Patrick Willis in the Senior Bowl

[Kelly the Dog]

I will admit I am torn on Willis. I didn't see a ton of his games. He sounds pretty good on paper but whenever I saw him I saw him have trouble. In the Senior Bowl, he was voted the game's defensive MVP, which I watched close, and came away completely underwhelmed. To me he was blocked all over the place.

 

This isn't something where I just looked at stats, I watched the entire game and keyed on him because I was hoping he was going to be great. Here are the tackles he made in that game:

 

01] Nick Folk kickoff 62 yards to the NORTH3, Josh Wilson return 22 yards to the NORTH25 (Patrick Willis;Kevin Kolb).

02] Jason Hill rush reverse for 35 yards to the SOUTH20, 1ST DOWN NORTH (Patrick Willis).

03] Troy Smith screen pass complete to Tony Hunt for 7 yards to the SOUTH12 (Quentin Moses;Patrick Willis).

04] Brian Leonard rush over right tackle for 5 yards to the SOUTH7, 1ST DOWN NORTH (Patrick Willis).

05] Drew Stanton middle pass complete to Scott Chandler for 11 yards to the NORTH34, 1ST DOWN NORTH (Patrick Willis).

06] Kolby Smith rush draw play for 2 yards to the NORTH38 (Patrick Willis;Tank Tyler).

07] Drew Stanton sideline pass complete to Paul Williams for 12 yards to the 50 yardline, 1ST DOWN NORTH, out-of-bounds (Patrick Willis).

08] Thomas Clayton rush over right end for 2 yards to the SOUTH48 (Patrick Willis).

09] Thomas Clayton rush over left end for 1 yard to the SOUTH11 (Patrick Willis;Chase Pittman).

10] Tyler Palko middle pass complete to Thomas Clayton to the SOUTH3, fumble forced by Patrick Willis, fumble by Thomas Clayton recovered by NORTH at SOUTH3, 1ST DOWN NORTH,

11] Thomas Clayton rush over left tackle for 3 yards to the NORTH20, 1ST DOWN NORTH (Patrick Willis).

 

http://www.seniorbowl.com/2007/2007seniorbowlstats.htm

 

11 tackles looks like a good game but if you watched it he was dominated a lot more than he was dominating.

[Brandon]

That's what I saw when reviewing the Senior Bowl game as well and posted such a few weeks back. His speed and athleticism allowed him to make a lot of tackles in that game, but he did not strike me as a particularly good interior run defender. He got tied up with blockers too often, overran some plays, and chose to stand his ground rather than attack and drop the ballcarrier for a loss on more than one occasion. Granted, its just an all-star game and perhaps he wasn't comfortable in the defense being ran, but I did not like the game he played that day. If that game is indicative of his style of play, I consider him a deluxe version of London Fletcher. That's not a bad thing, but a dominating run defender is something he does not seem to be.

 

BTW, one thing I haven't seen mentioned is that Ole Miss finished 94th in the country against the run this past season. Clearly, for whatever reason, he was not a difference-maker for that defense, unless maybe they would've given up 300 yards per game on the ground without him. Ole Miss is not an elite SEC team, but they're not Vandy or Kentucky, either.

[bluv]

So what; one game doesn't make or break a player. You must look at his entire body of work; plus you don't know what his assignment was or what defense was called.

[Kelly the Dog]

So what; one game doesn't make or break a player. You must look at his entire body of work; plus you don't know what his assignment was or what defense was called.

Absolutely, but you do see him being blocked one on one by a guard or tackle, in the exact same situation he was put in (an all-star game and new scheme) and the OL is getting the better of him three out of every four plays. That is what I saw. And again, I admitted in the first line of the post that I haven't seen a lot of games. I am not going to be pissed if they draft him. And if the Bills brass take him at #12 they obviously think he can fight off blockers and will be a stud, and I will root for him like crazy unless proven otherwise a couple years down the line. But I am not sold on him at all, I really don't think the Bills are going to draft him, and I really am not looking forward to the sky is falling deluge of posts after someone else is taken in the first round in a couple weeks.

[clownments22]

KTFABD- Thanks for being a great poster.

Personally, I wouldn't put much stock into this performance. Much more important to look at what he's done in the real game, and I can't say as though I've seen them, but it doesn't seem like he would have been winning all these awards for being the best linebacker in the country if he wasn't making some huge plays and playing very consistently, which is exactly what it sounds like he's going to do.

[DrDawkinstein]

ONE ALL-STAR GAME PERFORMANCE....

[Kelly the Dog]

ONE ALL-STAR GAME PERFORMANCE....

THANKS. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT.

[turftoe]

Didn't Willis have trouble in pass coverage? I heard he has much better vertical speed than lateral movement.

[obie_wan]

Didn't Willis have trouble in pass coverage? I heard he has much better vertical speed than lateral movement.

 

for what it's worth , this is what Gil Brandt says about Willis.

 

He must have watched more than the Senior Bowl.

 

 

 

. Patrick Willis, Mississippi (6-1 1/8, 242; 4.53)

Willis had a complete workout at the Combine. He ran two 40s in 4.51 and 4.53, the short shuttle in 4.46 and the cone drill in 7.23. He also had a 35-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot-11 long jump and did 21 bench presses. Willis worked out again on March 20 at Mississippi's Pro Day and ran 4.57 and 4.38 at a weight of 237 pounds. He was a running back and linebacker in high school, scoring 392 points and 62 TDs. He also had 23 sacks and 11 interceptions. Willis was also an all-state honorable mention in basketball. He played as a true freshman, but did not start a game until 2005. He was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2006. He has very good athletic ability, is an outstanding competitor and a very aggressive run stopper. He has great stamina and does a good job playing off blocks. He showed skills dropping into coverage at his pro day and will play with injuries. Willis will be a good player and will make a lot of big plays for his team. He has Pro Bowl ability.

[coltrane34]

Actually Buster Davis looked better and more intimidating than willis in that game. Depending on which RB and WR are available at 12 the bills may wait until the second or third round to get a LB.

[obie_wan]

Actually Buster Davis looked better and more intimidating than willis in that game. Depending on which RB and WR are available at 12 the bills may wait until the second or third round to get a LB.

 

or they will trust their scouts who actually watched Willis dominate in the SEC.

[Astrobot]

If we are going to draft an ILB, it comes down to Willis (RD#1) or Harris (RD#2). That's it.

 

I'm not even convinced Harris is the right move (despite my Sig Line LOL) because he's probably better suited for a 3-4 ILB position than a 4-3.

 

Siler is mouthy. He's a talker and sometimes rubs people the wrong way.

 

Durant (RD#2) is acceptable; but a bit small (12 lbs less than Willis) and isn't known for run defense.

 

Davis is smaller than London Fletcher, is short, and has had weight problems in the past. I like his passion and production, but I am worried about the drop off from Willis.

[BuffaloBilliever]

Sort of London Fletcherish with the down field tackles.. but had some 1 and 2 yard stops.