running backs

New York Jets: Frank Gore’s TD was special in more ways than one

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It could be forgotten in the grand scheme of things, but Frank Gore’s touchdown was special in ways beyond the New York Jets’ realm.

In the photo archives of the New York Jets, the images of Frank Gore adorned in green will probably be stored in the same folders as LaDanian Tomlinson, Matt Forte, and even recent departee Le’Veon Bell. They’ll no doubt prove popular in the never-ending Twitter trend when someone facetiously speaks of legends of the game through an identity they’re almost never associated with (i.e. “Boston Bruins legend Brian Leetch” or “Seattle SuperSonics legend Patrick Ewing”).

But Gore is leaving an impact on the modern Jets through his continued rushing exploits. With Bell having moved on to Kansas City, Gore continues to carry the heaviest rushing burden, a trend that continued in their latest endeavor on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Despite the winless Jets falling in a 34-28 final, Gore managed to end a personal streak of despair, scoring his first touchdown of the season on a one-yard plunge in the second half. He finished the game with 61 yards on 15 carries, his best output in the former since a season-best 63 during Week 2’s loss to his most well-known employers in San Francisco

Gore’s touchdown was special in the fact that not only has he now scored in a third NFL decade…he’s now tied with Edgerrin James for 20th-most on the all-time NFL rushing touchdown ledger at 80…but also in the fact that he was not the only man named Frank Gore to earn a touchdown over the weekend.

This weekend marked the first time that both Gore and his son, Frank Jr., each scored a touchdown on the same game schedule. The younger Gore earned his score on Saturday during college football action, representing the University of Southern Mississippi, a 51-yard tally through during the Golden Eagles’ tilt against Texas-San Antonio. It was the second score of the season for the freshman Frank Jr., who also had a rushing touchdown in USM’s win over North Texas on October 3. Gore Jr. also earned his first career triple-digit yardage output with 130 on the ground.

Unfortunately for either Gore, their efforts weren’t enough to avoid the cold reality of defeat. USM fell to UTSA by a 23-20 final while Gore and the Jets couldn’t muster up a comeback effort against the Chargers. The loss officially eliminated the Jets (0-10), who trailed 24-6 at halftime, from playoff contention.

The elder Gore wasn’t keen to focus on the positives on display in yet another defeat and spent his postgame comments focusing on the unfortunate reality that the Jets are careening towards becoming the third team in NFL history to post a fully imperfect 16-game season (joining the 2008 Detroit Lions and 2017 Cleveland Browns).

In the process, Gore, the third-leading rusher in NFL history, brought up an unfortunate reality: 2020 could be his final season in the NFL.

“We’re thinking about (0-16) every day,” Gore said, per Rich Cimini of ESPN. “We’ve got to get one. You don’t want to go 0-16, especially (since) this might be my last year. I can’t go out like that.”

In other words, don’t expect Gore, 37, to go along with the notion of tanking that Jets fans so desire to secure the top overall pick in next spring’s draft. He certainly knows what it’s like to go through a rebuild: upon joining the 49ers in 2005, it took Gore seven years to enjoy his first winning season, one that ended in the NFC title game against the Giants. The team made the Super Bowl a year later, partly in thanks to Gore’s magnificence on the field.

But, in another cold reality to both Gore and the legions of fans he has built up through his longevity, the running back knows that his time is limited on the NFL circuit. It’s clear also that Gore is removed from his prime, as evidenced by a 3.6 average carry that’s tied for the career-low he set last season in Buffalo.

“I’d say it’s tough because it’s the stage of my career,” he said in Cimini’s report. “I was younger in San Fran and I always felt like, ‘I got time, I got time.’ Now, I don’t know if I’m going to play next year and…I don’t know. You just never know. I’ve got to be real with myself, how teams think about my age. They might not want a 38-year-old running back on the team. It’s tough because I don’t know about next year.”

If the words of Gore’s teammates, ones that have more of an assured future within the organization, have been any indication, they’d be more than happy to have Gore back for another go at it.

“I respect the guy so much,” rookie and fellow rusher La’Mical Perine said of Gore, per Jack Bell of New York Jets.com in October. “We come in every week and meet one-on-one to go over the plays, every Wednesday. He’s a guy I look up to. I’m trying to find my routine, and he has a good routine. I just hope I can last as long as he has. He’s a great leader on and off the field. I just try to learn from him.”

“Frank has been an unbelievable veteran to have on this team,” general manager Joe Douglas said during an address last month, per notes from the Jets. “The leadership that he brings on a daily basis, how vested he is to help not only the offense but the entire team and especially young guys.”

