49ers Defensive Troubles: Patrick Willis Needs Help

San Francisco 49ers Pro Bowl linebacker, Patrick Willis, is having his worst year as a 49er. In the five games this season, he has only once got double-digit tackles and only twice led the team in tackles. It may seem like our expectations are a bit high and that is still good success but for a player like Willis who is almost always the teams leading tackler, game to game, it is a definite concern.

With all that said, I wouldn't go as far to claim that Willis is overrated.

Most people, me included, seem to think that his ineffectiveness is related to the poor play of the defensive line this year and especially Aubrayo Franklin.  Mike Singletary also said that he thought that Franklin's play this year has effected Willis.

“Sometimes when a guy doesn’t go through training camp, it shows,’’ Singletary said. “But (Franklin) has continued to make progress. He’ll get where he needs to go.”

When asked about Singletary's comments and his play this year, Franklin didn't agree with the assessment.

“Nah. I feel that my play is the same where it picked off last year,’’ he said. “I don’t think there’s a drop off or anything. My body feels better (after) missing training camp. I think I’m right where I should be. … If you look at the film, I feel like I’m playing at the same level.”

Singletary also went on to say that most teams realize the talent of Willis and are making it part of their gameplan to block Willis.

“I think teams, teams realize that Patrick is a guy that they have to get on. They have to put a hat on him. Whether they’re doing it with the offensive line, I think sometimes it looks like the offensive line when it’s a tight end, when it’s a receiver coming down cracking on him. But teams have made a decision that, we have to, if we’re going to run the ball, we have to get a hat on 52. So I don’t think it’s just a matter of the defensive line letting guys get to him, I think teams are really concentrating on doing whatever they can with whom they can, whether it’s the fullback or the tight end, or the tackle, or the receiver, to that side of the ball, we have to, we must figure out a way to get to Patrick Willis.”