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The Strategy of Signing Frank Gore


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Lots of people are in wonderment over the signing of Frank Gore.  If you get a chance, look at highlights from last year in Miami.  He's still a solid RB.  He's old, but still productive.

 

I think it's a good signing because it makes the Bills look like a good place to play.  NFL Network reported that Gore worked out with Shady, and Shady really wanted the team to sign Gore.  Gore really wanted to play with Shady in Buffalo.  What happened?  That's a smart, strategic move.  Plus, the guy can still bring it.  

 

Word is getting out that Buffalo is a great place to play football.  Moves like signing Gore will pave the way for other signings.  Siberia ain't so bad after all.  Right?  

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10 minutes ago, TC in St. Louis said:

Lots of people are in wonderment over the signing of Frank Gore.  If you get a chance, look at highlights from last year in Miami.  He's still a solid RB.  He's old, but still productive.

 

I think it's a good signing because it makes the Bills look like a good place to play.  NFL Network reported that Gore worked out with Shady, and Shady really wanted the team to sign Gore.  Gore really wanted to play with Shady in Buffalo.  What happened?  That's a smart, strategic move.  Plus, the guy can still bring it.  

 

Word is getting out that Buffalo is a great place to play football.  Moves like signing Gore will pave the way for other signings.  Siberia ain't so bad after all.  Right?  

 

I do think there's something to the Shady/Gore connection, which makes our interest in Bell even stranger.

 

All in all, I think Gore is a very solid depth RB for $2 mil.

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Not too many, if any at all, have more heart and the will to succeed than Frank Gore, bar none. If you want to be amazed then read about his personal life and his career. Not only did he come back from serious injury after serious injury in college but his mother is a complete train wreck. The thing that probably impressed me the most with him was in his first game in San Fran the 49’ers lost. When he left the locker room and went out to the parking lot he saw several of the players playing their music and just having a good old time. Frank Gore cried.

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The plan last year was to let LeSean McCoy carry the offense, then spell him with Chris Ivory in short-yardage situations.

 

But after having a terrible season, the Bills are no longer certain McCoy can be a top runner.  They also realized that Ivory is not a 3-down back, who can take his place if McCoy doesn't rebound this season. 

 

Something obviously needed to be done at the position.  But it's never a good idea to spend big money on a free agent/veteran running back (like Le'Veon Bell), and with lots of holes on the roster, we will probably be using our early draft picks in other areas.  To me, this signing tells me the front office is punting the RB decision until next season.  Frank Gore is probably just a 1-year stopgap, who can split time with McCoy this year.  If McCoy has truly lost a step, Gore should be able to take over the #1 role.  Next year, I expect us to draft an RB within the first two rounds.

 

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31 minutes ago, wppete said:

 

 

I haven't paid a lot of attention to him over the years, but that video at least, he looks like a guy with good vision and ability to follow his blocks.  That'll definitely extend his shelf life, and maybe help teach the youngsters

 

 

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I think it's a textbook "process" signing. He's a well regarded player and teammate and will (hopefully) show the way for the RB(s) we draft/sign. Another veteran voice in a locker room that is trending younger, and a vocal/example leader unlike McCoy. Insurance if McCoy goes down, otherwise 2/3 RB by committee/game situation. I would guess they supplement by drafting RB later in the draft.

 

They could have gone the "just draft/sign a young guy" route but perhaps they preferred a "known quantity", Gore's age be damned. I doubt the goal here is to get Gore 300+ touches... IMO it's a solid move, fits with their culture, and Gore is still productive.

Edited by technobot
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Somebody said something about his son maybe going to play at UB. So maybe Gore reached out to the Bills and said he wanted to come here, play with Shady and be close to his kid. You really can't turn that down. 

 

What I like about it is that I think it makes Shady less likely to complain about touches and things of that nature. Also, these guys are both really good receivers, so maybe they get used in the slot a bit. I'm okay with it. It is weird, but the money is so little that it's really a no risk proposition. 

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49 minutes ago, TC in St. Louis said:

Lots of people are in wonderment over the signing of Frank Gore.  If you get a chance, look at highlights from last year in Miami.  He's still a solid RB.  He's old, but still productive.

 

I think it's a good signing because it makes the Bills look like a good place to play.  NFL Network reported that Gore worked out with Shady, and Shady really wanted the team to sign Gore.  Gore really wanted to play with Shady in Buffalo.  What happened?  That's a smart, strategic move.  Plus, the guy can still bring it.  

 

Word is getting out that Buffalo is a great place to play football.  Moves like signing Gore will pave the way for other signings.  Siberia ain't so bad after all.  Right?  

