Saying Good-Bye to a Legend- The Niners should trade Patrick Willis

Borland is a HUGE liability in coverage, he is too slow to run with crossing patterns. Before we let Willis go, we have to get a replacement.

I firmly believe that when Willis comes back off this surgery he will be a stud. He won't be liable in the run game or the pass game. He will be elite and he is way too knowledgeable in this defense. This is a HOF player we are talking about here so I say no. We have savings at other spots such as Brooks at LB where we can shed some fat. We are aiming to be in Super Bowl 50 next February and we will most certainly need Willis to get there

Originally posted by Memphis9er:
Borland is a HUGE liability in coverage, he is too slow to run with crossing patterns. Before we let Willis go, we have to get a replacement.

You will see that when Willis comes back healthy there will be no replacing him

It's always difficult for me to think of trading a favorite player, but sometimes it makes sense. Not sure this is that time.

1. Need more than two good MLBs to get through a season.
2. Borland is on a rookie contract for a few more years (2018).
3. Borland's shoulder problems worry me.
4. Willis is the leader of the defense, by word and deed.
5. There is no guarantee Bowman will return at full speed.

If they trade Willis they would need to draft a MLB this year for depth. So depending what they received in return it would partly go toward a lesser player.

Likely gone - Harbaugh, Crabtree, Iupati, Brooks; maybe gone - Gore, Cowboy, Vernon; coming off injuries - Bowman, Ward, Kilgore, Brock, 4 rookies. Window is closing anyway, might as well start all over, especially since all the PSL's have been sold. Back to the dark ages.

Preditction -- Harbs goes, and everyone restructures.

Borland for Willis -- we could slow down on defense to match the offense.

Everybody had a tough year for the Niners, that is not the reason to blow the whole thing up. Patrick has a few top years left and the team has a run or two left in them, if Kap figures things out. If you wanted to look where the team starting losing it look no further than Terrell Brown getting short changed.

The only reason to trade a player like Willis would be the chance to bring in an equally good younger player. If you could trade him for a guy like Leonard Williams then fine, but that's really not going to happen. Also, without Willis there might be a greater need for a better NT...just so many considerations, but I do agree it's usually smarter to trade a player a year before they start to decline...Lott, Rice, Montana...if they can go...

Originally posted by RishikeshA:

Everybody had a tough year for the Niners, that is not the reason to blow the whole thing up. Patrick has a few top years left and the team has a run or two left in them, if Kap figures things out. If you wanted to look where the team starting losing it look no further than Terrell Brown getting short changed.

This is a business. Look around the league. His agent screwed that up and even after the fact this team GAVE T Brown a $300k Christmas bonus it wasn't contractually obligated to give. Business is business and my job gives me no such gifts even on a scale relative to my own salary as opposed to his. It was cold it was hard but it was business. T Brown skipped our workout for his own because he was readying for a career year to fatten his pockets. Well likewise we noticed that and took opportunity to keep our workout bonus to fatten our pockets. Strictly business move both ways and I don't know why folk can't see that. He was about his paper in skipping the workout and we were about ours in keeping our bonus!

I disagree. One of my qualms with the offense is that there are no real leaders on that side of the ball. Willis is a true leader and the heart of the defense, which is impossible to quantify with stats alone. Without knowing what Bowman will look like when he returns and with the possible loss of several other veterans, I think Willis needs to stay for sure.

There is a premium on leadership and this season shows what happens when that leadership isn't on the field. Granted, the D was pretty good but Pat set the tone for the whole team.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

I disagree. One of my qualms with the offense is that there are no real leaders on that side of the ball. Willis is a true leader and the heart of the defense, which is impossible to quantify with stats alone. Without knowing what Bowman will look like when he returns and with the possible loss of several other veterans, I think Willis needs to stay for sure.

Especially if we want to be in Super Bowl 50

Originally posted by xcfan:
we have no idea if/when bowman will start, so no.

This, with that horrific knee injury Bowman coming back 100% is far from guaranteed.