Do you think that Patrick Willis has finally surpassed Ray Lewis as the best MLB?

dragon4ever · 09-06-2009, 11:11 PM

Everyone refers to Patrick Willis as the leagues best MLB, but the truth is he is a 3-4 ILB. I was watching a documentary on middle line backers and they covered mostly Sam Huff and Ray Lewis. Ray Lewis himself stated that ILB and MLB are much different and he highlighted how ILB has less responsibility and isn't truly a MLB. He said he did not like playing ILB and that it isn't a true MLB and he could never fully play to his potential and even though he excelled in that role and possibly played better as an ILB he still felt like he didn't shoulder enough responsibility.

With this said, Willis is an ILB and not a MLB, he does not have the same responsibilities as true MLB's and while he never said it he alluded that it is an easier position to play. Not to mention Willis would probably play OLB in the 4-3.

Can you actually call Willis the best Mike in the league.

CW McGraw · 09-06-2009, 11:15 PM

Willis is good but he's pretty average in coverage. Jon Beason and Lofa Tatupu are as good, IMO.

ProfessaPackMan · 09-06-2009, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CW McGraw


	Willis is good but he's pretty average in coverage. Jon Beason and Lofa Tatupu are as good, IMO.

I agree.

firrea80 · 09-06-2009, 11:24 PM

Patrick Willis would excel in 4-3 MLB because he doesn't have to always Shed blocks from interior linemen. Ray Lewis says it harder to play 4-3 because he hates playing 3-4 ILB because he hates having OG blocking him majority of the times. He can't shoot through gaps consistently like he could in the 4-3.

z Revis · 09-07-2009, 01:29 AM

I have yet to hear someone say Willis is the best MLB in the game. IMO Ray Lewis has been the best MLB in the past decade.

stateprop · 09-07-2009, 02:04 AM

DIdnt one time Ray Lewis was pissed at the Raven for not using the 4-3 def. He said using 3-4 is not helping him to his full potential. I know Ray Ray hates the 3-4 def with a passion. He hates that style of def. Im surprise Patrick Willis is not good in coverage with all speed he has because he is faster than lewis(when he came into the league). I think brian urlacher to me is the best MLB coverage i have seen, i mean aint he use to play FS or SS in college. Back on topic: Patrick Willis if stay healthy will up there with Lewis the man is beast.

firrea80 · 09-07-2009, 02:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stateprop


	DIdnt one time Ray Lewis was pissed at the Raven for not using the 4-3 def. He said using 3-4 is not helping him to his full potential. I know Ray Ray hates the 3-4 def with a passion. He hates that style of def. Im surprise Patrick Willis is not good in coverage with all speed he has because he is faster than lewis(when he came into the league). I think brian urlacher to me is the best MLB coverage i have seen, i mean aint he use to play FS or SS in college. Back on topic: Patrick Willis if stay healthy will up there with Lewis the man is beast.

Give Patrick Willis a Pass rush then you will see more returned interception for TDs like the Seattle game.

MVP23 · 09-07-2009, 08:44 AM

No i don't but he is not far from passing Ray Lewis. If Willis had a better Supporting Cast then the 49ers would be a top 5 Defense. But i think we will see that this year from the 49ers.

LBzrule · 09-07-2009, 10:43 AM

Ray Lewis does not hate the 3-4. If all you get is one media piece and run with that then ... The man won defensive player of the year in the 3-4. He does not hate it. He, like anyone will hate it if you have small linemen in the 3-4 which we had before Ngata, Pryce. But even with those small linemen he won Defensive player of the year and was on par to win it the previous year (our first year in 3-4) but he got the shoulder injury. Secondly, Ray Lewis has always had to deal with blocks, EVEN when we ran 4-3 (not as many but still had too). But he was 265 lbs then so he could care less. I'd say pull out the 1999/2000 Titans regular season, playoffs, and the Raiders games and you will see Ray Lewis having to deal with blocks.

Athletically, Willis is better than Lewis, that's to be expected. The book is about to close for Ray soon. Willis has a good 10 years left in this league. Instinctually however, I think that's another story. I'm not sure anyone has caught up with Lewis in that department. His knack for film study and knowing the other teams offense and having guys like Reed that also know the other teams offense make them both on the field coaches that know how to change the defense and put it in the best position to deal with what they are looking at. The difference with the Ravens and has been after Nolan left is, Rex could call one thing, but Ray/Reed might get on the field and call something else. And they have been right every time they've done it.

If you re-watch the Colts game from last year where we got beat you will hear Lewis tell Bart Scott, "outside, outside, they are coming outside." Scott acted all confused. And sure enough the Colts ran outside and because Scott was not in position, Dominic Rhodes gained 47 yards. Then after the play you could hear Lewis say, "Man I just told you outside!!!" Again, it's this type of thing that still separates Lewis in his "old age" from the younger cats that are physically better than him at this point.

WilliamWilliamson · 09-07-2009, 01:42 PM

Over the past 10 years, IMO, London Fletcher has been just as good as Ray Lewis. Yet Lewis probably has 10 pro bowls and Fletcher zero.

