It’s a quiet Sunday as July 4th approaches, and this felt like the perfect thing to share today. Friend of the site Dylan DeSimone took some time on Sunday to tweet out a whole bunch of Patrick Willis GIFs that are floating around the Internet. You can go through all of them on his timeline here.
I decided to pull a bunch of them out and embed them in an article. This won’t cover everybody’s favorite plays, but I’m guessing this is a pretty good cross-section. My personal favorite remains this first one. He ran down an Arizona Cardinals receiver to make what proved to be a game-saving tackle. Sean Morey had a wide open field in front of him for what would have been the game-ending touchdown in overtime. Willis chased down Morey and the Cardinals were forced to try and field goal. Neil Rackers missed a 32-yard attempt, and the 49ers would eventually win the game a couple series later. It showed his speed, but also his determination not give up on a play.
Enjoy!
Patrick Willis had speed I'd never seen in a linebacker. And I don't know if we'll see it again. pic.twitter.com/5tIFG0Y9RS
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) July 2, 2017
Willis often looked like he was mind-reading when playing coverage underneath. His body reacted in sync with QB processing. pic.twitter.com/jizObyrYwi
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) July 2, 2017
Even against Brady, he knew where the ball was going. And not even 300-pound lineman was going to stop Willis from getting to his mark. pic.twitter.com/a4eVTURZZM
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) July 2, 2017
Willis owned the flats (and Steven Jackson) pic.twitter.com/NG2vOnKgVS
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) July 2, 2017
Willis broke through this block and still had the speed to not let the receiver catch that edge. pic.twitter.com/rK3lfwJKI3
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) July 2, 2017
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) July 2, 2017
Reggie whiffed so hard, and Brees barely gets through his first read pic.twitter.com/LwKT7Uw7fw
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) July 2, 2017
Patrick Willis' first career interception, a pick 6 against the Seahawks in Week 2, 2008. pic.twitter.com/xNmyJvdH0g
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) July 2, 2017
You just couldn't mess up around this guy, at all pic.twitter.com/q0h8a92Nq4
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) July 2, 2017
Tipped balls can be tricky to catch, not just because of the rotation, but since they change speed/depth. #52 was good at corralling those. pic.twitter.com/frggNn1tjs
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) July 2, 2017
He had that hit at Ole Miss vs. LSU – this was the NFL version. pic.twitter.com/pT33PxYZxq
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) July 2, 2017
Willis was an animal with how he tackled some of the guys he did. This is FB Hynoski (6-1, 266). pic.twitter.com/X9UNJKhPlT
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) July 2, 2017
He ragdolled Ricky and Ricky was a dense back pic.twitter.com/JdNWTNck4b
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) July 2, 2017
Almost identical to how he got Brees. Blocks haven't even developed yet. pic.twitter.com/Vtmp7Pj8r7
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) July 2, 2017
Vick, Cam – he brought down some of the most evasive and best running quarterbacks of the last two decades. pic.twitter.com/13z2fOdQHy
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) July 2, 2017
An absolute warrior... pic.twitter.com/pa55scn79D
— Dylan DeSimone (@DylanADeSimone) July 2, 2017