Earning Respect: 49ers ILB NaVorro Bowman

by Dylan DeSimone on Oct 19, 2011 1:30 PM PDT in 49ers Roster

There have been many surprises so far in the 2011 NFL season. Surprises like the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions winning games, the Philadelphia Eagles struggle and most recently, the trading of Carson Palmer to the Oakland Raiders. One of the biggest unspoken surprises in the league so far is 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman out-tackling All Pro teammate Patrick Willis.

6 weeks into the 2011 season and Bowman has solidified a spot in the NFL's top 5 for tackles, and first on the 49ers ahead of Willis. In 6 games, Bowman has racked up 56 tackles, almost a whole games worth more than Willis' 47. Between to the two of them, it gets easier to believe that the 49ers still haven't allowed a rushing touchdown this season.

Off his most recent game against the Detroit Lions, Bowman finished the game with 14 tackles -- the week before, Willis had 18 tackles. These guys are absolutely dynamite to watch in action, and Bowman is starting to recognize the impact he's having for the 49ers.

"Having the ability and opportunity to play next to Pat [Willis] and to have Takeo [Spikes] in my first year. Those guys have really helped me get comfortable at this level...just really trying to be more of a student of the game," said Bowman, giving credit where credit is due. Bowman not only has the talent and work ethic to be successful in this league, but he has the character.

The departure of Takeo Spikes worried a lot of 49ers fans who were wondering if Bowman was the real deal or not; I think everyone's minds have been put to ease. Bowman is the real deal and is only continuing to get better: "I still have work to do. I don't think I'm the best linebacker I can be yet. So, next week I'll try to get better than last week and keep going with the mindset to get better to help my team out."

The ascension of Bowman has made Willis' job easier and is making for one of the more frightening inside linebacker tandems this league has seen in some time. Right now, Bowman is making it difficult for 49ers beat writers to ignore. His performance, like a lot of his teammates this season, has been beyond expectations.

I believe he really began to attract attention when he made two key third-down stops on a scrambling Michael Vick at Philadelphia. And that has been a recurring situation in which he has excelled; in third down scenarios. He looks eager to make a play for his teammates on third down, and seems to honor the ideal of getting off the field.

Bowman has been the ultimate team player and vital to the success of the 49ers being one of the top ranked defensive units in the league. He hasn't been a liability in coverage and it doesn't get a whole lot better than him when it comes to stopping the run. He seems to have a natural ability to plug holes and stop the runner in his tracks.

Being Patrick Willis' tackling mate doesn't hurt his progression as an efficient tackler either. He wraps up well and pursues the ball carrier with great angles and fluidity. What is great is that we've seen tremendous play by not only Bowman and Willis, but Ahmad Brooks and Aldon Smith as well. All four men are in their 20's, and could potentially become one of the fiercest linebacking units in the game.

This team is headed in the right direction, and it is largely due to the philosophical approach to build a team of 53 NaVorro Bowman's or Patrick Willis'. These are talented individuals with great work ethic and character that will take them far in this profession -- "gold star" guys as coach Jim Harbaugh would categorize them. Watch the progression of #53 because he is a star in the making.

Full NaVorro Bowman Interview at CSN Bay Area　

Follow me on Twitter: @DeSimone80

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Comments

Bowman is a "star" in the making

The Linebacking core will be one of the best for many years. They are the strength of this team. Fangio is one happy dude to have these guys at his helm

"I hate it! It looks like a stickup at 7-Eleven. Five guys standing there with their hands in the air."

Norm Sloan

"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors."

Weldon Drew

by EcERyda69 on Oct 19, 2011 1:37 PM PDT via mobile reply actions

two best inside linebackers

Awhile back I was chastised on NN for suggesting it wouldn’t be long before the Niners had the two best inside linebackers in the league. I thought Bowman’s innate talent was pretty easy to see, and that all he needed was playing experience. I was wrong. Bowman has enough talent to overcome the experience issue.

We have the two best inside linebackers in the league now!!

"(I)f you think you've got an inside track to absolute truth, you become doctrinaire, humorless and intellectually constipated." Saul Alinsky

by dianemarie on Oct 19, 2011 7:21 PM PDT up reply actions

You get points

for predicting correctly.

I wouldn’t say we have the “two best”, but I would say we have the best tandem. We have THE best in Willis, and, as you mentioned, a rising star in Bowman.

