The Indianapolis Colts have committed some serious blunders in their continued pursuit of a good running back. This is a franchise that hasn’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since 2007 and two years ago traded a first-round pick for mega-bust Trent Richardson.
Apparently, they haven’t learned that backs a) are worth a dime a dozen, and b) do NOT get better with age.
That’s because, as Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller reported earlier this week, the Colts appear to be the front-runner in the race to sign aging running back Frank Gore.
I’m just wondering if they’re the only team in said race.
The Colts don’t need Gore. Nobody needs Gore.
Boom Herron had a solid year. He carried the ball only 78 times but averaged a solid 4.5 yards per attempt. Ahmad Bradshaw averaged 4.7 yards per carry and at the age of 28 is fresher than Gore. You want support for those guys? You can get it on Day 2 or 3 of the draft, just as the Bengals did with Jeremy Hill, or the Browns did with Terrance West, or the Packers did with Eddie Lacy. Just as the Giants did with Andre Williams, or the the Steelers did with Le’Veon Bell, or the Texans did with Alfred Blue.
Gore will be 32 in May and is coming off consecutive seasons in which his numbers have dropped. Do you know how rarely backs do anything productive beyond the age of 31? Only three times this century have backs older than Gore ran for over 1,000 yards (Emmitt Smith in 2001, Mike Anderson in 2005 and Ricky Williams in 2009).
Gore has somehow defied the odds and lasted longer than the vast majority of players at his position, but his time is just about up. There’s a reason the 49ers might not be all too interested in re-signing him.
Why would anyone invest in a plummeting stock like that at a time like this?
