Gore Ready To Roll

Frank Gore missed a month with a broken right hand, but insists he won't be thinking about the injury Monday night. Gore said he has not yet decided whether he will play with the padded glove he has at times worn in practice this week. One of the worries is that it will affect his grip on the ball, a problem Gore has had in each of the past two seasons. His fumbling issues have been particularly acute against the Cardinals.

Gore lost the ball in three of four games he has played against Arizona, all of them losses. In the lone game in which he didn't fumble -- a 26-20 loss on Christmas Eve -- Gore couldn't handle a short pass from Alex Smith that was intercepted by the Cardinals' Antrel Rolle. Coach Mike Nolan said Thursday he expected the hand injury might prompt the Cardinals to put a little more emphasis on stripping the ball Monday night. Though Gore had four touchdowns against Arizona last season, the Cardinals are the only NFC West opponent to have held him to fewer than 100 rushing yards in every meeting. The good news for the 49ers is that Gore's hand is healing well and his legs definitely will be fresh Monday night. He practiced this week like a colt that has been stuck inside the barn all summer, bursting from the line of scrimmage, high-stepping past safeties and finishing his runs 40, 50, 60 yards downfield.

Catching the ball out of the backfield doesn't seem to be an issue, either. During down times in practice, Gore has stepped aside to catch an array of passes from running backs coach Bishop Harris -- high, low, to the side -- and Smith this week said he would not hesitate to whip a pass to his running back in the flat. Gore led the 49ers last season with 61 catches and was third with 485 receiving yards.As for overall readiness, Nolan said he didn't see any difference between Gore this year and last. In fact, he said it's entirely possible Gore won't see any action in future exhibition games, either. His idol, San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson, hardly ever plays in exhibition games, while St. Louis' featured running back, Steven Jackson, made what amounted to a cameo appearance this summer.Gore said his main concern is that he is able to practice with teammates, something he is doing for the first time since July 30.