"Football combines the two worst things about America: It is violence punctuated by committee meetings" -George Will

by lottwasgangsta on Oct 19, 2011 9:05 PM PDT up reply actions

I think they should come out both

wearing a 52 1/2 number jersey….

The name on the back

“WOAH MAN”

Brian Sabean: Sing His Praises To The Heavens!
-------
PARPG- Indy post-apocalyptic roleplaying game that seems to have resurrected itself in my absence...

by zenbitz on Oct 19, 2011 1:42 PM PDT reply actions 3 recs

Lol

I like it

by NoDakNiner on Oct 19, 2011 2:17 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

I though we were going to feel the loss of Spikes

Bowman is playing like TKO with a neck. He really did pay attention and learn from him and Willis and now they are the most formidable inside linebacking core in the NFL.

49ers Shop

by wellnesscoach on Oct 19, 2011 1:49 PM PDT reply actions

I'm not surprised

that Bowman is ahead of Willis in tackles. The youngster has been great, and is developing faster than anticipated, but one of the reasons Willis doesn’t have that many tackles is that offenses, wisely so, run the hell away from him.

In the Eagles game, Vick took off towards Bowman’s side of the field. That wasn’t for nothing. The fact that we now have someone with similar range/speed to Willis is ridiculous and awesome.

The other thing is that now that Willis is SO solid in coverage, they drop him into it a lot, leaving Bowman to clean up in the running game. Stats aren’t everything. Both are very good, but one is great, and the other COULD be great…and appears well on his way.

"Football combines the two worst things about America: It is violence punctuated by committee meetings" -George Will

by lottwasgangsta on Oct 19, 2011 1:57 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs

Willis has been used a lot more in coverage this year as well

prime example is the Lions game where he was one-on-one covering Pettigrew across the middle while Bowman roamed the field looking for victims.

by smileyman on Oct 19, 2011 2:34 PM PDT up reply actions

Yup

He did a good job against Pettigrew too; I’m still not convinced that was a touchdown. Not only is he awesome, he is also complete.

"Football combines the two worst things about America: It is violence punctuated by committee meetings" -George Will

by lottwasgangsta on Oct 19, 2011 4:48 PM PDT up reply actions

Rec'd

My thoughts exactly … what, did someone think defensive coordinators would game plan to run to Willis’ side of the field instead of the second-year player that started a few games last year and then got demoted?

Best part is that they make the common-sense call for the majority of runs to Bowman’s side of the field, and he is taking full advantage of that predictability and shuts down the run on his side of the field too. You really have to have sympathy for the D-coordinators that have to face this defence.

I do miss Spikes as a great teammate and linebacker, but Bowman has filled in without missing a beat. I thought sure we’d see a loss of production at that spot; one more example of our coaching staff being able to correctly evaluate players and game plan accordingly.

Today's Justin Smith :: Yesterday's Bryant Young

by OffensiveInterference on Oct 19, 2011 5:23 PM PDT up reply actions

Spikes

If we didn’t have a leader like Smith on our D I think we would miss Spikes more. Bowman is playing better than Spikes could play at this point in his career, but Spikes was a leader. He inspires greatness from his team mates and commands respect from the other team.

JS has taken the leadership role and this D is scary.

We are 5-1 without Edwards having played much. If he can come back and resume the connection he had with Smith our offense may be able to put up enough points to compete in the playoffs against teams like the Saints and Pack. Maybe.

by Tyler50 on Oct 19, 2011 5:30 PM PDT up reply actions

Agreed.

You can see by my tag-line that I have huge respect for Justin Smith; he and Spikes were my favorite players last year. I wish Spikes a great season this year up till the game when we meet the Chargers in the SuperBowl.

Today's Justin Smith :: Yesterday's Bryant Young

by OffensiveInterference on Oct 19, 2011 5:35 PM PDT up reply actions

Isn't your tag backwards?

Todays Bryant Young = Justin Smith?

by brundylop on Oct 19, 2011 6:47 PM PDT up reply actions

So do we have the best linebacker group (not just inside) in the NFL now?

by KGboomer on Oct 19, 2011 2:02 PM PDT via iPhone app reply actions

In the discussion for sure

Found a link which lists all the 3-4 linebacker groups as of a month ago.

http://bloggingthebeast.com/2011/09/24/do-the-redskins-have-the-best-set-of-3-4-linebackers-in-the-nfc/

There are certainly some impressive groups listed but with the emergence of Aldon Smith, I think we rank right up there with any of them.

