Yardbarker: Patrick Willis

Singletary impressed by 49ers' leadership on offense

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:42:49 -0500

A week ago after the 49ers' loss to the Packers, coach Mike Singletary was not ready to address the media. He had to gain his composure. So the media was let into the locker room at a time when the coach is usually speaking in a separate room. It was an odd locker room. For the first time, I saw players - offensive and defensive - speaking softly in little groups. I don't know exactly what all these groups of players were discussing, but for the first time it seemed to me that the...

San Francisco 49ers 20 - Jacksonville Jaguars 3: Six second half sacks, red-zone follies foil Jaguars

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:24:19 -0500

More photos » by Paul Sakuma - AP about 1 hour ago: Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard, center, is brought down by San Francisco 49ers' Ray McDonald, top left, Demetric Evans, bottom, and Patrick Willis, top right, during the third quarter of an NFL football game in San Francisco, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma) Browse more photos » EDITOR's NOTE: For those wan...

Random 49ers Roster Facts and Figures

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:33:14 -0500

I'm sitting here in Seattle at Sea-Tac International Airport waiting for my shuttle bus and I thought I'd roll out a random post for you. Well first, normally I'm a fan of San Francisco International Airport. It's nice looking, easy to get to on BART, and all around an ok experience. My problem with them is their lack of Internet, or more specifically, FREE Internet. I don't travel a ton, but SFO is on a short list of airports without free wifi.&n...

Tex's Friday Preview - Niners

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:59:34 -0500

Since I spent the entire Packers-Cowboys game last Sunday schmoozing with bigwigs in my chosen profession and attempting to get a job, I had to rely on a friend's BlackBerry to give me periodic updates on the score (whenever he was getting service in that Faraday Cage of a hotel). Needless to say, I startled a few people with my exclamations of joy when seeing the score go from 3-0 to 10-0 and then 17-0. But enough about that game. It's time for the 49ers. Here are three pe...

Rodgers: 49ers hold special place in my heart

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:25:34 -0500

* * * Here's what Rodgers had to say: --He said there were more emotions when he played against the 49ers in the 2008 exhibition season because it was played in San Francisco. "When you grow up fan of a team that doesn't go away," he said. "I have a lot of fond memories from watching them on TV." --Rodgers wore a Joe Montana T-shirt under his pads at Cal. Where is the shirt now? "Not sure," he said. Rodgers has moved three times he said. It...

Watch out for Willis

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:18:35 -0500

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The San Francisco 49ers' signature player in their 3-4 defense is inside linebacker Patrick Willis, a two-time Pro Bowler and 2007 NFL defensive rookie of the year. "He's one of the top linebackers in the game," Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said. "He's very active, a lot of intensity, [and] a great tackler with good awareness." Willis leads the Niners with 86 tackles and two interceptions, and is tied for second on the team with 2.5 sacks. ...

Fisher adds name to list of Willis fans

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:58:06 -0500

Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean passes along this quote from Fisher's press conference today. Fisher was asked about Titans running back Chris Johnson appearing to slow down on a touchdown run. "I think he knew once 52 (Willis) was nowhere in the vicinity that no one was going to catch him," Fisher said. "Willis on the field yesterday was the only one that could catch him. I have to compliment him and his play because I have not seen an effort out of a linebacker like I've...

The true test for the 49ers comes this Sunday

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:07:17 -0500

Patrick Willis is happy with three wins, but the 49ersknow that tougher challenges await them.(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)Starting the season 3-1 is something that I didn't expect the 49ers to do. I thought that possibly a 2-2 record was plausbible. And lo...

Patrick Willis: How great can he be?

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:30:25 -0500

A year or two ago wjackalope came up with the graphic to right here, just without the crossed out "in the making." Patrick Willis's performance yesterday afternoon definitely had me thinking he was making that leap to the next level. Willis has had games with a lot of tackles. He's had games with an INT returned for a touchdown. He's had sacks. Yesterday, Bamm Bamm put it all together for what might have been the most impressive performa...

Rams 0 @ 49ers 35 – Postgame Reactions

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:13:52 -0500

Patrick Willis was a good player since he came into the league, but he might be the best defensive player in the NFL right now. He is now establishing himself as a guy who will get that turnover for this 7th-ranked defense. Offensively, the 49ers only beat the Rams 14-0. It was the Defense and Special [...]

Patrick Willis vs. Adrian Peterson

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:11:17 -0500

This weekend’s matchup between the Niners and Viks will feature the best running back in the NFL in Adrian Peterson and one of the, if not the best linebackers in the NFL in Patrick Willis. The only time Peterson has faced the 49ers was December 9, 2007 in which he rushed for only 3 yards [...]

49ers LB Patrick Willis on the 49ers defense in 2009

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:46:03 -0500

Patrick Willis was one of several players to speak with the media after practice yesterday and he had some interesting (although certainly not the most surprising) comments about the defense heading into 2009. While the defense has had numerous turnovers, the pass rush has been less than stellar. On the productivity of the defense going into the first game of the season:"I feel like there’s room for improvement. Even the best defenses that every played, every game is not...

Hometown Heroes

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:08:27 -0500

Last night I went to Halloween Heroes, a charity event for at-risk youth in the Bay Area in San Francisco. Halloween Heroes is a charity Halloween party held each year at the Exploratorium in San Francisco where kids can come dressed up in their Halloween costumes and interact with their favorite athletes in the Bay Area and take part in multiple activities including face painting, arts & crafts, and science demonstrations from the Exploratorium. All proceeds from the event benefit the Wender Weis Foundation who provide charitable relief and assistance to children in need. I attended with my teammate Patrick Willis and as soon as we got in there the kids rushed us. We signed autographs and took pictures. Then we went on the stage and they introduced us and signed more autographs and interacted with the kids afterwards. I like to go to events like this because when I think about when I was young, I wanted the same thing, to interact with athletes like us. Some people are less fortunate than others and they don't have access to us, and the ones that can get it, they will cherish it for the rest of their life. Anything that has to do with kids, I'm all about it.

Practicing against the 49ers

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:43:55 -0500

The Raiders and the Niners practiced together today. Friday we play San Francisco at home in an exhibition game. Check out my video talking about Patrick Willis and practicing with another team. I've got another practice tonight in about an hour and a half. Until then I'm gonna rest up my legs. Gotta stay fresh, Yardbarkers.