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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Willis Learning From the Best
6/22/2007 | Football
Associated Press
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Mike Singletary didn't say a word to Patrick Willis during the first week they knew each other.
These days, the Hall of Fame linebacker can't stop talking to his new protege with the San Francisco 49ers.
"The 49ers' coaching staff was coaching us at the Senior Bowl (in January), and coach Singletary was always working with somebody else," Willis said with a shrug. "I didn't know what to think about it."There's no ambiguity now: Willis, the former Ole Miss standout chosen to be a cornerstone of San Francisco's defense, is a masterwork in progress for Singletary and coach Mike Nolan, a longtime defensive coordinator. Nolan coached Baltimore's Ray Lewis -- whose No. 52 is conspicuously on Willis' red jerseys.
During almost every recent practice at the 49ers' training complex, Singletary provided several daily earfuls of private instruction for the highest-profile pupil of his three years in San Francisco.
"He's going to coach you to perfection," Willis said. "He never throws it in your face, saying, 'I did this when I played. I won the Super Bowl.' He's just here to help you be the best."
And if Willis is to become the leader and signal-caller of the 49ers' defense, he believes he'll need all the help he can get. Singletary still is an NFL icon, epitomizing defensive intensity -- but his new goal is to calmly transform an eager 22-year-old with stunning athleticism into a complete player.
"He's a good student," said Singletary, who learned plenty about Willis at the Senior Bowl without any real conversation. "He wants to improve, and he wants to be a great player in this league. He's a young player who can do some great things for us."
Though the 49ers expect their draft prize to begin his NFL career as a backup, Willis is in competition for playing time at inside linebacker with Derek Smith, the 49ers' longtime leading tackler and defensive signal-caller who struggled with a now-healed eye injury last season.
When Willis first realized the 49ers might be interested in choosing him, he didn't know the names of any of San Francisco's linebackers except Manny Lawson, a converted defensive end chosen in the first round in 2006.
Though largely unknown outside the San Francisco Bay area, Smith has been a tremendously productive linebacker throughout his lengthy career with the Redskins and the 49ers -- just the kind of player Willis hopes to emulate.
"I looked at his numbers, and I was like, this guy is for real," said Willis, who won the Butkus Award last season as the nation's top linebacker. "Derek is a great guy. I didn't know he's been in the league for as long as he has. My head was spinning for a while, but Derek and Manny and the other guys here make sure I'm doing it right."
Willis' teammates also are watching over him off the field, where the native Southerner is getting used to Northern California's chilly nights. When the 49ers wrap up workouts today, Willis plans to make a quick trip back East before returning in early July to get back to work in Santa Clara.
While his agents work on a contract, Willis hopes to finish the offseason strong.
His goal at Ole Miss was to make at least one spectacular play per practice -- an interception, a forced fumble or a display of the athleticism that made him the 11th overall pick in April's draft. Big plays aren't as easy while wearing the 49ers' helmet and shorts.
"You've got so much to learn," Willis said. "You've got to have everything down, especially at the position I play. I always thought I had the athletic ability to play at this level, but now I'm seeing that the mental part of the game is so crucial."
