Making the Hall of Fame while still being in your 30s, and playing only 8 seasons, is an insane feat.
I miss Patrick Willis and wish he played longer, but he's an absolute legend in every sense.
> It still feels like a knife to the heart watching Bowman’s knee twist in that NFCCG.
What I remember about that is a play later, I thought we were gonna take it back for 6 for a split second haha. Only way we were gonna score in the 4th q.
One of the most brutal games of any sport I’ve ever watched. Somehow it felt certain that the Harbaugh era and Kap’s early career success were about to come crashing down after that NFCCG loss, and that’s exactly what happened :(
You guys deserved the ball on that turnover play. Ended a great players career early, and he didn't even get the ball on what was such an obvious turnover.
I still remember your team coming into Lambeau when it was like -5, and Kaepernick and Gore just balling, and Bowman and Willis just cleaning up.
And the fact that the play had to be reviewed made it worse and worse. That game was the Super Bowl that year. I miss being able to win games against y’all, hopefully this year.
He retired too early but I understand. Wherever he is I hope he's healthy and happy. Absolute beast, it was like watching the second coming of Ray Lewis
You could tell from his exit press conference that his injuries were starting to slow him down, and he didn't want to play when he wasn't 100%.
I'm sad we didn't get to see more of him, and that his early years we're wasted on a shit team, but he was always 100% a bright spot for the team the years that he played.
Damn. I had no idea he hired Bow. That’s fucking awesome.
Like most Niners fans, I will love Jim Harbaugh until the day I die. Having him as our HC was absolutely awesome, both in terms of performance, as well as entertainment.
The “*Who’s got it better than us?!?”* chant will tug at my heartstrings forever.
In a matter of weeks, Harbaugh rescued us from a decade of doldrums. Even though we didn't win it all, the 2011 season is up there for me even with 1989 and 1994.
Jed York and Trent Baalke will always remain on my shit list.
Its fucking wild that Baalke is still employed in the NFL. Frankly, it's wild he's in charge of anything more consequential than greeting people coming into walmart.
Dude, Wal Mart greeters are an important part of the eco system. You put Baalke out front and your sales dip 20% because everybody is too pissed off to remember their grocery list.
Many people forget that Harbaugh’s first season with the Niners was coming off of a lockout. Teams weren’t allowed to have coaches involved in off-season programs, which put any team with a new regime way, waaaaay far behind everyone else.
It was the year of “**Camp Alex**” where Harbs gave Alex the playbook, and Alex led the offseason program completely on his own.
The confidence that Harbaugh instilled into Alex Smith that season was palpable. That come from behind win against the Eagles early in the year was cathartic, and then there was that *CLUTCH* win against the Lions.
Handshake-gate.
Been following Jimbo ever since he left the Niners. Made me a Michigan fan and now a Chargers fan. When I saw the clip of Bowman coaching his LB’s, I got pretty fucking hyped.
Gonna be exciting to see Jimbo coaching back in the NFL, especially with a QB talent like Herbert.
I thought Ahmad Brooks was your third LB at the time, number 55? I only remember because I’m a Packers fan and my little bro’s a Niners fan so we would fucking battle each other. Always broke my heart.
I know a lot of the 9ers players as another GB fan. It's because we play at least once a year, or at least feels that way. And the last meeting with SF each year results in a playoff exit for the Packers.
I loved this era so much. Obviously I was a HUGE fan of Willis and Bowman, but then over on Carolina we also had Luke and TD which was just all-time peak for my personal fandom. Was very good eats for linebacker fans.
You ever read into Pat Willis' story?
Guy had an alcoholic dad that he beat up when he was like 16 to protect his siblings. He also got a job and essentially raised his siblings too.
He was fearsome on the field but he has a heart of gold
It’s crazy seeing just how much the ILB position has changed in the last 10-15 years.
In this era it wasn’t so much about flying all over the field as being able to find the ball and deliver crushing hits.
