Lost in the chaos, madness, and losing that has devoured the Jets this season is one sparkling gem of a player, and a person, who may be playing the last few games of an improbable and inspirational career in a dust bowl that has eclipsed his accomplishments.
That player is Frank Gore - one of the most productive and respected running backs ever to play pro football. At 37, Gore, now in his astonishing 16th season, has played well past the mean retirement age for his peers. If he retires at the end of this month, he should finish his career with 16,000 rushing yards. Only Emmitt Smith and the legendary Walter Payton will have rushed for more yards.
One of our favorite rituals is to rate the résumés and legacies of our favorite athletes. So when we ponder Gore's binary greatness, he should fit snugly into that gold jacket they give on sweaty summer days in Canton.
Consider that both players in front of Gore on the all-time rushing list are in the Hall of Fame. Then consider that every rusher in the Top 16 is currently in the HOF. How likely is it that they would induct the 14th-most prolific runner but not the third?
True, Gore was a bit of a compiler. He qualified for just five Pro Bowls, and did not win the rushing title in his career. But he ran for at least 1,000 yards on nine occasions, and missed a 10th such season by 33 yards.
Then consider the obstacles he hurdled just to reach the NFL. After showing sheer brilliance as a freshman at Miami, he blew out his knee…then came back and blew out his other knee. All the while he had to take his mother to dialysis sessions. When he was done playing for the Hurricanes his draft stock had shriveled into a bleak variable.
But the San Francisco 49ers rolled the dice on Gore, and perhaps hit their biggest third-round score since they drafted a QB out of Notre Dame named Montana. Though he only started one game his rookie year, Gore tore it up in his second NFL season, rushing for just under 1,700 yards while averaging 5.4 yards per carry. He would be selected to his five Pro Bowls over the next eight years in San Francisco, and would amass more than 1,000 yards in eight of his next nine years. He accomplished most of this without his mom, who died in September 2007.
Perhaps just as impressive as his stats were his hunger and humility. Gore had no spastic dances after first downs or touchdowns. He had no posse, no rap sheet, and no demands. Try to find someone with a foul word about Frank Gore – and that should mean something. To be admired by players and adored by coaches, to keep his hard-hat ethic and play every game like it's his last, and maintain that intensity for 16 grueling NFL seasons, is noteworthy.
So while there's nothing to smile about over in Florham Park, or at MetLife Stadium, or wherever the Jets perform their football blasphemy, there is one player we should salute. Frank Gore is the rare great player who is an even better person. And while there's nothing logical about the Jets this year, it is fitting that Frank Gore, at 37, is the team's leading rusher. From there he should run straight to the Hall of Fame.
Follow Jason Keidel on Twitter: @JasonKeidel
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