|
|
| 4th January, 2008 - 1:16 pm |  ESPN - One NFL scout called linebacker Patrick Willis "a beast." And that was before Willis won The Associated Press 2007 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Willis' dominant performance could have been overlooked because his San Francisco 49ers went 5-11 in a mediocre division. Instead, his league-leading 174 tackles and presence all over the field made him a runaway winner and the fifth straight linebacker to take the honor.
Willis earned 48 votes Friday from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. Carolina linebacker Jon Beason received the remaining votes.
"It's confirmation of what you've been doing as an individual," Willis said. "From an individual perspective, it would be good for people that doubted, or didn't know if you could be a No. 1 draft pick, or if you could come into the league and do well because of your size, or where you might have played ball at ... and show them that if you put your mind to it, you're capable of anything." [READ] |
|
|
Get San Francisco Tickets