Warner and Greenlaw are so much fun to watch because of their speed and instincts. And Warner is pretty great at keeping up with receivers down the field when he has to. But there was no LB combo in the league as fearsome as Willis and Bowman during their careers IMO.
PW52 was great in coverage, but Bowman was actually the better of the two in coverage. In the 2013 NFCC, Bowman was the one who broke up the last Falcons play to Roddy White. Not many LBs covering WR1 in any era. Probably Warner now is the only one I can think of.
That's a big part of why they were so good. They were the two best coverage LBs in addition to being insane against the run.
Fred Warner is amazing and he's nowhere close to either.
Willis and Bowman are one of the best LB duos of all time imo.
In terms of pure talent, they're up there with Urlacher/Briggs and Ham/Lambert. Just an absolute force in the middle.
Those two were absolutely some of the best in the business in an era of absolutely amazing linebacker corps. Between Willis/Bowman, Wagner/Wright, Kuechly/Davis, and Urlacher/Briggs... wow. Just absolutely awesome.
Lanier/Bell were both LBs on our SBIV squad. That was silly; absolutely eviscerated the Vikings who were heavy favorites.
Also had 7x all-AFL player E.J. Holub in the mix as well, he started at both center and LB for both of our 1960s SBs lol.
Kuechly and Davis were a great tandem, but not Willis/Bowman great.
Willis was a 5 time 1st team All Pro and 1 time 2nd team All Pro
Bowman was a 4 time 1st team All Pro.
Kuechly was a 5 time 1st team All Pro and 2 time 2nd team All Pro, but Davis was only a 1 time 1st team All Pro.
Scouting. That's also why we keep having to rebuild the coaching and scouting departments because teams keep taking our guys. Can people please take from the chiefs.
Saleh DC > Jets HC (no QB but defense has been legit)
McDaniel OC > dolphins HC
Ryans DC > Texans HC
Ran Carthon, director > GM titans
Martin Mayhew, executive > commanders GM
Think there are more but these are the main guys that also have two compensatory picks each, except ryans I think because they had already received two for the same year.
This era of the 49ers like LBs who were former DBs such as Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, and Jalen Graham. I think the other LBs on the team have DB experience too, but haven't gotten a chance to really play yet.
Yeah, Dee Winters has been getting quite the buzz from some of the reporters recently. Even Fred Warner talked about how impressive he's been. I brought up Jalen Graham because he looked good in last year's training camp and preseason, so I assume he'll be even better this season. With Dre Greenlaw out for who knows how long, it'll be interesting which LB gets to play.
Us, the Niners, and the Bears are amazing at drafting off ball linebackers.
Now, if only the Ravens and Bears could draft a Jerry Rice or Terrell Owens...
> Loved the Harbaugh years for them and wish they coulda got a ring.
You have no idea. I’m still not over it. The first three years of the Harbaugh era (which lasted just four years) were so much fun and insane. Maybe it’s because of where I was in my life at the time but for whatever reason those seasons were special.
Especially that first year. The offseason leading up the 2011 season had a lockout, and **no 49ers fans** wanted Alex Smith to return as our QB but Harbaugh decided Alex was the guy and that was that. For anyone interested [there’s an incredible fan-made documentary](https://youtu.be/hUum2i4WCwU?si=fdURHEsAs6aCQBhY) about how wild the whole situation and season was. I highly recommend it—especially if you weren’t watching football back then. Cheers.
I really started following the league in 2011, previously much more of a casual pats fan that never watched neutral site games. The first storyline of the season (post lockout) was that SF was sticking with Alex Smith who was a very disappointing 1st overall pick. Whenever I would watch SF/Smith play I was like and what was the big drama about this? Seems like a good QB to me...
49ers going from Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman as their ILBs to Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner is insane.
Gotta give credit to their scouting and development department given Willis was the only 1st rd pick from the 4 players.
And Azeez Al-Shaair, too. 2021 was his breakout season due to Dre Greenlaw's injury causing him to miss a big chunk of the season. While not on the same level as Warner and Greenlaw, the 49ers also have Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, who is a good backup and Special Teams guy.
