Whose the better player, Willis or Bowman?

Wow, this wholethread is just unreal. Time and again it has been discussed. It isnt a "new thread" by any means. Willis is taken off because he is usually getting a blow after covering people down the field. Just be glad we have both.

Originally posted by dyNASTYmode:

Originally posted by RishikeshA:

Originally posted by wysiwyg:
It's like asking a mother which child she loves better

not really. What's love got to do, got to do with it?

It's more like asking which Manning is better, Peyton or Eli?

Both easy. Peyton, and Patrick easily.

Originally posted by TJA85:

Originally posted by dyNASTYmode:

Originally posted by TJA85:
Yes, there IS a reason Bowman posted more tackles and it's because Willis has much more talent around him
now and doesn't have to do EVERYTHING on the D. That's why you see him cover tightends a lot more now than before. I remember someone posted up a link where Willis explains that he doesn't "have to take as many chances now" on D because he is able to rely on the other players around him.

Don't get me wrong Bowman is a straight up beast but "there is a reason" Patrick Willis is still labeled as being the best MLB in the game.

IMO you leave the best MLB on the field right?...so which LB gets benched when bringing in the DIME package? Seems to be a statement in itself by the coaches because usually the better MLB in a 3-4 plays the Mike.

So Willis has more talent than the guy playing right next to him? interesting...now don't get me wrong, they are both going to be HOF players

Again, Willis now has more talent around him and he can rely on others to help him make plays. Bowman has better lateral movement so he can cover the quicker RB's or WR's in Dime Packages. That's why Willis is taken off the field. Frank Gore is taken off the field in some formations and he's the best RB on the team, does that mean LMJ or Hunter is better? Walker gets featured in certain formations and not VD, does that make Walker better? You put players in certain packages/formations to utilize their strengths to make it effectively work.

Now if you're talking about a better overall MLB it's Willis by far.

So Willis can stand on the sideline and rely on Bowman to make plays in dime packages because you admit he moves better laterally, but even more so he's more instinctive and can be trusted in open space. I understand utilizing strengths and weaknesses but to compare offensive packages to defensive packages is offensive.

Again with that more talent around Willis thing...4 players come to mind, Carlos Rogers, Donte Whitner, Aldon Smith, and....Navorro Bowman, 2 of which are in the secondary so the front seven was basically the same because Aldon didn't start since this past year. SINCE Bowman's 1rst 2 seasons starting HE LEAD THE TEAM IN TACKLES, as a TED in his first season and as a MIKE backer in his second season.

Again usually the MIKE backer is more often then not, the #1MLB which is why Willis WAS the MIKE backer in Bowman first year starting, but after he led the team in tackles, guess who became the MIKE backer. Kind of a coaching statement, but Bowman is more instinctive, better in coverage and a better blitzer by far.

How good is strength and speed if your hesitating? That hesitation will change a 40 time real quick don't you say

Originally posted by dyNASTYmode:
Not the harder hitter or faster player in the 40....better player

There's a reason Bowman posted more tackles.[b]

Much respect to #52 but I think #53 gets disrespected not being recognized as the best LB in the league.

Just noticed this is post 53

Scheme?

willis is the better the player but since bowman has emerged you can tell willis' job description has changed. they now allow bowman to run around and make a lot of the tackles while willis stays in coverage a hell of a lot more than he used to.

Originally posted by BayArea:

Originally posted by dyNASTYmode:

Originally posted by RishikeshA:

Originally posted by wysiwyg:
It's like asking a mother which child she loves better

not really. What's love got to do, got to do with it?

It's more like asking which Manning is better, Peyton or Eli?

Both easy. Peyton, and Patrick easily.

Doesn't Eli have more Superbowl rings?
Patrick may be but not easily

Both inside lb's but mike and ted still have different roles... Willis is often taking on the blockers freeing up bowman to clean it up... In the end of the day they r the best inside linebackers in the league... Both so athletic and versatile... I don't have an answer i think they r both the best lol

Originally posted by dyNASTYmode:

Originally posted by BayArea:

Originally posted by dyNASTYmode:

Originally posted by RishikeshA:

Originally posted by wysiwyg:
It's like asking a mother which child she loves better

not really. What's love got to do, got to do with it?