Both rushing members of the Gore family will be back in action next weekend. The younger Gore will represent USM against UAB on Friday afternoon (12:30 p.m. ET, CBSSN) while his father and the Jets take on the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS).

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

New York Jets: The case for a Bilal Powell reunion

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Bilal Powell’s long tenure with the New York Jets came to an end this offseason. It’s late in the game, but here’s why that has to change.

One can argue how much of an honor the label “longest-tenured New York Jet” really is. It’s great to have continuity and familiar faces in an offense, but the merits must be questionable when a nine-year veteran has played witness to only 57 wins (better only than Jacksonville and the artists formerly known as the Oakland Raiders in the AFC).

At the end of the day, though, running back Bilal Powell saw no negatives in bearing such a torch.

““or me, I just like to sit put,” Powell said in a late January interview with Joe Beningo and Evan Roberts, WFAN’s midday pair. “I had a couple of opportunities to leave around the times that I was a free agent in previous years, but I wanted to stick around and see this thing unfold.”

If the New York Jets need something to get through 2020, it’s veteran leadership. Sure, this is a team that’s plenty ingredients short of a championship recipe, but the return of a guy who knows his way around an NFL field could make this process a little easier to bear.

Hence, it’s time to start talking about bringing Powell back into the fold.

The Jets enter 2020 with a lack of experience on the field. There’s something to be said about the team’s dedication to youth. But without a sense of direction, the development could be for naught. The team took a step in the right direction in that regard by bringing Frank Gore, a 16-year veteran whose best NFL days may be behind him but has the experience and leadership that can motivate a young team and teach them the professional ropes.

“Frank brings something that is really hard to teach,” Jets head coach Adam Gase said of the Gore signing, per Ethan Greenberg of the Jets’ official site. “He’s a natural leader. He’s the kind of guy that guys respect around the NFL. He’s done a great job as far as helping younger players that are in the room. I think he’s a good teammate especially the last three or four years in that backup role and the supporting role of whoever that starter is.”

Powell may not have the impressive resume that Gore has earned over his tenure…few running backs do…but, in several ways, Powell represents the quintessential NFL success story. A day three pick back in 2011 (126th overall), Powell made himself a reliable part of the offense, a rare silver lining as the offense remained relatively stagnant. He was a reliable spell option and injury fill-in that became a multi-threat. Since Powell entered the league in 2011, he is one of 30 running backs to tally over 3,500 yards of total offense.

Perhaps the greatest lesson Powell can teach is one resiliency, which will be vital for players looking to get through what could be a difficult year. In 2018, Powell suffered a neck injury during an October loss to Minnesota, one that threatened to end his career. When it was possible that Powell’s NFL could well be over, the Jets knew what they could be losing.

“Bilal is one of the hardest workers on this team,” then-head coach Todd Bowles said at the time, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “It’s a big blow from that standpoint, but you worry more about the person, healing, than the football player.”

“It’s one of the toughest things,” defensive lineman Steve McLendon said in the same report. “It almost makes me emotional because I know how hard he worked. This is how a lot of guys feed their family, and you never want to see someone lose that ability.”

Powell instead worked his way back, inked a one-year return deal last June, and partook in the Jets’ 2019 proceedings. Like the rest of the Jets’ rushers, things didn’t really go his way, as he put up a career-low 229 yards over 15 games (the best a 74-yard showing in his lone start of the season in a win over Miami).

With so many receivers going down and the offensive line revamped, the Jets could leaning on their run game a little harder at the onset of the 2020 season. As last season proved, Le’Veon Bell can’t do it alone. Gore will be able to assist, but the Jets did lose Lamical Perine during a scrimmage at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon. While there’s some belief that Perine avoided true disaster, the Jets may look to fill the void and bide a little time while Perine’s ankle heals. A trade for former Gase pupil Kalen Ballage was also voided when the Miami running back failed a physical.

A suitable replacement and locker room prescience in Powell could appear on the horizon in Powell, who knows the Jets’ offense and has earned himself an NFL decade through strength and resiliency. Powell himself is even open to the opportunity, if SNY’s Jets pregame and postgame show host Jonas Schwartz is to be believed:

“I just stay in my lane. I sit back and let things happen and unfold,” Powell told Beningo and Roberts. “I want to retire a Jet, that’s the biggest thing for me.”

Fulfilling that dream could well become beneficial for all sides.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags