Frank Gore has rushed for at least 125 yards in each of his past three contests, all 49ers victories. Gore has never made the playoffs during his six-plus years in the NFL, but said he thinks the 49ers are working towards the postseason this year. 49ers.com spoke with Gore about the new environment surrounding the team as it carries a 5-1 record into this weekend's home contest with the Cleveland Browns.
Q: How much enjoyment are you getting from the team's 5-1 start?
A: I'm having a lot of fun. It's the first time since I've been here that we've been in a position like this – 5-1 with the wins we've been having. It's big. And they're big wins, coming from behind against good teams. You need to win games like that if you want to go where we want to go.
Q: What did you guys do to become such an effective rushing team these past three weeks?
A: We just kept believing in our coaches, just knowing that when it comes, it was going to come big. As long as we're getting wins, that's all that matters right now. We've been on the down side for so long, but we're all about wins right now. There's just a new energy around the locker room right now and we'll do everything to keep it going.
Q: How are you approaching this week's game against the Cleveland Browns?
A: It's another opportunity for me to do what I love to do on Sundays. Cleveland has been playing very good defense, they're very disciplined. I know that they've been doing good job of keeping other teams' offenses in check so we're going to need another strong game. But most of all, I'm just excited to go out there and compete.
Q: What does it feel like to give a winning product to the 49ers Faithful?
A: Our fans have been loyal when we've been down and they're still coming strong. But now we're doing something that we haven't done in a long time here and hopefully we can keep it going on Sunday for our fans. It was pretty loud in there for the Tampa Bay game and hopefully they show up and can be loud for us again. The crowd noise really helps our defense out there.
Q: Is your mentality different this year than in years past?
A: I feel like right now I'm just going out there and having fun playing ball. That's what I'm about right now. Earlier in my career I used to look at my stats and the stats of other running backs, but it's all about getting wins right now. It's all about getting to a place where we've never been since I've been in the league and that's the playoffs. As long as we keep being as one and keep doing what we do, hopefully we'll get a chance to get there.
