While the days of Frank Gore being the featured back are behind him, the 37-year-old who is entering his 16th NFL season, will be ready to contribute when called upon by the Jets.
"I know the situation here too," Gore told reporters on Monday. "We have a great back in Le'Veon [Bell], who did great things and still can play this game and is our elite dog. My goal is to do whatever it takes when my number is called to help this team be successful."
Last season in Buffalo, Gore rushed for 599 yards and came up one yard shy of becoming the only player in NFL history with 15 straight seasons of 600-plus rush yards. But he did the set the record with 15 straight seasons of 500-plus rushing yards, getting most of those before the Bills latched their wagons onto rookie Devin "Motor" Singletary.
"I felt like if they would have let me play, I would have had over 1,000," Gore said. "I jumped out there and I was having a great year.," Gore said. They have Singletary, a young back who is very talented and is going to do great things in this league as long as he keeps working and I know he will. I understand they drafted him and I know the business, so they had to get him ready."
Gore has always been ready when his number has been called. He is the NFL's No. 3 career leading rusher (15,347 yards) and he is sits 4th on the league's yards from scrimmage list (19,243). The league's oldest runner, a five-time Pro Bowler, Gore tore his ACL a pair of times while at Miami before he was taken in the third round of the 2005 Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.
"It wasn't easy to get here, even coming out of college getting both of my knees torn," Gore said. "Getting written off and saying I wasn't even going to be in the league for three years.," Gore said. " God blessed me to do something I love and I had an opportunity and took advantage of it. Like I tell Le'Veon, once you touch the age of 28, they kind of write you off, so my mindset just got stronger and stronger. Every time I go on the field to show it doesn't matter what age you are — I know he loves the game and respects the game and works hard every day in the offseason. Every day, make it like your last, you can do it."
In addition to working with Bell, Gore will be taking handoffs from Sam Darnold this season. Gore, who was in Indianapolis with Jets assistant general manager Rex Hogan, told Hogan that Darnold has a nice touch, like former Colts QB Andrew Luck.
"I just want to keep working with him," Gore said of the Darnold, the 23-year-old passer. "I can tell he can love the game, very smart guy. I'm just going to keep working with him and am happy to be here with him."
After missing Friday's workout, a spry Gore returned to team activities on Sunday. Coach Adam Gase said afterward that Gore ran out there like it was his first NFL practice and that the future Hall of Famer still gets excited and nervous like a rookie.
"As long as I'm feeling good, my body is feeling good and I can train the way I train like a young kid, if I can continue to do that in the offseason and my body feels good and I see that I can still play with the young guys out here and if someone asks me if I want to play again, I will," Gore said. "I just take it one day at a time and keep that in my mind. Each day I'm on the field, I try to work and show these guys that I've been doing this for 16 years and I've also had success, and I'm still enjoying it."
