Fans who attended Niners' training camp last summer could see how much faster, stronger, and just plain better Gore looked than Kevan Barlow, the team's starting tailback in 2005. Head coach Mike Nolan noticed, too, trading Barlow before the '06 season began and turning Gore loose on opposing defenses. The second-year back responded by rushing for a team-record 1,695 yards, making him the first Niner to ever lead the NFC in that category — and relieving Nolan of at least one headache as he tries to rebuild the franchise. Gore also set a Niners single-game rushing mark, racking up 212 yards against Seattle last November, and his 2,180 total yards on the season marked the most in team history. Maybe even more impressive was his humble reaction to such exploits. Without fail, after every game he credited the team's offensive linemen for his success — yet another way Gore distinguished himself from the not-so-dearly departed Barlow.