New York Jets all-time leading rusher Curtis Martin cannot get enough of the Frank Gore move and believes he complements Le’Veon Bell perfectly.
While some of the rhetoric blasts the New York Jets, contrasting thoughts come from the organization’s all-time leading rusher.
Curtis Martin loves the Frank Gore move and believes he perfectly complements Le’Veon Bell, per Steve Serby of the New York Post. In fact, according to My Favorite Martin, Gore once called the Pittsburgh product for “later-in-life” advice.
“Frank’s my guy,” Martin said. “I’ve always liked Frank. I remember when I think he was entering his 10th year, he gave me a call and asked what is it I did to win a rushing title in my 10th year?”
That’s right; Martin was still an active player when Gore was in the league. They only shared the 2005 season (Gore’s rookie and Martin’s last), but the point still hits hard.
Gore, 37, joins a depth chart with Bell and rookie La’Mical Perine already entrenched as two of the spots. Bell struggled mightily in his first Jets season (3.2 yards-per-carry) after signing a massive four-year deal when Mike Maccagnan was still running things.
From a level-headed perspective, Bell’s struggles can easily be pinned on one of the league’s worst offensive lines. Joe Douglas is hoping he changed that narrative heading into 2020. Fans and media pundits believe the line’s talent level did change drastically, as well, prompting Bell resurgence narratives.
Gore’s signing changed a lot of those sunny outlooks. Why sign a veteran back when a big-money one is already in-house, many pundits asked?
Martin looks at it in a much different fashion.
“What I like about both of them is that they complement one another because I think their styles are really different,” Martin told The Post. “When you have a guy who’s 37 years old on a team, he almost comes on as a leader. I think he’ll be good for the entire team and for the locker room.”
The Jets are unique at the position. Not only do they employ a 28-year-old big-money back in Bell, but now employee a 37-year-old unicorn. It would be tough to find another NFL team with as many seasons under its belt at the position.
Everybody in the NFL is talented. To No. 28, consistency is the name of the game, especially for Gore. That’s what has the man still hanging around at this advanced age.
“His consistency,” Martin said. “What most people don’t understand is that it is a talent. Saquon’s [Barkley] pretty fast and Saquon’s really strong and quick. He’s probably the closest thing to Barry Sanders that I’ve seen. But another talent is just the talent to stay healthy and be durable and to be consistent. And that’s what Frank Gore has been, and that’s why he’s stayed so long and done so well. That’s why he’s a future Hall of Famer.”
How Adam Gase deploys his three backs should be an interesting storyline this coming season. All three should play. Just how much Gore and Perine do see the field will be worth tracking.
