49ers-Colts: It will be impossible to root against Frank Gore on Sunday

Obviously, I’d expect San Francisco 49ers fans to cheer Frank Gore when the team plays the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but for me, I don’t think it ends there. I expect the 49ers rush defense to hold up against Gore and the Colts’ rushing offense, but honestly, I’m rooting for Gore every time he touches the ball until the time he retired.

I’ve been outspoken in the past as against the concept of tanking for draft picks or feeling good about a loss because it might mean a shot at a better pick down the stretch. But when Gore takes the field on Sunday, I’ll be rooting for him to gouge the 49ers every time he touches the ball, and I honestly don’t think there’s anything I can do to change that.

I expect Gore will have a decent performance to add to his monstrously high career rushing totals, but if he breaks a big one, I’ll be cheering as I did when he was in a 49ers uniform. I’ll pay attention to what broke down on the defensive line and who missed a tackle on the second level after the game is over. On Sunday, I’m a Gore fan and nothing else.

Of course, the 49ers doing well on offense and winning the game overall would be great. But I also feel bad for Gore, a player who never had a proper shot at winning a title while being the best player on a bad 49ers teams for years. He went to the Colts at a point where many still felt they were about to become one of the elite teams in the league.

Instead, they’re trying to avoid being swept by the NFC West. I hope they do get swept, but I also hope Gore dominates the 49ers. I’ll deal with how bad that would actually be for the franchise on Monday.