Whew man that is some looooong leaps there :)  It's a old guy looking to wind down his career.  You think that translates into young players in their prime thinking that they want to play in Buffalo? :)  

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8 minutes ago, Virgil said:

It’s a 2 mil deal. That’s nothing. People are over thinking what the deal means

I agree. A one year 2 million dollar contract for a guy who immediately has locker room cred and still some on field ability is a great under the radar signing. It’s not like they tied into the guy for 5 years or something 

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I knew Gore was underrated, but I just heard a stat that shocked me: Frank Gore only needs 521 more rushing yards to tie Barry Sanders for 3rd all-time. WHAT??? 

 

 

.

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1 minute ago, apuszczalowski said:

They needed someone to retire during training camp or Game 1 this year and thought they would hedge their bets with the oldest RB.....

 

How about halftime of Game 1? Don’t leave out halftime! 

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Didn’t Gore play with Dorsey back at UM? That could have played a roll in this as well. If he’s as great in the locker room as everyone is saying, that alone is worth $2M per. Any contribution on the field is a bonus. I’m not as confused by this one as I was yesterday.

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How about it's an upgrade and cost savings while letting them prepare for the future?

 

Gore even at his current age ran for 722 yards on 156 attempts last season averaging 4.6 yards per carry plus added another 124 yards on 12 catches (16 targets)  As opposed to Ivory who ran the ball 115 times for 385 yards averaging 3.3 yards per carry and had 13 catches (21 targets) for 205 yards.

 

Gore signed for 1 year $2 million - Ivory is slated to count for roughly $2.9 million against the cap this year and if released will only count for roughly 750k in dead cap money.

 

Save some money - get a stop gap one year player and draft someone like Devin Singletary or Bucky Snell to develop for a year or two depending on Shady

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My only issue with this is that RB is a position where late round picks or UDFAs can emerge and become stars.  Some examples are Phillip Lindsey in Denver (just last year), Aaron Jones in Green Bay, Alvin Kamara in New Orleans and Arian Foster in Houston.  Giving one of our RB roster spots to a 36 year old Gore may prevent that spot from being filled by a young guy who could emerge.  With our current roster configuration, they HAVE TO let Ivory go if they decide to keep Gore.  To give away TWO of those RB spots to aging vets well beyond their prime would make no sense, particularly when our starting RB is an aging vet who is past his prime .  The 1 year, $2M contract is a non-issue given the Bills cap situation. 

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ABSOLUTE ANSWER ON WHY WE SIGNED GORE.  Between him and Shady they have the most experience to teach the RB the Bills will be drafting this year who will be the future.  This is a TEACHING by example signing.  It actually does make sense and at only $2M it's like a player coach (like we have done with our QB situation)

GO BILLS!!!

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2 hours ago, mjt328 said:

The plan last year was to let LeSean McCoy carry the offense, then spell him with Chris Ivory in short-yardage situations.

 

But after having a terrible season, the Bills are no longer certain McCoy can be a top runner.  They also realized that Ivory is not a 3-down back, who can take his place if McCoy doesn't rebound this season. 

 

Something obviously needed to be done at the position.  But it's never a good idea to spend big money on a free agent/veteran running back (like Le'Veon Bell), and with lots of holes on the roster, we will probably be using our early draft picks in other areas.  To me, this signing tells me the front office is punting the RB decision until next season.  Frank Gore is probably just a 1-year stopgap, who can split time with McCoy this year.  If McCoy has truly lost a step, Gore should be able to take over the #1 role.  Next year, I expect us to draft an RB within the first two rounds.

 

 

McCoy had a terrible season last season because he was trying to run behind the worst OL the Bills have put on the field in at least a decade.  They couldn't open holes for RBs nor protect the QB.   If there is not a serious upgrade to the OL this season, neither McCoy nor Gore will have even decent seasons.   Neither will Josh Allen.

 

2 hours ago, billsfanmd07 said:

I honestly think our RB issue is overblown. Did you see how fast any holes closed up? Our guys were hit in the backfield too many times. Nowhere to run. 

 

Exactly this.  When good RBs start 'dancing' behind the LOS rather than hitting the hole, it says that there's no hole for the RB to hit.  When Willis McGahee was in Denver and Baltimore, he hardly ever 'danced' behind the LOS like he did with the Bills.  Fix the damn OL!

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6 hours ago, TC in St. Louis said:

Lots of people are in wonderment over the signing of Frank Gore.  If you get a chance, look at highlights from last year in Miami.  He's still a solid RB.  He's old, but still productive.

 

I think it's a good signing because it makes the Bills look like a good place to play.  NFL Network reported that Gore worked out with Shady, and Shady really wanted the team to sign Gore.  Gore really wanted to play with Shady in Buffalo.  What happened?  That's a smart, strategic move.  Plus, the guy can still bring it.  

 

Word is getting out that Buffalo is a great place to play football.  Moves like signing Gore will pave the way for other signings.  Siberia ain't so bad after all.  Right?  

I was thinking about this earlier as well, did it have any persuasive impact?  Who knows, but I do like the idea of the Frank Shady Show...

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