Bruce Miller compares Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde

SANTA CLARA — Here’s what Bruce Miller said in the locker room Wednesday afternoon.

MILLER: “(Carlos) has learned so much from Frank already. He’s kind of even picked up a little bit of (Frank’s) running style. With (Carlos) it’s explosive, hits the hole, it’s downhill, he runs great. And Frank is more patient, waiting for his break and you see that with Carlos. He kind of picked that up, so it’s exciting to watch both of those guys run.”

Q: Do you think the offense will face fewer loaded boxes this season?

MILLER: I still think…even in the game (against the Cowboys), we got loaded boxes. But we switched it up and we started going with more spread and doing a little bit more of the read game with Carlos and Frank and it worked great for us. Whatever we have to do each week to be effective and efficient on offense is what we’re going to do. Flexibility. We have to be efficient both ways — stacked boxes, spread them out a little bit more. But if we see lanes we can run in, we’re going to put two and three tight ends in and we’re going to run the football. Mix it up on them. Keep them on their toes.

This article has 38 Comments

  1. Chicago49er,
    I liked Winston as well, but he was an unproven commodity which made his position on the roster tenuous.

    Even on a team bereft of talent GWin is the 3 RB on the Browns depth chart. If Terrence West (one of the players I was hoping we drafted) proves to be a good RB, Winston will be hard pressed to get any playing time.

    I’m not thrilled about the team carrying only 2 RB’s (Gore/Hyde) and 1 FB in Miller. That gives me more cause for concern than losing Winston.
    But that may change sooner than later.

    When it comes to Glenn Winston, we only had a very small sample size and that was against perhaps many defensive players who aren’t in the league today.
    We had a RB in Thomas Clayton that led the preseason in rushing 2 straight yrs and still couldn’t find a permanent spot on an NFL roster after being bounced around for a few years.

    1. Unfortunately, there is a huge difference in running styles between clayton and Winston. Winston runs angry. Had the team of cut LMJ and kept Winston, we wouldn’t be talking about carrying only 2 backs, in which one of them is over 30 and has already suffered a broken hip.
      Gore has great patience and is one of the best blockers in the league, but no matter how you spin it, he is on the downside of his career.
      And if you think Lattimore is the answer, he’s out of football 2 years now. Bad decision, but it’s one that hopefully the front office learns from. They didn’t recognize it in Coffee. They missed it in LMJ. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again.

      1. “Gore has great patience and is one of the best blockers in the league, but no matter how you spin it, he is on the downside of his career.” ~ Matt

        Matt,
        Many people around these parts have said that Gore has been on the down side of his career for the last 3 yrs and all he does is produce 1K seasons.
        Frank Gore is a modern day warrior who will run like there’s no tomorrow. Are you saying that Gore has had a broken hip? I knew he suffered major knee injuries in college, but this is the first I’m hearing about a broken hip.

        Sure, Winston ran with an angry disposition, but Gore has been doing that for almost 10 years. Gore recently achieved something that many RB’s that were supposed to be more faster, bigger, and talented than him have not done; gain 10,000 yrds for his illustrious career.

        Until Winston can put together a string of good to great years as a RB in the NFL, I’ll do fine with the ol’ war horse.

        1. Matt,
          Here are a few familiar RB’s that were drafted ahead of Frank Gore.

          “SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Nine years later, Frank Gore remembers every name. You ask, and he’ll start rattling them off.

          Ronnie Brown. Cedric Benson. Cadillac Williams. The guy who went to Arizona … J.J. Arrington, that’s his name. And Eric Shelton.

          All five running backs who were picked ahead of Gore in the 2005 draft.

          “Then the 49ers drafted me,” said Gore, the 65th pick of that draft, in the third round.

          Just look at those names. Brown is the only other one still going, and he was out of work until the Texans signed him earlier this week. Vernand Morency, Ryan Moats and Maurice Clarett (!) were the next three backs to go. Those names seem like NFL relics, probably because in the world of a running back, they are.

          And then there’s Gore. He’s 31 and says he feels great. He doesn’t look like he’s near the end, coming off an 1,128-yard, nine-touchdown season. On draft day in 2005 he lasted longer on the board than all five of those guys he remembers so well, and he’s prideful that he’ll likely be the last one of that group standing in the NFL.

          “It’s a blessing,” Gore said. “That’s why when I’m out here, I have fun. Because I’ve been up and I’ve been down, and I know it can be taken away from me.”

          ~ Frank Schwab
          August 16, 2014 12:55 PM
          Shutdown Corner

  2. No credit to the coaching staff for coming out and being aggressive on the play calls on offense?
    How about Fangio working with new corners almost the whole game? The players played well but I thought it was more of a game won by the staff having them ready, energized, and executing their assignments really well.

      1. I would agree with that for the most part but considering how conservative they have been the last 2 years, and the speculation all offseason about being more aggressive, I think the coaches had a huge impact in that win.

        1. The coaches are conservative by nature, but Harbaugh’s winning record speaks for itself, so I don’t see conservative as necessarily bad. I think the coaches were trying to expand the dynamics of their offense to look more like they did in 2012 (and then some). That way they can be conservative, or they can let it rip if need be in shootouts (to go to the other extreme). They aren’t forced to play one style of football as they were for much of 2013 due to lack of weapons.

          1. That’s true but they have been an easy team to predict what play is coming on 1st and 3rd down the past couple years.
            It’s seems the coaches have changed it up throwing more on those critical downs and situations when needed instead of playing the field position game

      2. I agree with that.

        But also the HC & his Staff can almost equally cause the same effect. So painful to say these names & look back. Nolan + Singletary & their Staffs. Especially Singletary’s….for example Jimmy Raye was mediocre to a loser based on his lifetime rankings as an OC. Plus Sings hiring of various subpar assistants

        Nolans merry go around of OC’s was also excruciating.

