Not So Simple Strategy: Stop Frank Gore

When the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday they will need to do a number of things well in order to win.

Chief among them will be stopping or at least containing, RB Frank Gore.

At his daily press conference yesterday, Chiefs head-coach Todd Haley spoke a bit about the kind of problems a back like Gore presents.

“He can hurt you as a runner, breaks a ton of tackles, he’s a strong runner, physical runner and yet also catches the ball very well and as I said, everyone of these guys, run after catch is an issue that we will have to do a very good job of in this game to be in a position to compete with these guys,” said Haley.

Gore is the engine that makes the Niners offense run. Through two games he has touched the ball 50 times (both running and receiving) for 251 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Chiefs can probably expect Gore to get 17-20 touches from scrimmage and 5-7 passes out in the flat.

“In my opinion, Frank Gore, is one of the true top running backs in the league,” said Haley. “We had the misfortune to have to see him a bunch out in Arizona a couple times a year and he’s a heck of a football player.

For Kansas City the strategy is simple, even if the execution won’t be.

If they can stop Gore, they can stop the 49ers.