09-06-2009, 11:11 PM	#1 (permalink)
dragon4ever Pro OVR: 7 Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 564	Do you think that Patrick Willis has finally surpassed Ray Lewis as the best MLB? Everyone refers to Patrick Willis as the leagues best MLB, but the truth is he is a 3-4 ILB. I was watching a documentary on middle line backers and they covered mostly Sam Huff and Ray Lewis. Ray Lewis himself stated that ILB and MLB are much different and he highlighted how ILB has less responsibility and isn't truly a MLB. He said he did not like playing ILB and that it isn't a true MLB and he could never fully play to his potential and even though he excelled in that role and possibly played better as an ILB he still felt like he didn't shoulder enough responsibility. With this said, Willis is an ILB and not a MLB, he does not have the same responsibilities as true MLB's and while he never said it he alluded that it is an easier position to play. Not to mention Willis would probably play OLB in the 4-3. Can you actually call Willis the best Mike in the league.

09-06-2009, 11:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
CW McGraw Pro OVR: 13 Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 788	Re: Do you think that Patrick Willis has finally surpassed Ray Lewis as the best MLB? Willis is good but he's pretty average in coverage. Jon Beason and Lofa Tatupu are as good, IMO.

09-06-2009, 11:24 PM	#4 (permalink)
firrea80 Rookie OVR: 4 Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 115	Re: Do you think that Patrick Willis has finally surpassed Ray Lewis as the best MLB? Patrick Willis would excel in 4-3 MLB because he doesn't have to always Shed blocks from interior linemen. Ray Lewis says it harder to play 4-3 because he hates playing 3-4 ILB because he hates having OG blocking him majority of the times. He can't shoot through gaps consistently like he could in the 4-3.

09-07-2009, 01:29 AM	#5 (permalink)
z Revis MVP OVR: 23 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Ft. Myers, Florida Posts: 2,796	Re: Do you think that Patrick Willis has finally surpassed Ray Lewis as the best MLB? I have yet to hear someone say Willis is the best MLB in the game. IMO Ray Lewis has been the best MLB in the past decade. __________________ Indianapolis Colts Indiana Pacers Notre Dame Fighting Irish Indiana Hoosiers

09-07-2009, 02:04 AM	#6 (permalink)
stateprop Pro OVR: 18 Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 1,136	Re: Do you think that Patrick Willis has finally surpassed Ray Lewis as the best MLB? DIdnt one time Ray Lewis was pissed at the Raven for not using the 4-3 def. He said using 3-4 is not helping him to his full potential. I know Ray Ray hates the 3-4 def with a passion. He hates that style of def. Im surprise Patrick Willis is not good in coverage with all speed he has because he is faster than lewis(when he came into the league). I think brian urlacher to me is the best MLB coverage i have seen, i mean aint he use to play FS or SS in college. Back on topic: Patrick Willis if stay healthy will up there with Lewis the man is beast. __________________ At the end of it, Kobe won 5-0 and grabbed the mic to ask him what the kid had learned. The courageous camper responded with, “You won’t be able to win at Lebron’s camp!” Kobe, laughing, responded back with: “I also won’t get dunked on in my own camp.” Last edited by stateprop; 09-07-2009 at 02:06 AM.

09-07-2009, 08:44 AM	#8 (permalink)
MVP23 Rookie OVR: 6 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Florida Posts: 163	Re: Do you think that Patrick Willis has finally surpassed Ray Lewis as the best MLB? No i don't but he is not far from passing Ray Lewis. If Willis had a better Supporting Cast then the 49ers would be a top 5 Defense. But i think we will see that this year from the 49ers. __________________ Washington Redskins Miami Hurricanes Miami Heat Kiss the Baby - Chad Ochocinco

09-07-2009, 10:43 AM	#9 (permalink)
LBzrule All Star OVR: 40 Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 8,813	Re: Do you think that Patrick Willis has finally surpassed Ray Lewis as the best MLB? Ray Lewis does not hate the 3-4. If all you get is one media piece and run with that then ... The man won defensive player of the year in the 3-4. He does not hate it. He, like anyone will hate it if you have small linemen in the 3-4 which we had before Ngata, Pryce. But even with those small linemen he won Defensive player of the year and was on par to win it the previous year (our first year in 3-4) but he got the shoulder injury. Secondly, Ray Lewis has always had to deal with blocks, EVEN when we ran 4-3 (not as many but still had too). But he was 265 lbs then so he could care less. I'd say pull out the 1999/2000 Titans regular season, playoffs, and the Raiders games and you will see Ray Lewis having to deal with blocks. Athletically, Willis is better than Lewis, that's to be expected. The book is about to close for Ray soon. Willis has a good 10 years left in this league. Instinctually however, I think that's another story. I'm not sure anyone has caught up with Lewis in that department. His knack for film study and knowing the other teams offense and having guys like Reed that also know the other teams offense make them both on the field coaches that know how to change the defense and put it in the best position to deal with what they are looking at. The difference with the Ravens and has been after Nolan left is, Rex could call one thing, but Ray/Reed might get on the field and call something else. And they have been right every time they've done it. If you re-watch the Colts game from last year where we got beat you will hear Lewis tell Bart Scott, "outside, outside, they are coming outside." Scott acted all confused. And sure enough the Colts ran outside and because Scott was not in position, Dominic Rhodes gained 47 yards. Then after the play you could hear Lewis say, "Man I just told you outside!!!" Again, it's this type of thing that still separates Lewis in his "old age" from the younger cats that are physically better than him at this point.

09-07-2009, 01:42 PM	#10 (permalink)
WilliamWilliamson Pro OVR: 7 Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 686	Re: Do you think that Patrick Willis has finally surpassed Ray Lewis as the best MLB? Over the past 10 years, IMO, London Fletcher has been just as good as Ray Lewis. Yet Lewis probably has 10 pro bowls and Fletcher zero.

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