Originally posted by OregonDuckNiner:
Originally posted by 49ers:
First of all, when is it a sin to be better than Willis? Is it illegal? Did I say Willis is bad? No. Simply put, one more time...no matter how much Willis is "loved", which I being a Niner fan also do as well, one cannot argue that going into last year and the present, Bowman is playing at a simply higher level than Willis. If you can't give another of our players credit for taking his game above anothers, then "that" is your opinion which I have nothing against because I understand you, too, are a Niner fan.
That's the thing: it's not bad or illegal to say that he's better, but you can't say it's a fact cause it's not. Just like saying Calvin Johnson is better than Larry Fitzgerald. It's all opinions, not facts.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I believe that Bowman's success is a direct result to playing next to Willis. Yes, Bowman is playing better than Willis right now, but I don't think he plays at this high of a level without Willis. Why is that? I mentioned all of that in my previous post. Opposing offenses focus on making sure that Willis doesn't beat them, which certainly permits Bowman to roam the field and make big plays like he did today.
But really, we have the two best inside linebackers in the NFL. This is splitting hairs. I just think it's way too early for Willis to be passing the torch. He is still the face of this defense.
Good problem to have, I would say. "Our 2nd ILB may be better than our 1st ILB. BTW, our 1st ILB is top 5 LB in the NFL." He is making the case right now for Goldson to be the one w/o the contract at years end....IMO.
[ Edited by bzborow1 on Sep 9, 2012 at 9:41 PM ]