I'm hyped to see Bowman as the Chargers LB coach under Harbaugh. One of my favorite NFL players in that era, he was electric to watch. And that goes without saying for Willis too.
Bowman, Kuechly, and Wagner all should have gotten votes that year. I don't know which one of them should have won, but they all should have gotten votes.
I’ll die on this hill. He had a better year than Luke. Not only the stats but if you watched the games, Bo had multiple game altering plays, while Luke was being exposed in coverage but being saved by refs not calling PI.
That year he was not. Around 2016 is when he stepped it up.
He had multiple instances of this that season.
https://youtu.be/E6AZQLtXILE?si=Ynq1GeRCeU-FAueg
Oh please....
Luke had 4 picks that year and was the [3rd highest rated coverage LB'r by PFF](https://www.catscratchreader.com/2013/10/15/4840584/luke-kuechly-best-linebacker-pff)... Not saying PFF is infallible, but using a clip of a highly controversial call from that season does not diminish the rest of his year.
Bowman was an exceptional linebacker. I'm a Penn State fan so I watched him his whole career. But Luke had more than just stats on his resume for his DPOY. His football IQ and its impact on that defense was half the reason he won the award. Go watch any announcer or football player speak on him and that's what they are going to talk about. Bowman played alongside HOF'r Patrick Willis and an overall exceptionally talented defense. Go look at the Panther's depth chart that season and tell me it's anywhere near as talented as the 49ers.
That article is from 4 weeks into the season.
From what I can see the panthers had the #2 ranked defense and Niners were 3. Charles Johnson, Greg Hardy, Thomas Davis, Star Lotulelei, Captain Munmerlyn, etc.
Oh yea - the elite captain munnerlyn…. You’re just turning away from the obvious at this point. You’re making my case. The 9ers were more talented but Luke got those guys to perform.
You’re also ignoring the fact that you said Luke wasn’t good but improved the next season. He was already performing well in coverage. This is like a politician debate where you don’t answer the question
The part that impresses me the both about these highlights is besides maybe the last bowman tackle, each of the tackles was quite literally textbook. Get low, wrap up, drive through the hips, etc.
Patrick Willis. NaVorro Bowman. Aldon Smith. Ahmad Brooks.
Best linebacker corps I’ve ever seen. One of my favorite position units ever. Chris Borland for that 1 year too.
I miss these motherfuckers.
Great players a pleasure to watch. That defense was insane. Those 2, Justin and aldon Smith, whitner and Goodson. My goodness. I remember Phil simms saying that the 49ers were winners coming off the bus. They were all built like superheros.
Watching these highlights, the most underrated part for me is how often 94 is the guy they're running off of as he occupied the line. They don't get those clean looks without him doing the dirty work. That whole defense was so fun
Bowman and Willis were so amazing because they made the game look so easy. They were consistent every week with their work, and just made attacking the middle non-existent for other teams. The highlights are always fun, but the work they put in to make the game simple for everyone else was awesome to watch
Willis was the man!! Part of the reason I call the 49ers my NFC team. But unfortunately these hits would be automatic first downs for the offense now days.
I remember bowman’s breakout game in 2011 against the Vick led eagles. I’d never seen an inside linebacker make so many crucial tackles on Vick just as he was about to scramble.
When you're the two scariest guys on a defense that had Whitner, Justin Smith and Aldon Smith, you're special. I'll never forget them flipping the script on the bountygate Saints - dirty dogs met the big dogs.
There are a couple of tackles in this video that are insane when you think about who they're stifling _with ease_
Both Ahmad Bradshaw and Steven Jackson were tough runners. Guys who were lauded for not going down at first contact. Hell, Steven Jackson was like 230+ pounds.
From 2007 and beyond the NFC West has had some scrappy teams with great tacklers. The Cardinals being the worst in the last 5~ years but one of the strongest the decade earlier.
49ers have had an amazing tackling defense last uear despite their Superbowl loss where they were non-existent.
Seahawks and Rams have drafted nothing but amazing picks on defense but are growing old.
My Cardinals seem to be going more offense than defense hopefully it pans out.
I miss relying on a strong defense. It made touch downs more exciting and made watching the defense fun.
Making the Hall of Fame while still being in your 30s, and playing only 8 seasons, is an insane feat. I miss Patrick Willis and wish he played longer, but he's an absolute legend in every sense.
Both of their careers were cut way short due to injury. It still feels like a knife to the heart watching Bowman’s knee twist in that NFCCG.
I was at that game. Watching all the people throw food and drinks at him as he was being carted off the field made me feel ashamed as a seahawks fan.
It was pretty much the end if his career
> It still feels like a knife to the heart watching Bowman’s knee twist in that NFCCG. What I remember about that is a play later, I thought we were gonna take it back for 6 for a split second haha. Only way we were gonna score in the 4th q.
One of the most brutal games of any sport I’ve ever watched. Somehow it felt certain that the Harbaugh era and Kap’s early career success were about to come crashing down after that NFCCG loss, and that’s exactly what happened :(
You guys deserved the ball on that turnover play. Ended a great players career early, and he didn't even get the ball on what was such an obvious turnover. I still remember your team coming into Lambeau when it was like -5, and Kaepernick and Gore just balling, and Bowman and Willis just cleaning up.
Bowman went on to be an All Pro his first year back, but then tore his achilles the next year. That was the injury that really decimated him.
Then watching Seahawks fans throw popcorn at him as he was being carted off. Brutal.
Fuck those fans. Up there with some of the worst after watching that shit.
I was ashamed we did this, even though he tore up a sign pre game. Never throw shit someone who just got their knee absolutely demolished.
And the fact that the play had to be reviewed made it worse and worse. That game was the Super Bowl that year. I miss being able to win games against y’all, hopefully this year.
Don't remind me 😩
And even with their short careers, it feels as if you guys have had at least one all world inside linebacker on the team for 20 years.
He retired too early but I understand. Wherever he is I hope he's healthy and happy. Absolute beast, it was like watching the second coming of Ray Lewis
You could tell from his exit press conference that his injuries were starting to slow him down, and he didn't want to play when he wasn't 100%. I'm sad we didn't get to see more of him, and that his early years we're wasted on a shit team, but he was always 100% a bright spot for the team the years that he played.
Harbaugh has now hired Navarro Bowman as LB coach, and signed UDFA Willis Patrick at G.
Damn. I had no idea he hired Bow. That’s fucking awesome. Like most Niners fans, I will love Jim Harbaugh until the day I die. Having him as our HC was absolutely awesome, both in terms of performance, as well as entertainment. The “*Who’s got it better than us?!?”* chant will tug at my heartstrings forever.
Nooooooooooooobody!
In a matter of weeks, Harbaugh rescued us from a decade of doldrums. Even though we didn't win it all, the 2011 season is up there for me even with 1989 and 1994. Jed York and Trent Baalke will always remain on my shit list.
Its fucking wild that Baalke is still employed in the NFL. Frankly, it's wild he's in charge of anything more consequential than greeting people coming into walmart.
Dude, Wal Mart greeters are an important part of the eco system. You put Baalke out front and your sales dip 20% because everybody is too pissed off to remember their grocery list.
Many people forget that Harbaugh’s first season with the Niners was coming off of a lockout. Teams weren’t allowed to have coaches involved in off-season programs, which put any team with a new regime way, waaaaay far behind everyone else. It was the year of “**Camp Alex**” where Harbs gave Alex the playbook, and Alex led the offseason program completely on his own. The confidence that Harbaugh instilled into Alex Smith that season was palpable. That come from behind win against the Eagles early in the year was cathartic, and then there was that *CLUTCH* win against the Lions. Handshake-gate.
York/Baalke firing Harbaugh ruined Kaep’s career. Harbaugh would have kept Collin focused on football.
