Frank Gore pumped up his new quarterback Andrew Luck in an interview with NFL Network on Tuesday, and he inadvertently slighted Colin Kaepernick and Alex Smith in the process.
Gore is in his first year with the Indianapolis Colts after spending the previous 10 with the 49ers. He is in awe of the way Luck runs the huddle, which is different from what he previously has experienced throughout his career.
“I think if we keep working and keep going and get that gelled, I think by far it can,” Gore said of the team’s offensive talent. “Especially with No. 12, man. I’m not knocking my other quarterbacks, I respect them other guys, but being around this guy a couple months, he’s a different breed. He’s smart. He makes me feel young. He runs the huddle. I never had that.”
Whether or not Gore intended to knock Kaepernick or Smith, that’s what happened. Those two don’t compare to Luck’s control in the huddle, according to Gore.
Smith, a former No. 1 overall pick, was the 49ers’ starting quarterback for most of the seasons when Gore was in San Francisco. Kaepernick became the QB during the 2012 season and has been the guy since. It took Smith several years before he developed into a winning QB, while Kaepernick was successful at first but has fallen off since then.
I don’t think there is much debate about whether or not Luck is in a different class from the other two. He is considered one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, while Smith and Kaepernick are probably in a third tier of NFL QBs. Hearing Gore express it that way just emphasizes the difference even more, just like when Emmanuel Sanders said something similar about Peyton Manning vs. Ben Roethlisberger last year.