Redskins certainly have a nice group with the addition of Kerrigan who is also in the race for DROY
Cowboys have a nice group as well, Sean Lee has been very impressive imo and the other names are well established.
Steelers have been the gold standard for years, especially their OLBs, but Farrior is not the guy he used to be.
Texans also had quite a group before Mario Williams went down.

by znk916 on Oct 19, 2011 2:16 PM PDT up reply actions

nice, I was hoping to find something like that

I’d say we are top 3, maybe top 5 at worst after looking at all those groups

by KGboomer on Oct 19, 2011 3:03 PM PDT up reply actions

I think our inside backers

Are the best pair. Seriously, homerism aside, Willis is already a legend, and Bowman is good-getting-rapidly-better.

Our OLB’s are good, but not game changing yet, depending on who Smith becomes.

I would point out though that part of what makes our front 7 SO good is Justin Smith. Of those other teams, I’d say only Ngata from the Ravens is in his league at the position.

"Football combines the two worst things about America: It is violence punctuated by committee meetings" -George Will

by lottwasgangsta on Oct 19, 2011 4:58 PM PDT up reply actions

3-4

i think we are behind the steelers when harrison is healthy and maybe the ravens and texans. if smith is in the game at olb and pass rushing then i put us just above the texans and ravens a lil behind the steelers still

by mikec49 on Oct 19, 2011 8:13 PM PDT up reply actions

I think our defense is better than the Steelers defense

they’re old and it’s showing.

by smileyman on Oct 19, 2011 9:43 PM PDT up reply actions

Bowman, Willlis, Aldon Smith

still not sold on the other OLB spot as being a strength. Brooks is too inconsistent and Haralson is nearly invisible.

by smileyman on Oct 19, 2011 2:35 PM PDT up reply actions

Agreed.

I’d like to see them throw in Aldon to start against Cleveland, he only played most of the snaps against Detroit because Haralson was injured right? Didn’t take his spot? I think Brooks is solid, his pass rush is inconsistent but he doesn’t seem to be a liability in coverage. He’s not elite, but solid.

by KGboomer on Oct 19, 2011 3:06 PM PDT up reply actions

Yup. I do think Aldon has earned the right to start

by smileyman on Oct 19, 2011 3:37 PM PDT up reply actions

I think he needs more sacks

should’ve had 6 in the last three games instead of 5.5. dudes a bust

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"Stopping the run doesn't come because of scheme. It come because of want to." - Donte Whitner
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When Jim Harbaugh says "more is more" I think he is trying to say Moore is more.

by manraj7 on Oct 19, 2011 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions

brooks

do you guys like brooks with his hand in the dirt? it seems like hes undersized when lining up in the nickel playing the end position. he does get a good burst but can get consumed sometimes by big tackles

by mikec49 on Oct 19, 2011 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions

Just curious....who is faster & stronger, Willis or Bowman?

by BigMar on Oct 19, 2011 2:04 PM PDT reply actions

Workout numbers, draw your own conclusions

Willis had the better 40 but Bowman had the better 3-cone (speed vs quickness?)
Bowman had more bench reps but Willis had the better vertical (upper vs lower body strength?)

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=17257&draftyear=2007&genpos=ILB
http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/profilexnews.php?pyid=64621&draftyear=2010&genpos=OLB

by znk916 on Oct 19, 2011 2:23 PM PDT up reply actions

I would say combine the two and we get a perfect ILB

but we already have two perfect ILBs

by manraj7 on Oct 19, 2011 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions

Give credit where credit is due...........Ballke

It’s hard to imagine Bowman was a 3rd round pick…..
He would be a first rounder now…….

by ericalancanty on Oct 19, 2011 2:10 PM PDT reply actions

It's also hard to imagine Taylor Mays was a 3rd round pick too.

Has Mays even yet got any snaps in Bengals land?

by BigMar on Oct 19, 2011 2:14 PM PDT up reply actions

Mays was a second round pick

hurts to say it. hopefully the rumors are true and Baalke’s draft board didn’t include mays.

by reedkrase on Oct 19, 2011 2:34 PM PDT up reply actions

I believe that

Mays was Singletary’s idea. It sure didn’t take Harbaugh long to cut his losses with him. Letting Spikes walk was real smart too as Bowman adds another dimension with his speed.

