KIRKLAND — It takes only two words to make the muscles in John Marshall’s stomach tighten like a boa constrictor’s grip.
Frank Gore.
The San Francisco 49ers’ running back was a one-man wrecking crew on Seattle’s run defense last season, rushing for 212 and 144 yards in a pair of meetings with the Seahawks.
“As a coach and as a player, when you watch the film, you get (angry) about it,” said Marshall, the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator. “But I think we’ve done the right things this week in terms of practicing hard to take care of some of that.”
Today, the Seahawks will face Gore again. And Seattle’s defense vows to be ready.
“Our motto is to start something new this year,” defensive tackle Chartric Darby said. “You can’t change the past; you can only change the future.
“Frank Gore, you have to give him respect for what he did last year, but it is what it is. It’s a new year, and we’re going to take it one game, and one snap, at a time.”
Seattle’s 2006 run defense wasn’t as bad as the San Francisco games would let on. While the Seahawks ranked 22nd in the NFL last season after giving up an average of 126.8 rushing yards per game, that average would have been just 109.9 per game — good for 12th in the league — had it not been for the 490 yards the 49ers piled up in two meetings.
That inconsistency has carried over to the first three weeks of this season. After Seattle held Tampa Bay to 90 rushing yards in the opener, the Arizona Cardinals ran for 132 yards behind Edgerrin James’s 128.
Last week’s game against Cincinnati was a paradox within itself. The Seahawks held the Bengals to just 37 rushing yards through three quarters, then allowed backup Kenny Watson to pile up 47 in the fourth quarter all on his own.
Seahawks middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu said that game has nothing to do with this week’s game, in part because the Bengals’ counter plays and pitchouts are a far cry from San Francisco’s more straight-forward style.
“That was a track meet,” Tatupu said of last Sunday’s Cincinnati game. “This one is going to be a championship, 12-round fight.”
One thing that the Bengals and 49ers have in common is size up front. San Francisco’s offensive line averages 319 pounds per starter, or about 32 more pounds per man than Seattle’s defensive line.
“I think if you’re a little bit smaller, but quicker, your quickness can really help you,” Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. “You can make that work to your advantage.
“But if you’re not right (in the defensive assignments), and you’re not using your quickness, then look out.”
That was the case in both San Francisco games last season. It was also a matter of Gore using his cutback style and power to create holes in the defense.
“He’s a strong, determined runner,” Marshall said. “Part of (Gore’s success last year was due to) him, and part of it was a couple guys who aren’t here now.”
In two wins over the Seahawks, Gore averaged 178 yards per game and 6.7 per carry. Those numbers were 95.6 and 5.2, respectively, against the rest of the league.
This season, Gore has battled through a hand injury to rank 11th in the NFL in rushing, with 175 yards. His per-carry average of 3.4 is pedestrian compared to last year’s numbers.
Especially against the Seahawks.
“He really got us,” linebacker Leroy Hill said. “But he’s a good back, and he put up a lot of yards on a lot of people.”
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