San Francisco 49ers deliberately limiting Frank Gore’s carries

Although Frank Gore may not be happy with his lack of touches this season, the San Francisco 49ers are doing it for the benefit of both he and the franchise.

More from NFL

At least, that seems to the be the story of the 49ers coaching staff who suggests they are deliberately limiting Frank Gore’s carries to keep him fresh.

Gore has routinely been relied upon more than just about any running back in the league over the past few seasons and with Carlos Hyde flourishing it seems as if the 49ers have perfected a very solid two-headed monster out of their backfield.

San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman spoke about the desire to keep Frank Gore’s carries down.

“We don’t want to just ride that stallion all day, every day,” Roman said. “There’s a point of diminishing returns at some point. That’s almost true for any player at that position. Who gets hit more than running backs?”

“I think we’re in good shape and feel confident, and I think Carlos Hyde is an ascending player,” Roman said. “And we’ll have a chance to work with another running back pretty soon.”

That ‘other’ back is Marcus Lattimore who could be cleared after the 49ers Week 8 bye, though that’s a best case scenario at this point.

One of the more tenured running backs in the NFL, Frank Gore has been a little perplexed at times this season regarding his role though its clear San Francisco is working Hyde in the mix not only to improve his skills, but to also give Gore a much deserved and needed breather.

The hope is to get Gore around 15 carries per game though the last few games the San Francisco 49ers’ featured back has been on the field far more often than Harbaugh and company would have preferred in regards to his usage.

More from FanSided