        Hardly anyone has mentioned it but if Harbaugh does indeed leave say back to his Alma Mater in Michigan where I hear they’re trying to recruit him….we haven’t had a top notch elite Coaching Staff here with the Niners since the Bill Walsh glory days. That’s ALL A CREDIT TO HARBAUGH. That’s what scares the cr** out of me. Those days with mediocre Coaching are NOT all that long ago so York/Baalke pls caution: DO YOUR HOMEWORK IF you all pull the trigger

        You just built the Stadium. IMHO the smart thing to do is at least resign Harbaugh for another contract & keep the highly competitive top notch winning football going. Because if Baalke misses with the next HC that brings along “his” Staff we all could be going DOWNHILL again.

        Remembering those days a HC & Staff = LEGIT Smart Coaching & the ability to coach players the fundamentals, strategize vs the opposing teams weaknesses, form a cohesive team with Coaches & players all being on the same page on both sides of the ball (+ ST’s)….it’s not easy & they almost equally should get credited for getting the W’s on gameday. Not a big fan of Harbaugh’s antics but he’s an elite HC who brings in elite Assistants & together they bring us WINNING Football!

    1. I’m trying to find what he said, but I’m seeing on twitter he made some insulting remarks toward Janay Rice for returning to Ray Rice. I can see how that would come off as insensitive considering that DV victims often feel powerless (real or imagined) to leave their abusers.

      Ted is usually very thoughtful and well-spoken so I’m surprised it came to this. I’d really like to hear the full comment in context before judging the guy too harshly.

      1. Here’s a tweet on the same day as the radio interview, but it’s not firsthand statements from Ted or a word-for-word transcription.

        LOL KNBR ‏@LOLKNBR Sep 8
        Ted Robinson literally just said Janay Rice’s decision to marry Ray Rice and stand by him after the fact is pathetic. Said it twice.

  3. Adusoron,
    Thanks for the source.
    Because the Rice incident is such a volatile and sensitive subject at the moment, it would be in the best interest for any person employed by an NFL team to steer away from personal opinions.

    But I can’t fault Ted for revealing his honesty.

    1. Ironic that Ted Robinson is suspended for 2 games but Ray McDonald is still starting and playing football.

      The 49ers continue to set themselves up for a fall that may take years to correct.

      I respect the fact that Robinson spoke up and his suspension seems ludicrous in view of the larger issue at hand.
      My hope is that the 49er top brass is burning the phone line to the SJPD every moment of the day to press them for a conclusive report on the McDonald case.
      The longer this case lingers the bigger mess the 49ers will need to clean up after.

      1. Ironic that Ted Robinson is suspended for 2 games but Ray McDonald is still starting and playing football.

        Only if you assume that Ray McDonald physically abused his fiancee. If you are waiting for some evidence that he did so before you reach any conclusions about him, then the contrast is understandable and perfectly reasonable.

        The 49ers continue to set themselves up for a fall that may take years to correct.

        Yes, adhering the the principles of due process can only lead to trouble.

        1. CB,
          Can you provide any concrete evidence how benching McDonald during the “due process” procedure is a counter to principle?

          I’ve never stated that the team should suspend Mac at any time in this case. Suspension without due process is a violation of his rights as an American.
          But sitting him during the investigation is the right thing to do because it allows the Org the ability to show a firm commitment to resolution while all the facts are being concluded.

          I love that the team is doing all they can to protect Mac in this process, but not one time have they said anything about committing themselves to also protect and resolve this issue for Mac fiancée.
          Now there is a women’s advocate group in San Jose that is fire salvos at Harbaugh and the 49ers Org, and womens right group in San Francisco are in the process of developing a case against the 49ers.

          Had the 49ers brass sat McDonald in the Dallas game perhaps the controversy would have been minute.

      2. “My hope is that the 49er top brass is burning the phone line to the SJPD every moment of the day to press them for a conclusive report on the McDonald case.”

        I posted a bit about the process yesterday, but I wanted to address this. It is not law enforcement’s job to issue “conclusive report[s].” Law enforcement gathers evidence and gives it to the prosecutor’s office. That office decides on the charges. The court will read the charges to McDonald at the Sept 15 hearing, determine whether probable cause for the arrest existed, and if it did, take McDonald’s initial plea. If he is charged with a felony and he does not plead guilty, a second arraignment hearing will be set. If he is charged with a misdemeanor and does not plead guilty, then a trial will be set.

        It is very unlikely anything is done before that Sept 15 hearing.

        1. JPN,
          Thanks for reiterating. My stance has been that the team should have sat McDonald (tantamount to administrative leave, but obviously no the same as) until all the facts have been conclude.

          This protects all parties involved and McDonald preserves his paycheck and team status minus playing.

          I spoke to a friend this morning about this case and brought up a decent point, and that is that perhaps Mac has special incentives and escalators written in his contract that effect his financial status if he misses games thereby in essence sitting him would in fact infringe on his rights.
          My friend my have a good point in that respect.

  4. Like very much what I see of Hyde, and Lynch, and Johnson, and Ward. CK looks better too. Can’t wait to see how the Niners come out against the Bears.

  5. Imagine that…an article about football! And really well done, too. Thanks for the link, and the good work, Jack.

  6. Kendall Gaskins, who is currently on the pactice squad, is no slouch. Hopefully they bring him along.

    1. Yup, if he can emulate Marion Motely ( :>) he may have a place on the team for years to come.
      JK… I’m only saying that because of a couple of his highlights I’ve seen.

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