Depth behind Gore suggests his play time will decrease

For the first time since Frank Gore became the featured back in 2006, the 49ers have some depth behind him.Brandon Jacobs and Kendall Hunter will be fighting for playing time, along with second-round draft pick LaMichael James. Anthony Dixon, who saw limited action his first two seasons as the No. 3 running back, is working harder than ever this offseason to win a roster spot.RELATED: Frank Gore statsSplitsGame logs
Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee wrote Friday that Gore handled 57 percent of the 49ers' rushing attempts last season. That number dropped over the second half of the season. And it probably will not be as high in 2012."We need to keep him healthy," 49ers running backs coach Tom Rathman said this week. "We need to keep him fresh so he's an impact player for us."But it's not just the rushing attempts. Gore is so important to the 49ers' offense because the coaching staff has trust in him as a pass-protector, too. So even if it's a pass play, the 49ers generally want Gore on the field and that means more wear and tear.While Gore took 57 percent of the team's handoffs, he played nearly 67 percent of the 49ers' total offensive snaps. Interestingly, the 49ers did not use Gore much as a receiver during the regular season. He caught just 17 passes in the regular season (his career-low was 15 as a rookie). But he emerged again as a pass target in the playoffs when he led the team with 13 catches.
Here's the breakdown of playing time from the 49ers' running backs in 2011:Gore 66.96 percent
Hunter 28.07 percent
Dixon 5.07 percentGore ranked seventh in the NFL in play time among running backs. St. Louis' Steven Jackson, who turns 30 in July, is the only player older than Gore, 29, who ranked ahead of him in percent of play time.Part of the 49ers' strategy for keeping Gore fresh will be getting comfortable with other running backs on the roster to take on the duty of blitz pickup.The list below ranks the running backs who handled the largest share of their team's play time in 2011:Running backs 2011 play time
1. LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia, 867 of 1069 (81.1 percent)
2. Ray Rice, Baltimore, 819 of 1080 (75.83 percent)
3. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville, 780 of 1041 (74.93 percent)
4. Chris Johnson, Tennessee, 717 of 1021 (70.23 percent)
5. Steven Jackson, St. Louis, 714 of 1056 (67.61 percent)
6. Michael Bush, Oakland, 724 of 1072 (67.54 percent)
7. Frank Gore, San Francisco, 687 of 1026 (66.96 percent)
8. Arian Foster, Houston, 643 of 1083 (59.37 percent)
9. Reggie Bush, Miami, 600 of 1024 (58.59 percent)
10. Matt Forte, Chicago, 564 of 1007 (56.01)
11. Beanie Wells, Arizona, 571 of 1028 (55.54 percent)
12. Jonathan Stewart, Carolina, 577 of 1046 (55.16 percent)
13. Fred Jackson, Buffalo, 567 of 1042 (54.41 percent)
14. Cedric Benson, Cincinnati, 577 of 1068 (54.03 percent)
15. Marshawn Lynch, Seattle, 559 of 1044 (53.54 percent)
16. Michael Turner, Atlanta, 588 of 1127 (52.17 percent)
17. Shonn Greene, N.Y. Jets, 559 of 1088 (51.38 percent)
18. Roy Helu, Washington, 543 of 1080 (50.28 percent)
19. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota, 498 of 1036 (48.07 percent)
20. Ryan Mathews, San Diego, 520 of 1089 (47.75 percent)
21. Ahmad Bradshaw, N.Y. Giants, 488 of 1075 (45.4 percent)
22. Peyton Hillis, Cleveland, 462 of 1063 (43.46 percent)
23. Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh, 458 of 1061 (43.17 percent)
24. Willis McGahee, Denver, 458 of 1066 (42.96 percent)
25. Darren Sproles, New Orleans, 492 of 1152 (42.71 percent)
26. James Starks, Green Bay, 431 of 1033 (41.72 percent)
27. Donald Brown, Indianapolis, 392 of 981 (39.96 percent)
28. LeGarrette Blount, Tampa Bay, 392 of 1021 (38.39 percent)
29. DeMarco Murray, Dallas, 377 of 1048 (35.97 percent)
30. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, New England, 392 of 1134 (34.57 percent)
31. Maurice Morris, Detroit, 324 of 1104 (29.35 percent)
32. Jackie Battle, Kansas City, 305 of 1053 (28.96 percent)