Indianapolis Colts 2017 Awards: Best Offensive Player
By Andrew Ites
It’s a bit telling that the Colts’ best offensive player this season was a 34-year-old running back, but Frank Gore was clearly the focal point of this team in 2017.
Many Colts fans expected Marlon Mack to take the starting running back job from Frank Gore this season after the rookie created a lot of buzz coming out of training camp. While Mack had a very strong rookie year, Gore simply played too well for the rookie to take his job this year.
Gore didn’t put up eye-popping numbers with 3.7 yards per carry this season, but part of that blame can be placed on the struggles of an offensive line that was banged up all year long. The future Hall of Famer still managed to put up 1,206 yards from scrimmage this season with 4 total touchdowns.
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With Jacoby Brissett in his first full season as a starter, the Colts depended on Frank Gore for consistency in the running game to set up the play-action passing game for their young quarterback.
There’s also an old cliché that “the best ability is availability” and Gore has been the personification of that cliché in Indianapolis. He’s started 48 of a possible 48 games during his tenure in Indianapolis, and he hasn’t missed a single game since the 2010 season.
It would’ve been really easy for Frank Gore to pack it in this season as it was a nightmare year for the Colts’ franchise. But he continued to grind game in and game out all year, and he set the tone for a team that never quit this season.
Next: Frank Gore’s Return to the Colts Depends on Andrew Luck’s Health