The 49ers are suddenly a grilled-cheese sandwich, hold the
cheese. They are a heavy-metal song with no guitar. They are a
power-running team without Frank Gore.
SAN JOSE
The 49ers are suddenly a grilled-cheese sandwich, hold the cheese. They are a heavy-metal song with no guitar.
They are a power-running team without Frank Gore.
The 49ers placed their leading rusher on the season-ending injured reserve list Tuesday, surrendering to the inevitable after Gore sustained a fractured right hip during a 27-6 victory over the Arizona Cardinals a night earlier.
Without their so-called “bell cow,” the 49ers must now rely on the rest of the herd starting with Sunday’s road game against the Green Bay Packers.
“It is unfortunate that we had to place Frank on IR,” coach Mike Singletary said. “He is not only a great football player, but a tremendous leader. He plays with such passion and desire, two traits that will serve him well as he recovers from the injury.”
The 49ers also placed receiver Dominique Zeigler (torn left ACL) on IR. To replace him on the roster, safety Chris Maragos was promoted from the practice squad.
What now? Brian Westbrook went from afterthought to starring role by running for 136 yards in relief of Gore on Monday.
But Singletary acknowledged that asking Westbrook to carry the ball 23 times, as he did against Arizona, is too much to ask of a nine-year veteran with a history of injuries. Westbrook, 31, played only eight games last season because of concussion problems.
Even when healthy, Westbrook rarely ran so often: Those 23 carries marked the fourth highest total of his career.
“It’s smart for us to be careful about how we use him, how often we use him,” Singletary said of Westbrook. “He’s a talented guy but we want to be smart about that.”
Most likely, replacing Gore will be a three-man job. Besides Westbrook, the 49ers will also count on rookie Anthony Dixon and DeShawn Wynn, who was promoted to the active roster Tuesday.
Singletary said Monday that the 49ers will use a “good mixture” of Westbrook and Dixon. But devising creative mixtures has not exactly been the 49ers’ strong point. Recent offensive coordinators, including incumbent Mike Johnson, have called upon Gore to carry a staggering amount of the load.
His 203 carries this season dwarf Westbrook’s total of 28, which is second on the team. Gore also leads the 49ers with 46 catches (Vernon Davis is second with 40).
“Frank is a big part of what we do — heart, soul, everything he brings is what you want,” Singletary said. “But thankfully, Brian Westbrook is mature, experienced, a leader.”
Gore ranks fifth in the NFL this season with 1,305 yards from scrimmage.
Whether such a heavy workload played a role in Gore’s injury is unclear. Singletary said he did not know precisely where things went wrong against Arizona. It is believed that Gore was first injured while running for a loss of 1 yard with 11:14 to play in the first quarter.
His hip injury was announced in the press box soon thereafter, although Gore briefly returned to the field. He had a 9-yard carry followed by a 5-yard carry that was negated by a penalty. Gore finally surrendered for the night with about 5 minutes to play in the first quarter.
Singletary declined to speculate on a timetable for the two-time Pro Bowler’s return, but Gore likely faces a long rehabilitation. Victor Khabie, the co-chief of the Orthopedics and Spine Institute at the Northern Westchester Hospital said in an e-mail to the Mercury News that Gore’s injury is uncommon.
“Reports indicate that he has a hip fracture, which is a very unusual injury in a football player,” Khabie said. “Depending on the precise nature of his injury, this may require surgery to place titanium screws to stabilize the fracture followed by 6 weeks on crutches and several months of rehab to fully recover.”
—Kicker Joe Nedney (knee) has been declared healthy and will return in time to face the Packers. The 49ers waived Shane Andrus, who served as Nedney’s replacement the past two weeks.
—Singletary did not rule out the return of center David Baas, who suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter against the Cardinals.
—Singletary said he liked seeing his players so emotional before the game. Vernon Davis, for example, made such a heartfelt speech before the game that tears rolled down his cheeks. The coach said he gets emotional, too. Asked if he cried after any losses this season, Singletary said: “Every one of them.”
—The 49ers released tackle Xavier Fulton from the practice squad.
— Story by Daniel Brown, San Jose Mercury News