"It's impossible to hide the fire inside" - Bob Seger

by Jaxson876 on Oct 19, 2011 4:23 PM PDT up reply actions

Character issues

Apparently that’s what caused Bowman to drop in the draft.

http://www.blackshoediaries.com/2010/2/26/1321934/2010-nfl-draft-profiles-navorro

by znk916 on Oct 19, 2011 2:25 PM PDT up reply actions

intersting report

graded him as low 1st round value with character issues. Really glad baalke traded up in the 3rd to get him. I wonder if Baalke wanted to take him in the second?

by reedkrase on Oct 19, 2011 2:42 PM PDT up reply actions

Yup. I did several mock drafts where I projected him as a low first round pick

I was thrilled that we got him in the 3rd.

by smileyman on Oct 19, 2011 3:05 PM PDT up reply actions

arrington

like the man said steal of the draft.

by mikec49 on Oct 19, 2011 4:06 PM PDT up reply actions

Kind of reminds me of Fangio's Dome Patrol group with the Saints

Back then he had Pat Swilling, Sam Mills, Vaughn Johnson, and Rickey Jackson, compare to the current crew of Brooks, Willis, Bowman, and Smith. Right now you probably give the edge to the old guys on the strength of the edge rushers, but check back at the end of the year…

Waiting for Giants and Niners to contend once more.

by dcp on Oct 19, 2011 2:32 PM PDT reply actions

that was brought up in preseason

and Fangio said that willis was the only proven linebacker, the other three had a long way to go to be compared to the dome patrol.

I agree, it’ll be interesting to see what he says at the end of the year or next preseason.

by reedkrase on Oct 19, 2011 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions

Some similarity between Johnson and Brooks but really two very different units.

Mills and Willis are very different.

Support Ron Paul for President

by bignerd on Oct 19, 2011 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions

corrected a small mistake in a good article

All four men are in their 20’s, and ~~could potentially become~~ are already one of the fiercest linebacking units in the game

by reedkrase on Oct 19, 2011 2:33 PM PDT reply actions

good eye

Coach Harbaugh is the truth!!

by chris z on Oct 19, 2011 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions

Brooks is 27. Willis is 26. Bowman is 23. Aldon Smith is 21.

How sweet it is.

"It's impossible to hide the fire inside" - Bob Seger

by Jaxson876 on Oct 19, 2011 4:33 PM PDT up reply actions

and good ILB go on for years

by manraj7 on Oct 19, 2011 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions

Hopefully when they extend him it doesn't become a Briggs situation

by whistlingmountain on Oct 19, 2011 6:25 PM PDT up reply actions

I was so worried about Bowman getting over the bad angles from last year

definitely was wrong about him, am psyched to have him beside Willis for the foreseeable future. They’re an amazing tandem for all three downs.

The defense is 1 play-making safety away from being truly outstanding.

by whistlingmountain on Oct 19, 2011 2:41 PM PDT reply actions

i was really stoked when the niners drafted him

he was a beast in college!!!! I thought he would start as a rookie. then when he started out slow I was worried that he was gonna be a bust. obviously it paid divedends learning from willis and spikes and some great coaching. As bad as samurai mike was as the big cheese i’m sure he really helped with bowmans development. i think it’s pretty safe to say that so far bowman has exceeded expectations this season by a lot. glad to see him play to his potential!!!

by slim on Oct 19, 2011 3:29 PM PDT up reply actions

safety

not sold on goldy and whitner? i thought they have been showing some good things

by mikec49 on Oct 19, 2011 4:07 PM PDT up reply actions

I like them both

Whitner is mediocre in coverage and Goldson is ok.

by whistlingmountain on Oct 19, 2011 6:23 PM PDT up reply actions

But Whitner's Run defense makes up for that

Follow @lok2685

by Lok on Oct 19, 2011 6:25 PM PDT up reply actions

Ahmad Brooks deseves a bit more press too!

He is a Big, Big improvement over Manny lawson. And, Brooks in case no one has really noticed, is one of our most physcal, beat the crap out of you Linebackers on our team

Brooks is playing with a very, very aggressive attitude exhibiting he intends to bring bad intentions on the opposition…..and I Love It!

by BigMar on Oct 19, 2011 2:43 PM PDT reply actions

Brooks is a better pass rusher than Lawson

but he’s not better in coverage and he’s too inconsistent in his pass rush

by smileyman on Oct 19, 2011 3:05 PM PDT up reply actions

Priorities for next year's draft?

