INDIANAPOLIS – D'Qwell Jackson had some pre-game business to take care of on Sunday morning upon arriving to Lucas Oil Stadium.
Sitting on the seat in front of Jackson's locker was the official game program for the Week Five meeting between the Colts and Bears.
Frank Gore graced the cover.
Turning into the ultimate fan, Jackson headed down to the locker of Mr. Gore and asked one of the game's greatest running back for an autograph.
This is an 11-year NFL veteran in Jackson asking his teammate to sign his game program.
It's a small glimpse into just what the Colts think of their starting running back.
On Sunday, Gore continued to defy the odds by moving past Jim Brown, into 9th place on the NFL's all-time rushing list.
In handing a game ball to Gore after Sunday's 29-23 win over the Bears, Chuck Pagano had plenty of praise for Gore.
"This guy passes probably the greatest of all time probably to tote the rock," Pagano said in front of his team before handing the ball to Gore.
"This guy just passed (Jim Brown) on the all-time rushing list and it's a feat that only gets done because of freaking hard work, dedication, perseverance, grit, resolve and love for this freaking game. Congratulations, Frank Gore."
Like Gore always does when a game ball comes his way, he promptly tossed it over to his offensive line group, wanting to single out the line coaches this week.
As the game balls continue for Gore, he's getting closer and closer to being fitted for a gold jacket one day.
Gore had 75 rushing yards on 14 carries against the Bears.
His third carry of the game pushed him past Jim Brown (12,312) on the NFL's all-time rushing list.
"That's awesome," Andrew Luck said when asked about Gore's ascent up the all-time rushing list. "Frank is the man. You won't find a guy that loves football more than Frank Gore.
"He is a beautiful teammate. He's a great football player. He's a great locker room guy. You get so happy when he has success because he deserves it. He works so hard. To pass Jim Brown, that's cool. My dad grew up in Cleveland so the running back that was always talked about in our household was Jim Brown, so congrats to Frank."
In the past two weeks, Gore has passed the likes of Marcus Allen, Edgerrin James, Marshall Faulk and Jim Brown.
James, a former Colt great, reached out to Gore this week to congratulate his fellow University of Miami product.
Gore spoke very fondly of Brown on Sunday. In Gore's days with San Francisco, Brown visited with the 49ers and singled out the toughness of the perennial 1,000-yard rusher.
While Gore does acknowledge his latest accomplishment, the 33-year-old running back knows why he's still playing, and doing it in Indianapolis.
"I'll be honest, because I'm playing now, I'm really not thinking about it because I am still active and I want to be successful here," Gore said.
"I want to do whatever it takes to help this team win. My focus is really on what I can do to help this team win. When I was a free agent last year, they just came off the AFC Championship the year before, so that is what I've been thinking about. When I came here I thought I could be a part of that to help this team move forward. That is what I'm thinking about, one week at a time, doing whatever it takes to help my team get wins."
MOST CAREER RUSHING YARDS IN NFL HISTORY
Emmitt Smith 18,355
Walter Payton 16,726
Barry Sanders 15,269
Curtis Martin 14,101
LaDainian Tomlinson 13,684
Jerome Bettis 13,662
Eric Dickerson 13,259
Tony Dorsett 12,739
Frank Gore 12,368
Jim Brown 12,312
