SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Frank Gore will pay closer attention to his socks for the Super Bowl.
The San Francisco 49ers running back was fined $10,500 by the NFL on Wednesday after he wore his socks too low in Sunday's NFC championship game at Atlanta, a uniform violation. It marked the second time he was fined this season.
"Yeah, I'll be cool. It's all good," Gore said Wednesday. "I was wrong. Next time I'll do better."
Gore says he was so focused on winning the game and getting the 49ers back to a Super Bowl at last that he didn't give his uniform all the attention he should have.
"When you're playing, you don't think about it," Gore said. "You're trying to win."
He did his part on the field, though. Gore ran for touchdowns of 5 and 9 yards in the Niners' 28-24 comeback victory over the Falcons, putting his team in position to capture the franchise's sixth title on Feb. 3 at the Superdome in New Orleans.
The 29-year-old Gore, the 49ers' career leader in yards rushing (8,839) and touchdowns rushing (51), carried 218 times during the regular season for 1,214 yards and eight TDs. He earned his sixth 1,000-yard season -- most in franchise history and second among active players behind the Rams' Steven Jackson.
Notes: LB Ahmad Brooks (shoulder) and TE Garrett Celek (foot) did not practice on a rainy, cool afternoon. ... CB Tarell Brown (shoulder), RB Bruce Miller (shoulder) and LB Aldon Smith (shoulder) were limited in practice. ... Second-team All-Pro defensive lineman Justin Smith, who missed the final two regular-season games with a partially torn left triceps muscle, said he is doing fine while playing through the injury. "It felt about the same. It felt all right," he said.
