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Posted at 1:36 a.m., Friday, October 26, 2007

NFL: 49er rookie Willis excels but prefers more wins

Associated Press

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Patrick Willis leads the NFL in tackles per game, but it's bringing him little satisfaction so far during his outstanding rookie season.

Willis has been a wonder in the middle of San Francisco's 3-4 defense and has quickly established himself as the catalyst driving that unit from his inside linebacker position. He has led the 49ers in tackles in five of their six games.

But the team's first-round draft pick isn't getting caught up in all those tackles. He's more concerned with the big picture.

"It's about being productive, but most of all it's about winning," Willis said yesterday. "And right now we have a four-game losing streak."

Willis is eager to bring that slide to an end Sunday when the 49ers (2-4) host the New Orleans Saints (2-4) in a game between two of the NFC's most disappointing teams so far this season. His job in particular will be to keep an eye on flashy running back Reggie Bush, who burned the 49ers with four touchdowns last December as the Saints routed San Francisco 34-10 in New Orleans.

With stopping players such as Bush in mind, the 49ers selected Willis with the No. 11 overall pick in the NFL draft to bring speed and relentless pursuit to their defense. The rookie certainly hasn't disappointed.

From an 11-tackle effort in the 49ers' season-opening victory over Arizona to a season-high 13-tackle performance during last week's loss to the New York Giants, Willis has been a sideline-to-sideline terror who is playing as well as any member of San Francisco's upgraded defense.

Willis enters Sunday's game averaging 10.5 tackles through six games. His 63 tackles this season rank second in the NFL to Tampa Bay's Barrett Ruud, who has 66 in seven games.

But Willis says he's not doing nearly enough.

"When you start making tackles that change the game, when you start doing things that change the outcomes of games, then maybe I'll start to feel that way," Willis said. "When you start doing things that change the momentum of the game and the outcome of the game, then we can be talking about something. Right now, to me, I'm just doing the ordinary."

Others might view it as extraordinary. Willis was selected as the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Week after each of the season's first two weeks, and he has been around the football enough to force one fumble and knock down three passes.

"He started off the season making a lot of plays and he's continued to do that," 49ers coach Mike Nolan said. "He's got very good instincts and he travels fast. You put the two together and you can make a lot of plays, and that's kind of what he's done so far."

Willis is only getting started. Nolan says Willis, who also plays in several defensive sub-packages, already is being given more responsibility within the defense than some veterans ever are asked to do. And he's handling it all with confidence and poise.

But Willis just yearns to do more. "I have yet to play that game I'm capable of playing," he said.