It's more like asking which Manning is better, Peyton or Eli?

Both easy. Peyton, and Patrick easily.

Doesn't Eli have more Superbowl rings?
Patrick may be but not easily

Means nothing. Trent Dilfer and Doug Williams have more rings than Marino and Jim Kelly. Dilfer and Williams sucked, Marino and Kelly are in the hall of fame.

Originally posted by crabman82:
willis is the better the player but since bowman has emerged you can tell willis' job description has changed. they now allow bowman to run around and make a lot of the tackles while willis stays in coverage a hell of a lot more than he used to.

Niners defensive play has been conservative for a while now, a lot of zone coverage and man coverage, 4 man rush, rarely do I see them blitz meaning they both have equal opportunity to the ball.

I don't understand are you saying Willis isn't allowed to tackle bc he has to stay in coverage and only allow Bowman to run and make the tackles?

Originally posted by dyNASTYmode:

Originally posted by crabman82:
willis is the better the player but since bowman has emerged you can tell willis' job description has changed. they now allow bowman to run around and make a lot of the tackles while willis stays in coverage a hell of a lot more than he used to.

Niners defensive play has been conservative for a while now, a lot of zone coverage and man coverage, 4 man rush, rarely do I see them blitz meaning they both have equal opportunity to the ball.

I don't understand are you saying Willis isn't allowed to tackle bc he has to stay in coverage and only allow Bowman to run and make the tackles?

i am saying he covers the te a lot more than he did when takeo spikes was here. its like he took on more of those responsibilities and bowman had taken over more of what willis used to do which was run free and make tackles

Willis will always be my personal favorite just because of when he came in and his immediate and everlasting impact on this team. They are both very close talent-wise in my opinion but, as I stated before in a similar thread a few months ago, I had dinner on the Friday before our game with an opposing offensive position coach and he said Bowman was better (but it was very, very close). Take it for what it's worth but I found it very interesting. It was also early in the season so Bow had really only had 2 seasons under his belt at this point in time.

Originally posted by btthepunk:

Originally posted by dyNASTYmode:

Originally posted by BayArea:

Originally posted by dyNASTYmode:

Originally posted by RishikeshA:

Originally posted by wysiwyg:
It's like asking a mother which child she loves better

not really. What's love got to do, got to do with it?

It's more like asking which Manning is better, Peyton or Eli?

Both easy. Peyton, and Patrick easily.

Doesn't Eli have more Superbowl rings?
Patrick may be but not easily

Means nothing. Trent Dilfer and Doug Williams have more rings than Marino and Jim Kelly. Dilfer and Williams sucked, Marino and Kelly are in the hall of fame.

True, rings aren't everything. I understand its the ultimate team sport, but Eli knows how to handle pressure, CLUTCH by far the most important trait. Peyton has choked in the post season frequently. Now this probably was coaches decision but still, but did you see him take a knee with the game tied, 30 secs to go, vs. the ravens to go straight to OT, then eventually throw the pick? Matt Ryan beat the Seahawks given that exact same scenario. All they needed was a fg....

Trent Dilfer sucked but Doug Williams went through some adversity because his skin and is still the first and only black QB to get a ring.

IMO Tom Brady is no better than Jim Kelly or Marino, one of them just had a CLUTCH kicker and a coach that cheated.

The reason Bowman has more tackles that last two years is because the offenses are focused on stopping Willis first. Either by lineman attempting to block him or schemes designed to send Willis in coverage has more to do with why Bowman leads in tackles than Bowman's skill level.

Pointless Post

They are both great, Willis is on his way to the HOF based on his his 6 straight All Pro selections. After nearly a redshirt rookie year, Bowman has exploded onto the scene.


Ther is no doubt that the 49ers have the best ILB tandem in the NFL.. Comparing one to the other is just ridiculous.