All season Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano has insisted he would keep 32-year-old running back Frank Gore on a "pitch count." With a 40-year-old Matt Hasselbeck set to start under center the next few weeks, the Colts could ditch the snap restrictions.
In Indy's last contest, Gore rushed 28 times for 83 yards in a win over the Denver Broncos. The last time Hasselbeck filled in at quarterback, Gore had 22 totes for 98 yards -- his most this season.
Without Andrew Luck under center, Pagano sounded as if the predetermined snap restraint could be loosened.
"If he's rolling like that and we're staying balanced and he feels good, we're going to do what we have to do to win the ball game," Pagano said Wednesday, via the Indy Star.
With Ahmad Bradshaw recently joining the stable, Gore should have help carrying the load while Hasselbeck tries to keep the 4-5 Colts atop the AFC South.
Gore is confident he can take on a heavier workload than he's been asked to thus far in Indy.
"I don't get hit," Gore said of his ability to bounce back, even in his 11th year. "They can't really hit me (with) a clean shot. I guess I've just been blessed."
Gore's real blessing throughout his career has been brilliant vision and an ability to bounce off tacklers, neither of which has diminished.
The Colts entered the season hoping to save Gore's legs for a playoff run. After early season stumbles, Pagano knows he needs to ride his horse.
