By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
It’s a timeless tradition in all of sports. The kid comes in and replaces to aging vet.
The Buffalo Bills running back unit could be an example of exactly that in 2019. Not only did the team have LeSean McCoy, who will be 31 at the start of the season, it added 36 year old Frank Gore to the locker room.
Along with those two is rookie rusher Devin Singletary. He has zero career rushing yards. McCoy and Gore have more than 25,000 combined. Of the two, Gore has proven to be the ageless wonder, but with that in mind, he’s not carrying a chip on his shoulder at all toward Singletary.
Gore will certainly want his touches this upcoming season, assuming he’s on the team’s opening day roster. However, he told reporters on Wednesday that he thinks Singletary is entering an ideal situation for a rookie running back.
“He’s in a perfect situation,” Gore said. “He’s got two guys [with him] who’ve done great things in this league. He’s got guys who are going to come out here every day and I know he’s going to compete, just being here in the short time I have been.
“He understands the position, he’s got great eyes, lower body is real big. I think as long as he keeps working, he’ll be fine.”
And if that wasn’t enough, Gore compared an even younger running back to Singletary. Gore’s son, Frank Gore Jr.
“Devin and my son’s style is similar,” Gore said.
That comparison could be a product of the younger Gore recently signing to play college football with FAU, the same school the Bills drafted Singletary out of. Regardless, the respect Gore is showing is exactly what Singletary said his goal was heading into the spring.
“Really, just [want to] come in and earn respect. Earn my place in there, and just coming to work every day and learning all that I can learn. So far it’s been going pretty well for me,” Singletary said during organized team activities.
And while that is exactly what Singletary wants to hear, that’s exactly what Sean McDermott wanted when the team added Gore, too. The coach said he believes the leadership Gore shows, such as this scenario where he’s providing guidance to Singletary instead of a cold shoulder, could have a lasting impact beyond the Bills’ running back room.
“Frank does it his way. When I say that I mean he does it our way but at the end of the day, he is who he is and there’s a lot of power in that,” McDermott said. “He really doesn’t give a whole lot about what others say or think about him and that’s part of what’s made him good over the years. I love what he brings to us and that’s really all that matters.
“You can see that in the way (Gore) goes about his business in and out of the building and on the practice field and that’s what being a pro is really all about.”
According to ESPN, Gore, Singletary, and McCoy have all taken first-team reps during minicamp. The trio could turn into a committee running game next season for the Bills, keeping opponents on their toes.