49ers linebacker Patrick Willis has found some unexpected benefits from the NFL's lengthy lockout. Willis can feel one when he clenches his right hand and feels no pain in his surgically repaired hand. He can also sense it in his legs when he's running sprints in his driveway because his limbs seem far fresher at this point in the offseason than in years past. "It does feel a little weird when you have so much time to yourself at this time of year," Willis said. "But I won't lie, either -- it has been nice in some ways. I've never really had a summer off since I started playing football, and I can feel the difference in my body. I can see that I really needed this."