He will not play for the Jets in Sunday’s season finale against the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
Chances are he’ll never play for the Jets again – or anyone else.
When the 2-13 planes end their miserable 2020 season on Sunday, veteran Frank Gore, who will run back, will return home, breastfeeding the bruised lung he suffered in last week’s game against Browns.
But Gore, 37, has left his mark with every Jets player he has touched this season. It was a gift for younger players who saw what it took to be a professional athlete.
In a brutal game that chews and spits in the back, like the current American president tweets, Gore was the final survivor.
The NFL is an acronym for the National Football League as much as for “not for long,” with an average career spanning 3.3 years. For those who run, this number is even lower – a career expectancy of 2.57 years.
Gore played 16 years, 241 games, rolled the ball 3,735 times for exactly 16,000 meters, with 81 hurried touchdowns.
Gore’s 48 rushed yards against Browns last week left only Emmitt Smith (18,355) and Walter Payton (16,726) in a hurry.
If you listen to those whose lives he has touched, it is quite clear that Gore’s greatness extends beyond his lying numbers.
“He’s a great football player, but even a better person,” said 23-year-old Ty Johnson, who is running back. “He is the model of a professional athlete.”
Guardian Greg Van Roten called what Gore did “incredible,” adding: “He does everything physically and mentally to prepare … and brings others with him. It was quite an experience to share a locker room with Frank. As O-linemen, we were very aware of this 16,000 yard mark. Each week was, “How many more meters does Frank need?” What do we have to take him to?
“He hit her right on the nose and I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Indeed, Gore’s final season – as a Jet and most likely in his career – earned him a 4-meter win in the fourth quarter against the Browns. Those courts gave him 16,000 for his career.
It’s unclear if this was the song his bruised lung suffered from, but Gore hasn’t played another one since.
“Frank inspired us all,” said defender Sam Darnold. “He is just a special player, a special human being. He was put on this earth to play football. It was incredible to see him play and I’m proud to call him a teammate and friend. “
Coach Adam Gase, who was first around Gore in 2008 as a 49ers offensive assistant and later brought him to Miami, said he believes Gore “affected anyone who came around him in the building, whether it was by a player, coach, staff member ”. ‘
Gore is not the first Hall of Fame player to play for the Jets at the dawn of his career.
Assuming he will eventually be voted into the hall (out of the top 16 career players, in addition to Gore and Adrian Peterson, who is also still active), Gore will be the eighth Hall of Famer to have a cup of coffee. with the Jets at the end of his 1993 career.
Safety Ronnie Lott played for the Jets in 1993 and ’94 after 10 seasons in San Francisco and two in Oakland, ending his career with the Jets.
The Art Monk receiver played for the 1994 Jets after 14 seasons in Washington and played one more season in Philadelphia before retiring.
Safety Steve Atwater played for the 1999 Jets after 10 years in Denver, ending his career in New York.
Defender Brett Favre played for the Jets in 2008 after 16 seasons in Green Bay, then played two more in Minnesota before retiring.
LaDanian Tomlinson played for the Jets in 2010 and ’11 after nine seasons in San Diego and ended his career as a Jet.
Safety Ed Reed played the last seven games of the 2013 season with the Jets after 11 seasons in Baltimore and the first part of the ’13 season in Houston, and his last NFL game was as a Jet.
Defensive end Jason Taylor played for the Jets in 2010, after 12 seasons in Miami and one in Washington, and he ended his career with another year in Miami before retiring.
All seven of these players were voted into the Hall of Fame.
Gore, as soon as he is eligible, will also have his own bust there.
Asked if he expects Gore to continue playing or shut him down after this season, Gase said, “I said that a long time ago: ‘Never doubt Frank Gore.’ ”