Hall of Fame LB, Patrick Willis

Originally posted by titan:
Defensive MVP Candidate! Without Bowman Willis would have 30 or so more tackles.

he still a great player but you need splash plays for that award. tackles, even behind the LOS wont get it for you. you need picks, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries and a td or 2 for the award. like derrick brooks season in 2002.

If Whilhoite starts, Willis will be able to make splash plays in Bowman's role. I'm hoping Willis finishes with around 5-6 sacks along with the 3-4 INTs and 3-4 FFs. If he does that and our defense is stout, he will have a great shot. However, Sherman has more hype than anyone and if they finish with the best defense, he will likely get it or Earl Thomas.

Originally posted by CullyInTheHouse:
If Whilhoite starts, Willis will be able to make splash plays in Bowman's role. I'm hoping Willis finishes with around 5-6 sacks along with the 3-4 INTs and 3-4 FFs. If he does that and our defense is stout, he will have a great shot. However, Sherman has more hype than anyone and if they finish with the best defense, he will likely get it or Earl Thomas.

they had the best D last year and being on the same team worked against them and kuechly got it. i felt sherman and thomas deserved it more but they split each others votes essentially.

Absolutely, but the Seattle hype after the Super Bowl is on another level. Lets be real, one of the biggest reason's Kuechly got it was his skin color. Ask yourself, did he have a better season than Bowman? Hell no!

Originally posted by CullyInTheHouse:

Absolutely, but the Seattle hype after the Super Bowl is on another level. Lets be real, one of the biggest reason's Kuechly got it was his skin color. Ask yourself, did he have a better season than Bowman? Hell no!

He is a great player but I didn't figure him for the great white hope but maybe there was a marketability component to it? I thought the game where he had a 24 tkl vs NO sealed the deal for him in a lot of voters minds yet personally I got Pat and Bow above him as the heirs to Ray Lewis. Keuchly won it so I have no problem with because he is great but I thought Bow should have nudged him

Originally posted by CullyInTheHouse:
Absolutely, but the Seattle hype after the Super Bowl is on another level. Lets be real, one of the biggest reason's Kuechly got it was his skin color. Ask yourself, did he have a better season than Bowman? Hell no!

no i dont view him as better. but bowman faced something similar to thomas/sherman. lots of great defenders around him. its not their fault but the voters (who are just media guys) tend to side with the 1 man show more than the great player on a D with other greats.

it's all Willis now. Going to be all over the place like he was before he became Bowman's shadow

Originally posted by crabman82:

no i dont view him as better. but bowman faced something similar to thomas/sherman. lots of great defenders around him. its not their fault but the voters (who are just media guys) tend to side with the 1 man show more than the great player on a D with other greats.

Good point even though CAR got studs too

Originally posted by Pillbusta:

Originally posted by crabman82:
no i dont view him as better. but bowman faced something similar to thomas/sherman. lots of great defenders around him. its not their fault but the voters (who are just media guys) tend to side with the 1 man show more than the great player on a D with other greats.

Good point even though CAR got studs too

some good players there no question, but as of last yr, nobody on the level of what sea or sf has around their star defensive players

Originally posted by defenderDX:
it's all Willis now. Going to be all over the place like he was before he became Bowman's shadow

This just might turn out to be one of his finest seasons or (better yet) finest season. I wouldn't put it past him...

Harbaugh said LB @PatrickWillis52 is "working through something" and could possibly play Sunday versus Chargers.

Originally posted by crabman82:

Originally posted by Pillbusta:

Originally posted by crabman82:
no i dont view him as better. but bowman faced something similar to thomas/sherman. lots of great defenders around him. its not their fault but the voters (who are just media guys) tend to side with the 1 man show more than the great player on a D with other greats.

Good point even though CAR got studs too

some good players there no question, but as of last yr, nobody on the level of what sea or sf has around their star defensive players

IMO, Hardy is a better Pass rusher than anyone but Aldon Smith (on the three teams mentioned). Johnson's a freak, too.

Originally posted by CullyInTheHouse:
If Whilhoite starts, Willis will be able to make splash plays in Bowman's role. I'm hoping Willis finishes with around 5-6 sacks along with the 3-4 INTs and 3-4 FFs. If he does that and our defense is stout, he will have a great shot. However, Sherman has more hype than anyone and if they finish with the best defense, he will likely get it or Earl Thomas.

This is the main reason that I'm pulling for Willhoite over Borland. The league forgot about how much havok Willis can cause as the Mike. It's time they remembered. He made a great sacrifica to benefit the team, and stat whores can't see the number of Guards he runs through every game, and the TEs he blankets in coverage. Put him back at Mike, and there will be a pretty short discussion on who the best LB in the game is. Kuechly plays in a 4-3. He gets to run free on every play. He gets to play MLB like a rolled-up safety. Willis has to kick 300-600 pounds of ass before he can make a tackle, and he still makes a lot. He doesn't drop into the middle zone anymore; he mans up the TE. Good man coverage gets you very few tackles. Shallow middle zone is a stat-padder. You just sit back and crush the dump off, or you wait for a pass to get tipped up and intercept it.

Go Willhoite, GO!!!

Mic'd Up: Best of Patrick Willis

49ers Studios presents a compilation of the linebacker's best wired for sound moments during his storied tenure with the San Francisco 49ers.

http://www.49ers.com/video/videos/Micd-Up-Best-of-Patrick-Willis/ecbf89f0-ac93-4599-a4d8-99919d3197e9

Since it's been awhile since Willis has been our splash play king, let's reminisce about the good ole days for a second.

What are your favorite Willis plays you can recall?

The pick 6 against Seattle in '08, chasing down the Cardinal WR in '07....that sick diving INT on Wilson in our blowout loss two years ago....annihilating Ricky Williams in Harbaugh Bowl 1.0.....some nice hits on Reggie Bush in 2010 MNF....

In the Candlestick luxury suites they have a huge mural of him tackling Hines Ward in Pittsburgh, probably '07.

I want to hear more :)