Frank Gore, who rushed for 11,073 in his decade with the 49ers, will join the Eagles tomorrow when the 2015 business year opens. Which made me wonder: How much gas do guys like Gore usually have left in the tank?
Gore is the 10th back who has racked up 10,000 rushing yards with a team — his original team, that is — and then switched jerseys. As you can see in the following chart, the other nine haven’t exactly run wild in their new surroundings. So if Frank has a productive couple of years in Philadelphia, he’ll shoot to the top of this list:
[table]
Years,Rnning back,1st Team,Yards,2nd Team,Yards
2004-14,Steven Jackson,Rams,10\,138,Falcons,1\,250
2001-11,LaDainian Tomlinson,Chargers,12\,490,Jets,1\,194
1990-04,Emmitt Smith,Cowboys,17\,162,Cardinals,1\,193
1969-79,O.J. Simpson,Bills,10\,183,49ers,1\,053
1977-88,Tony Dorsett,Cowboys,12\,036,Broncos, 703
1996-04,Eddie George,Titans,10\,009,Cowboys, 432
1998-10,Fred Taylor,Jaguars,11\,271,Patriots, 424
1972-84,Franco Harris,Steelers,11\,950,Seahawks, 170
1988-00,Thurman Thomas,Bills,11\,938,Dolphins, 136
2005-14,Frank Gore,49ers,11\,073,Eagles, TBD
[/table]
Jackson, of course, was cut last month by the Falcons. If he can find another job though, he could push his total higher. He’ll be 32 next season — the same age as Gore.
At any rate, no club should have very high expectations when it acquires a back like this. The best rushing season any of them has had with in his Second Life is 937 yards (Smith, Cardinals, 2004).
Source: pro-football-reference.com
Frank Gore hitting the hole hard, as he usually does.
