Suddenly, Frank Gore has someone challenging him for the starting running back spot. The San Francisco 49ers entered training camp in 2014 with too many running backs on the roster. However, an early injury to Kendall Hunter and LaMichael James knocked the race down to two, Gore and Carlos Hyde. The rookie comes to San Francisco after a standout career with Ohio State and early impressions have many believing he is prepared to challenge Gore for his top spot.
The 49ers have been coy with what the running back rotation will look like. According to the San Jose Mercury News, the team plans on reducing the number of carries Gore gets by a good number in order to work in Hyde. No one questioning the talent of Gore considering he is the franchise's all-time leading rusher. Despite entering his 10th season in the NFL, he still has the skillset of being an every-down rusher, but Hyde has impressed coaches enough to give him a chance at more of the workload.
"If somebody's hot, we've got to stay with the hot hand and try to have a plan ahead of time, though, to where we can utilize each player in a specific manner," offensive coordinator Greg Roman said, via the San Jose Mercury News. "Things change in the course of a game, so we'll see how that goes."
If there was a game to work in both running backs, it is against the Cowboys. Last season, Dallas gave up a league-high 415.3 yards per game along with 128.5 rushing yards. That could help Hyde in his first NFL game and Gore prove that he still deserves to be the primary running back for the 49ers. According to the veteran, he has no plans on slowing down and with one year remaining on his current contract, he has a lot to play for.
"I'm not going to lie because I'm a competitive guy and it kind of does bother me when I hear 'Oh, he can't do this anymore,' " Gore said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. "I've been hearing I can't do this all my life. And I love the challenge. I love to be challenged like that."
The 49ers understand Gore's unwillingness to not come off the field as he has certainly earned the right to take that stance. However, the team does not want to run the veteran into the ground and if he is failing to produce, they will put Hyde in until he does the same. Gore will get the start without question and should be penciled in as the RB1 player, but Hyde will get his carries and could be a sleeper pick this season.
"Frank doesn't want to come off the field," Roman said. "He's a team guy and he's been on a really good plan this summer. We'll just see how it goes because once the game starts, we're going to do whatever it takes to win the game. At the same time, you don't want to wear out a particular player. We just got to work together on that."