Golden Nuggets: Send Patrick Willis to the Hall already

Patrick Willis among 15 Hall of Fame Finalists

“The man who was at the heart of the 49ers defense for so many years was a seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time First Team All-Pro. His only direct competition for voting at his position is Zach Thomas, who had a 12-year career and was also a five-time First Team All-Pro. Willis was a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team, while Thomas was a member of the 2000s team...If voters were to take an approach that Thomas, who has been a finalist four times (tied with Reggie Wayne and Torry Holt for the most among this group), that could potentially hurt Willis’ case this go-around.”

Nguyen: To carry 49ers in NFL playoffs, San Francisco defense must address three issues (paywall)

“The trend around the league is to play more two-gap and gap-and-half techniques on the defensive line, which are less aggressive. The theory behind doing this is to have the defensive front account for extra gaps without putting an extra defender in the box so that teams can keep an extra safety deep to defend the pass. The 49ers, however, are an aggressive single-gap team that wants to get upfield and cause disruption. They are so explosive and strong that they succeed more times than not, but there are ways to take advantage of their aggression. It was the only way the injury-depleted Rams were able to move the ball on the 49ers in Week 4, and Andy Reid and the Chiefs did it masterfully in Week 7.”

49ers Injury Updates: SF likely to get 2 massive reinforcements for the playoffs

“Running back Elijah Mitchell, who suffered two separate MCL sprains this season, made his return to practice on Wednesday after the team opened his return window from injured reserve. He will have 21 days to be activated from the list. Barring a setback, it will not take that long... Also in practice was Deebo Samuel, who, according to Kyle Shanahan, was a full go.”

Matt Barrows discusses who 49ers want to see — and who would ‘scare’ them — in 1st round of playoffs

“The one that would scare me is Aaron Rodgers,” Barrows continued. “I know this team has dominated Aaron Rodgers in the playoffs. It’s been one classic game after another where the 49ers end up winning. But this is Aaron Rodgers, a Hall of Famer, and they’re hot. A great quarterback can make huge plays. I just feel like he’s due for his own playoff miracle at some point against this team. You just want to avoid that possibility, that scenario.”

49ers resume practice with heavy hearts: ‘It could have been any one of us’ (paywall)

“It makes you look at the game differently,” Gipson said Wednesday. “I have a son. And he wants to be like dad when he grows up. These are things that you know are a possibility, but it’s never something you’d think you’d see with your two eyes.”