Do we pick up another OLB prospect? Where will Aldon line up in the long-term? Should we pick another DE/OLB hybrid in the Aldon/LaMarr Woodley mode?

It’s a deep draft on pass rushers, corners, and NT’s. We grab some of those, and an offensive lineman or two, we are looking pretty solid down the road.

"Football combines the two worst things about America: It is violence punctuated by committee meetings" -George Will

by lottwasgangsta on Oct 19, 2011 5:09 PM PDT up reply actions

I honestly think we are good at LB

So far as rounds 1-3 go. After that it is best avalible player and those LB’s could be special team players.

It is too early to tell where our needs may develope but if I had to draft today:
DB
OL
DL
WR

I believe we are about to see one of the best LB groups ever to play the game come together. Too bad there was that PR rush to hire Sig. He is an amazing LB coach.

by Tyler50 on Oct 19, 2011 5:24 PM PDT up reply actions

Pretty much agree

But if best player available is clearly DL, you take him. Justin won’t be around forever and we need depth. I’m fine taking a corner #1 if we’re not reaching.

by mrg80 on Oct 19, 2011 5:30 PM PDT up reply actions

Yep

I have a lot of faith in the FO right now.

They probably wouldn’t consider trading two first rounders for a 31 year old QB with a bad knee and a bad elbow. I’m just saying.

by Tyler50 on Oct 19, 2011 5:32 PM PDT up reply actions

lawl

by mrg80 on Oct 19, 2011 5:40 PM PDT up reply actions

Dobbs is our guy

by Zintzun22niner on Oct 19, 2011 7:14 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

I think we're set at DB

no need to draft in first round. Extend Rogers, Culliver is coming along great. Good 1-2 combo there.

I’d look at possibly a WR or a LT—I think Staley has been underperforming since he broke his leg two years ago.

by smileyman on Oct 19, 2011 5:50 PM PDT up reply actions

brown

are we giving brown enough props? i liked him this last game and he looks way better than last season imo

by mikec49 on Oct 19, 2011 8:17 PM PDT up reply actions

lt

vrey important to establish this position. setting our line would make smith so much more effective

by mikec49 on Oct 19, 2011 8:18 PM PDT up reply actions

That's the thing though

Great OLB pass rusher can be found later in the draft. Pittsburgh & Baltimore are incredible at finding pass rusher in later rounds who dropped because of circumstances. We can still upgrade the position without investing a high draft pick on the players

Follow @lok2685

by Lok on Oct 19, 2011 6:08 PM PDT up reply actions

draft

id go with
hybrid 3-4 outside lb end
wr/db
ol
any of those just best available at the time. i think we are set in most of those areas so just adding the best available would be crucial imo

by mikec49 on Oct 19, 2011 8:16 PM PDT up reply actions

Bye Week...so learn the Toma Hawk Chop, sack & strip em!

Our defensive guys need to learn how to do the Lawrence Taylor trademark toma hawk chop while also sacking the Q.B.

Double whammy…..sack him and chop his arm same time.

by BigMar on Oct 19, 2011 2:52 PM PDT reply actions

How about that announcer's

bogus comparison of Lion’s first play strip vs. A Smith’s forced fumble? Ever heard such nonsense?

by oldfoggy on Oct 19, 2011 2:56 PM PDT reply actions

God that was lame

When he said that I seriously wanted to throw stuff at the TV.

by Tyler50 on Oct 19, 2011 5:09 PM PDT up reply actions

I spent the first quarter

Yelling at the television, in language not acceptable for broadcast tv. The 4th quarter was the same, but the tone was very different.

"Football combines the two worst things about America: It is violence punctuated by committee meetings" -George Will

by lottwasgangsta on Oct 19, 2011 5:11 PM PDT up reply actions

Ridiculous

The two plays weren’t even remotely similar. Stupid announcers.

Alex Smith Will Win a Superbowl
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by liberty_JAC on Oct 19, 2011 5:39 PM PDT up reply actions

Defensive Scheme against the Lions

had the Safeties playing over the top coverage to help the corners which left one of the linebackers with TE coverage duty. In the Nickel D that’s either Bowman or Willis. At the time when I saw Willis constantly in coverage vs. Pettigrew, I thought that it was a waste of Willis as a downhill tackling machine. But I think Bowman works just fine as the tackling machine and probably would not have been as successful as Willis with TE coverage duty.

by allforfunnplay on Oct 19, 2011 4:04 PM PDT reply actions

Agreed

I think one of the reasons Willis has less ridiculous stats this year is that they are asking him to do more things, and a lot of what he does (holding coverage against backs and tight ends) helps the team, but doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.

