinson (forearm), T Zach Strief (chest), RB Pierre Thomas (rib, shoulder)

Limited participation: C Jonathan Goodwin (knee, ankle), RB Mark Ingram (shoulder), WR Kenny Stills (thigh)

Full participation: TE Jimmy Graham (shoulder)

This article has 51 Comments

  1. I don’t know who it was but someone called this. It’s Hyde’s time. They better not shy away from it.

    1. didn’t someone mention Gore didn’t seem to have any lateral movement. It’s a shame but he is 31. I’m pleased MLynch drooped some weight and stayed well-conditioned during the off-season. I would like to see him stay through 2015. Gore’s been with the 49ers for 9 years and reportedly worth $15.7M. At least he’s made a lot of money to show for his efforts.

      1. I can’t remember who said it but they said they had noticed him running gingerly off the field after long run. He is old for a running back but if used properly he still has one to two more years. They need to start giving Hyde majority of his carries.

  2. I wonder why they didn’t give the ball to Gore at the end of the Rams game. Maybe the coaches know things that they aren’t going to share.

    1. Hyde could have gotten the job done. This is a common mistake. Ex: Super Bowl against the Ravens

  3. Not to toot my own horn, but I’ve been writing since 2012 Gore has a non-disclosed injury that causes his carries to vary from game to game, including the 49ers-Ravens Super Bowl.

    From yesterday…
    http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/49ers-doomed-play-calling/

    -November 4, 2014 at 3:21 pm
    Gore’s secret injury for the last 2.5 years. Some games he can run 20 times… others only a handful of carries. When Gore retires, we will find out exactly what the issue was. Oddly, he’s fine with contact, but seems shot whenever he rips a long-ish run. (I’m guessing a hip issue.)

    – November 4, 2014 at 3:46 pm
    I’m convinced Gore has an on/off mobility issue.

    Backs often have to leave a game to recover after a long run, but with Gore long runs seem to remove him from the game all together.

    Ironically, he takes the pounding of pass blocking and short inside runs very well. He only seems to disappear after he rips a long one.

    The weird abandonment of the run goes back to last season. Remember the Colts game? 7+ YPC in the first half. Almost no runs called in the second half, by a coaching staff that’s been obsessed with running going back to Stanford.

    If I were a betting man, I’d lay one on a yet to be disclosed mobility issue with Gore going back to before last season.

      1. It was a Dam good call! I noticed that Gore was not running up to his standards but I just chocked it up to age. Never occurred to me that he was also dealing with an injury. Makes more sense though.

        If this is true it is another case for the coach/front office relying too much on a player coming back from an injury. Latimore in this case. Probably should have kept that power back they cut instead of LMJ. He was the type of player you run on short yardage situations. Not trying in this case to criticize the front office’s decisions ( monday night QB ) since they didn’t fore see the present situation, but this was not the first time they relied on eggs that were not hatched yet. Williams and Manningham coming back full strength off injuries did not pan out as well and resulted in a weak WR core last season. That type of roster manipulation might be a philosophy that should be be scrapped the future. The risk involved in always trying to hit a home run also results in a lot of strike outs.

    1. Nah, he just gets tired after the long runs. If your #1 RB was hurting, you’d carry 3 on the roster, not 2.

      I’m fine with all the 3WR sets they’re running, but you’ve got to run Gore (or Hyde) frequently out of that formation to take advantage of the extra DB they face. Kap isn’t sharp enough to handle pressure and make reads like other QBs, so making us a pass-happy team is a losing strategy. Would love to see more power runs and TE routes (i.e. easy reads for Kap) out of the heavy formations. Bruce Miller has looked really good catching the ball in his limited opportunities, too.

      1. Gore is a football hero. Total stud. He also (quietly) one of the most football knowledgeable players on the team. Blocking. Running through tiny cracks in the line. He’s my fav Niner.

        I’d love to be totally wrong, and Gore’s hip(s) is OK… but Gore used to rip 50+ yard TD runs on a semi regular basis in the Nolan-Sing era. He’d rest for a while, but be right back in the game.

        The 49ers would love to have a healthy Hunter/Lattimore but it didn’t work out that way. They are stuck with 2 backs + Miller.

    2. Good insight. I never picked up on that . What I’ve been seeing on the sidelines with him is PAIN, that grimace that if you look on video of games the last couple of years you see when he’s on the sideline…

    1. Remember when he broke out in that 51 yard run against the Seahawks. I can’t remember but didn’t set you up to finally win that game?

  4. Well it’s Thursday, Frank Gore has guaranteed a playoff birth, and I’m wondering which offense is going to show up on Sunday. The running offense that bullies teams or the pass happy offense that fails us…. Anyone have an idea?

    1. The Saints weakness on D is their secondary. So, Roman might be tempted to go with a pass heavy game plan (see stats below). However, this would be foolish. The Niners need to have a balanced attack, win the time of position, and keep the Saints offense off the field.

      Saints rank 27th in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game and allowing 7.9 yard/reception. Saints rank 14th in the NFL in allowed rushing yards per carry (4.1)

      1. I would be okay with that, IF, they worked on short and intermediate types of routes. You can just come out thinking you’re going to be throwing bombs down the field. You have to attack all levels. In front and just behind LB’s, and over the top. Now that also means Kaep has to recognize the coverages. I would prefer we go back to the basics. Do what we do best and gradually open up the passing game. I don’t think passing the ball a lot is the problem. I think the jump from a power run offense straight to 5 wide is where the problem occurs.

  5. I have a bad feeling how the Niners D will fare this Sunday. Without Willis, Bowman and Aldon, the pass defense consists of a hardworking D line that has not been able to apply pressure on QB, a promising but inexperienced rookie ILB, two run-stopping MLBs, CBs changing from game to game or playing hurt, a free safety in a semi-sophomore-slump and an experienced and overstretched strong safety. It’s all held together by disciplined execution of the evil Lord Fangio’s schemes! But a good QB can pry it apart methodically. I shiver when I think of Borland isolated against Jimmy Graham.

    On the offensive, I have no feeling — I’m numb.

    1. Mood:

      Do you really think Reid is going through a semi-slump? With the CBs in flux like you mentioned, and the lack of a consistent pass rush, I think he and Bethea have performed well and deserve a lot of credit for the secondary’s strong play.

      I know that PFF tracks yards per coverage snap and that Reid’s number (0.33) is better than any of the other safeties drafted last year.

      https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2014/11/05/32-observations-week-9-3/

      Maybe someone with access to PFF’s numbers can tell us how he ranks when compared to all other safeties.

      1. I admit not having anything beyond superficial impressions based on missed assignments in forming my opinion of Reed’s performance this year. I am probably wrong on that one. He may not be in a slump, just not making that many visible plays.

  6. I read in this mornings PD that the Seahawks claimed D. Dobbs on waivers. Does that mean we will see T. Caradine this week?

    1. I’m hoping its a good sign Tank’s has been improving and is ready to rock. It could also be about Dorsey though.

  7. This team doesn’t play our talent. I’m surprised Aron Lynch is actually getting snaps. We usually leave our young talent on sidelines. We could be 6-2 if we made few changes in rotation. Hyde start over Gore. Stevie Johnson and Loyd starting over Crabtree. Dials in at Dt over Ray Mcdonald. Maybe if we had chip Kelley or a real offensive cordinator would help. If Harbaugh is out… I hope we get John Gruden.

    1. Ermm, Crabtree is younger than Lloyd and Johnson, and what, you think they’d bench McDonald after he had his best game of the season, for Carradine who has shown flashes but has never put together one solid game so far? You are delusional…

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