Running back Frank Gore says priority is to earn his teams respect
By Brian Miller
There is not much that a 14 year NFL veteran needs to prove but for Frank Gore, earning his teammates respect is an important fist step.
Gore is ageless. Ageless like Cameron Wake and Tom Brady. As he enters his 14th season in the NFL with a new team, there isn’t much less to prove on the football field. But there is a process.
Gore is entering his first camp with the Miami Dolphins and he is practicing more like a 20-year-old than a 35-year-old. In fact, Gore is having so much fun being back in Miami that he wouldn’t mind if his one year deal turns into two.
Earlier this week he said that he isn’t thinking about next year but he still wants to play so long as he can and if the Dolphins want him back he would love that.
There are steps to take first and they start this year, not next. Gore told reporters that earning the respect of his teammates is important in the process of adjusting to a new team.
"(When you’re in your first training camp with a different team, what are the things you’re trying to get accomplished first? Is it personality off the field or stuff on the field?) – “I want to get respect from my teammates. I want to come out here every day and give my coaches and teammates 110 (percent). (I want to) go out here and compete and have fun. When it’s game time, go out here and show them who I am. (I try to) do everything right and go out there and play hard each game. That’s my main thing.” – MiamiDolphins.com"
Gore isn’t a cheerleader type leader. He leads by example and isn’t worried about job security. He doesn’t need to. He said he trains in the off-season with younger players so he can judge whether or not he still belongs in the league. There is a humility to him.
There is little question that when his career comes to a close that he will be a Hall of Fame inductee. His career has been special and rare. Very few running backs in this era of the NFL last close to 10 years let alone 14.
It is uncertain if Gore will play on Thursday night. When asked about his work expectations for the pre-season, Gore simply said that he will do whatever the coaches ask him to do.