New York Jets Running Back Frank Gore Has Left a Lasting Impression with the Indianapolis Colts
For a second straight week, Frank Gore is set to play against an old team. And though Gore doesn’t have many current connections on the Indianapolis Colts roster, that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to be a legend around the organization.
Gore spent three years with the Colts, beginning in 2015. He averaged 984 rushing yards per season in Indianapolis. Last week, he played the San Francisco 49ers, the team that drafted him in 2005 and where he spent the first 10 years of his NFL career.
Colts head coach Frank Reich said that while Gore played well before his time with the organization, the stories about the running back continue to swirl around the team facility. Gore is notorious for his relentless work ethic and attention to detail.
“I was not here when he was here but I was hearing legendary stories about Frank Gore everywhere I’ve been. This guy has a unique mindset,” Reich said on Wednesday in his virtual press conference.
“When I got here, just hearing [general manager] Chris Ballard talking about him, the way he spoke about him…What he’s done at his position – if you’re a football guy, you have to have the most massive amount of respect that you can have for this guy. That’s what Frank commands, I think he commands that massive respect like few others in this league do. To be as productive as he has been for as long as he’s been playing that position. It’s incredible.”
Gore is third all-time in the league in rushing yards. He had 21 carries for 63 yards in Sunday’s loss to the 49ers.
The connections between the Jets and former Colts players doesn’t stop there. A number of former Colts including Henry Anderson, Josh Andrews, Quincy Wilson, Pierre Desire and others will be wearing the green and white on Sunday
The strong Colts influence led Reich to remark on Wednesday that “I can honestly say I’ve never had this experience.”
“They were good players for us, they are good players for the Jets. We knew when some of these guys departed, we knew they’d still be playing, being productive and playing good football,” Reich said.
“It’s different. It’s really different. Usually it might be one, maybe two.”
The game plan won’t change for Reich and his team, despite the institutional knowledge of his team on both sides of the ball that the Jets now possess in terms of their personnel. The Colts beat the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2.
“Do we do anything different? Not really. Not really. They know is, we know them a little bit,” Reich said.
“I should put it this way…We’ll do just enough to compliment things they may know or personnel things they think they may know. We’ll try our best to do that.”
Reich's full press conference can be found here.
