Goal for 49ers Great Frank Gore's First Season with Colts: End it Back in San Francisco

In his terrific ten-year career with the San Francisco 49ers, running back Frank Gore seemingly did it all.  He played in 133 games, rushed for 11,073 yards and 64 touchdowns, averaged 4.5 yards per carry, caught 342 passes for 2,883 yards and 11 touchdowns, notched eight different 1,000 yard rushing seasons, made the Pro Bowl five times, led the NFL in rushing yards in 2006, and is the 49ers' all-time leading rusher.

The one thing that he didn't accomplish in San Francisco was win a ring.  He came close a few years ago, as the 49ers lost a heartbreaker in Super Bowl XLVII by three points.  But for all of the great things that he accomplished with the franchise, he doesn't have a ring.  And that's his goal this year.

He talked with Colts.com's Steve Andress about the biggest reason why he signed with the Colts, and it was simple: he wants a ring.  And so far this offseason, we've seen Ryan Grigson aggressively pursue that ring more than any other point in his tenure with the Colts.  As our own Matt Grecco wrote last night, Grigson "has the Colts set-up for the ultimate goal: Win the Super Bowl before Luck gets a new contract."

Ironically, Frank Gore's goal in his first season with the Colts is to end up right back in San Francisco, the same place that he called home for the past decade.  Super Bowl 50 will take place on February 7, 2016, at Levi's Stadium in California, the home of the San Francisco 49ers.  The Colts are aggressively pursuing making it to that Super Bowl, and that's exactly why Gore signed with them.

The Colts added Frank Gore on Tuesday, who boasts 11,073 rushing yards and 64 touchdowns in his career.  The team hasn't had a 1,000-yard rusher in the last seven seasons, while Gore has topped that mark in each of the last four.  The Colts added pass rusher Trent Cole, who has notched 85.5 career sacks.  Only seven players have recorded 85 or more sacks since 2005, and two of them are now on the Colts roster (in Cole and Robert Mathis).  The Colts added defensive lineman Kendall Langford, who hasn't missed a single game in his seven-year career.  The team needed help in their run defense, and that's where Langford is best at.  The Colts added veteran lineman Todd Herremans a few days ago, who has started 124 games in his career.  He brings the versatility to play four of five offensive line spots and will likely start at right guard.  In addition, the Colts brought back their starting Pro Bowl safety Mike Adams and key nickel cornerback Darius Butler as well, reaching contract extensions with both of them.  And the Colts aren't done yet either, as they're currently heavily pursuing wide receiver Andre Johnson and more defensive line help.

Clearly, the Colts are building up their roster around talented young stars like Andrew Luck, T.Y. Hilton, and Vontae Davis.  Last year's humiliating 45-7 loss to the New England Patriots has provided enough motivation for Ryan Grigson, as he's working at a furious pace this year and with newfound aggressiveness to get this Colts team over the hump and to the Super Bowl.  Even this morning, NFL Network's Michael Silver said that he thinks the right now the Colts "are the team to beat in the AFC." I'll hold off on saying that until they actually knock off the Patriots, but one thing is clear: the Colts have noticeably closed the gap.

Every move they've made this offseason has one goal in mind: win the Super Bowl.  That's what sold Frank Gore and other free agents on Indianapolis, and the hope is that the legendary 49ers running back will be ending his first season with the Colts back in San Francisco, finally hoisting that Lombardi Trophy.