49ers’ Frank Gore could see 50 fewer carries in 2014?
By Mike Dyce
The San Francisco 49ers have loaded up at talent at the running back position. They have a solid veteran in Frank Gore, Marcus Lattimore returning from injury and they drafted Ohio State product Carlos Hyde.
That makes the backfield a little crowded for the 49ers and someone is going to be the odd man out, and it looks like it could be Gore.
From John Clayton of ESPN:
"The early word out of San Francisco is that Frank Gore might get 50 fewer carries this year. He had 276 last year. The debate is which back can claim a good portion of those opportunities as the backup. Jim Harbaugh drafted Marcus Lattimore and gave him last season to recover from a devastating knee surgery in college. The 49ers couldn’t resist using a second-round pick on Carlos Hyde this year when he fell to them. The Hyde-Lattimore battle may be under the radar, but the winner could tip off what the future looks like in the backfield. Gore is 31 and in the final year of his contract."
Gore had 1,128 yards on 276 carries making the drop off in carries somewhat shocking. Gore is just 33 yards away from reaching the 10,000 career mark and has only failed to reach the 1,000 yard mark twice in his career. The most recent was in 2010 when he played in just 11 games.