Both are good tacklers; I’d give Willis the edge, but I’d give him the edge against pretty much the entire NFL universe. I think he’s just hitting his prime- scary to see what happens when Bowman gets there too.

"Football combines the two worst things about America: It is violence punctuated by committee meetings" -George Will

by lottwasgangsta on Oct 19, 2011 5:08 PM PDT up reply actions

And when Aldon & Ray McDonald get there as well

Offense cant scheme against Pat anymore because if they do there are so many other players who make them pay for that mistake

Follow @lok2685

by Lok on Oct 19, 2011 6:18 PM PDT up reply actions

Totally agree

Willis is all over the place including knocking down a sure Lions TD passes in the EZ. It was a work of art.

by riderless on Oct 20, 2011 10:05 AM PDT up reply actions

As previously stated Bowman's progress is not only helping Willis

He is helping the OLB, The DL, The CB’s, and The Offense.

His contributions on and off the field have been nothing short of admirable. I also recall, on draft day one of the reasons he slipped down to that round was due to character issues, and a lack of work ethic. HAHAHA is/lt that funny!!

Possibly at the time there was some fairly reasonable concerns, I’m not sure, but like I said, he has been nothing short of a GRADE A citizen, a GRADE A teammate, and a GRADE A player.

Bowman’s ability to drop back and cover opposing slot receivers, TE’s, and RB’s has extremely helped this team in sooo many faucets of the game. If you really think about it, he is essentially helping out each and every player on the Defense. He’s helping other LB’s to blitz more often and more efficiently. He’s helping the OL cover their gap assignments, by jamming, clogging, and refilling holes. He’s helping the Corners in coverage, and he’s also in turn helping the safeties. Noone has anything bad to say about this young man, and that is extremely good, especially when players’ personal lives are put under such scrutiny.

With two excellent mentors (possibly seven if you count Singletary, The LB coach now, Manusky, Joe-Pa,and Fangio) primarily Willis and Spikes how could you not expect success from such an easy student of the game, and a player who yearns to learn, get better, and succeed.

There really is only room for this young man to grow, and that is just plain scary for opposing teams, and could not be more exciting for us 49er fans.

There are many reasons, why the 49ers are so good on Defense, but one primary reason is the emergence of our newest, inevitable Pro-Bowler, Navarro.

As mentioned in the post, with Brooks and Aldon “Stretch” Smith manning the OLB positions, and with Patrick “The Best I mean Beast” Willis and Navarro “Mini-Willis” Bowman, this team I beleive ALREADY HAS THE BEST LINEBACKING CORE IN THE ENTIRE NFL, and for their respective ages that is absolutely such an exciting and thrilling thought to behold.

Their only other real competition is possibly either the Steelers (Timmons, Woodley, Harrison) the Ravens (Suggs, Lewis, Johnson, McClain), or possibly the Texans (Cushing, Ryans, Mario Williams). But personally I see the Ravens linebackers and the Steelers LB’s all fairly dropping off slightly in production, while the Texans LB’s cannot stay healthy long enough to see what they really can do as a collective unit.

So all-in-all, I see the 49er LB core not only as possibly the most talented, but the most effective, most versatile, and overall just the best. Due to their ages, consistency, coaching, talent, versatility, efficiency, and their cohesiveness as a unit. Especially with the expected growth of Aldon and Navarro by the end of the season, I beleive and know for a fact I will not be the only person who says and truly beleives the previously mentioned statements.

Sometimes I wake up grumpy; other times I let her sleep.

by chicagobullies on Oct 19, 2011 6:10 PM PDT via mobile reply actions

Agree 100%

As mentioned in the post, with Brooks and Aldon "Stretch" Smith manning the OLB positions, and with Patrick "The Best I mean Beast" Willis and Navarro "Mini-Willis" Bowman, this team I beleive ALREADY HAS THE BEST LINEBACKING CORE IN THE ENTIRE NFL, and for their respective ages that is absolutely such an exciting and thrilling thought to behold.

A few days ago someone mentioned trading “The Mark of V” Navorro for some elite CB or such. Absolutely not ~ for no one ~ never.

Just like the old days, I actually enjoy watching our D at least as much as our O. Love it when we win the toss and let our opponent go on offense first.

by riderless on Oct 20, 2011 10:14 AM PDT up reply actions