Jets coach Adam Gase believes new running back Frank Gore can form a formidable 1-2 punch with Le’Veon Bell.
“He’s a great guy for Le’Veon [Bell] to be around,” Gase told the team’s website. “Those two guys can really do some damage together. We have two guys that can play all three downs. They both have outstanding skillsets. There’s a little bit of difference in their running style and how they do things, but we know Frank really well and we know how to use them.”
The Jets signed Gore, who turns 37 on Thursday, to a one-year deal last week. The Jets hope that Gore can not only help them on the field but in the locker room, working with their younger players, most notably running back La’Mical Perine, the team’s fourth-round draft pick.
“Frank brings something that is really hard to teach,” Gase said. “He’s a natural leader. He’s the kind of guy that guys respect around the NFL. He’s done a great job as far as helping younger players that are in the room. I think he’s a good teammate especially the last three or four years in that backup role and the supporting role of whoever that starter is.”
Gase coached Gore as an assistant with the 49ers in 2008. The two reunited in 2018 with the Dolphins when Gase was the head coach there. Gore told NFL.com that he also had an offer from the Raiders, but picked the Jets because of Gase.
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“When I was with him in 2008, he was young,” Gase said. “He only knows one speed, he was full-tilt all the time. Then getting back with him 10 years later, guys watched him practice and were shocked at his work ethic, thinking, ‘Man, this guy has been doing it a long time. He’s had a lot of carries, he has a lot of miles on him. This guy goes in practice like it’s ‘Monday Night Football.’
“That’s how Frank has always operated. He’s never taken anything for granted. I think the biggest mistake most people make is they doubt him and they tell him something that he can’t do whether it was injury, age or whatever the circumstance may be. He’s proven people wrong time and time again.
“It seems to be a trend when you get around guys that are future Hall of Fame players that they all seem to have a very similar makeup. It’s outstanding work ethic, football intelligence and that natural leadership where they affect other guys in a positive way.”
Jets general manager Joe Douglas echoed Gase’s comments about the intangibles Gore brings.
“We’re really excited about not only the production he’s brought in his career but we’re really excited about the chemistry he’s going to bring to the running backs room and to the locker room,” Douglas told the team’s website. “When we talk about a player that has been a top-tier rusher in this league and also has a great work ethic, a true pro, he’s really going to help the guys like La’Mical Perine, Josh Adams and Kenny Dixon. It’s a relatively young running back room right now behind Le’Veon, so he’s definitely going to help those young guys and he’s going to be a great example for them moving forward.
“It’s exciting to add a player of his caliber and a person of his caliber to our team and I know the relationship that he had with Coach Gase at Miami was a big reason that he decided to come here, so we’re very excited to add him to the room.”