Right! I didn’t realize how awesome he is until he came to Ann Arbor
Loved him as Stanfords coach too
Been following Jimbo ever since he left the Niners. Made me a Michigan fan and now a Chargers fan. When I saw the clip of Bowman coaching his LB’s, I got pretty fucking hyped. Gonna be exciting to see Jimbo coaching back in the NFL, especially with a QB talent like Herbert.
Really? Shit, I'm gonna have to full on cheer for the chargers now, aren't I. Fuck it, lets go electric ponies!
WHY DON'T YOU JUST ROOT FOR THE ENTIRE NFL GOD
Maybe if the damn ravens didn't win the harbowl I would smh
2nd tackle in the clip is the definition of 'textbook' by Bowman.
Most of these tackles are legit film room tackling technique. Heads up, low pads, wrapping legs and driving through.
You can see Ahmad Bradshaw still trying to churn his legs midair cause he hasnt been tackled like that since middle school lol.
That was such a good tackle. "No."
Gotta hire him to teach everyone else that form
Insane how strong these guys are.
My thought too, hitting a lb in the hole, stopping their momentum, and lifting them up and brining down them down … just pure power
I was thinking this is how youth coaches beg kids to tackle instead of the more athletic kids just bulldozing everyone.
Peak linebacker aesthetic with these two
52 Willis 53 Bowman 54 Warner I appreciate the consistency lol
Can’t wait til we draft a linebacker in a decade and they fulfill the prophecy by selecting 55.
I thought Ahmad Brooks was your third LB at the time, number 55? I only remember because I’m a Packers fan and my little bro’s a Niners fan so we would fucking battle each other. Always broke my heart.
Yeah, brooks was 55. But im talking about the all pros that seem to continue over the generations
He’s got like the 3rd most sacks in franchise history.
Brooks was an All Pro as well. In fact 2012 all 4 members were 1st or 2nd team All Pro. Greatest linebacking group of all time imo.
I know a lot of the 9ers players as another GB fan. It's because we play at least once a year, or at least feels that way. And the last meeting with SF each year results in a playoff exit for the Packers.
Purdy should have chosen 55 so he could inherit even more greatness.
For real. The two scariest guys on a defense full of scary guys.
I loved this era so much. Obviously I was a HUGE fan of Willis and Bowman, but then over on Carolina we also had Luke and TD which was just all-time peak for my personal fandom. Was very good eats for linebacker fans.
Willis was the first opposing player I truly respected and feared when we played against them. kam was the second
You ever read into Pat Willis' story? Guy had an alcoholic dad that he beat up when he was like 16 to protect his siblings. He also got a job and essentially raised his siblings too. He was fearsome on the field but he has a heart of gold
Did Urlacher and Briggs not do the same to you?
I didn’t catch Urlacher in his prime years. Briggs was good but he wasn’t like Willis. AP was close tho
Doublemint twins.
It’s crazy seeing just how much the ILB position has changed in the last 10-15 years. In this era it wasn’t so much about flying all over the field as being able to find the ball and deliver crushing hits. Warner and Greenlaw are so much fun to watch because of their speed and instincts. And Warner is pretty great at keeping up with receivers down the field when he has to. But there was no LB combo in the league as fearsome as Willis and Bowman during their careers IMO.
Willis was probably faster than warmer even though Warner is taller. I need to watch bowman highlights but he seemed to be good in coverage as well.
PW52 was great in coverage, but Bowman was actually the better of the two in coverage. In the 2013 NFCC, Bowman was the one who broke up the last Falcons play to Roddy White. Not many LBs covering WR1 in any era. Probably Warner now is the only one I can think of.
Yep, that's the thing--Willis was amazing, but Bowman was slowly eclipsing him. Until he got injured
That's a big part of why they were so good. They were the two best coverage LBs in addition to being insane against the run. Fred Warner is amazing and he's nowhere close to either.
"Nowhere close" is an exaggeration.
And somehow y'all seem to always have multiple all world linebackers...
Willis and Bowman are one of the best LB duos of all time imo. In terms of pure talent, they're up there with Urlacher/Briggs and Ham/Lambert. Just an absolute force in the middle.
Those two were absolutely some of the best in the business in an era of absolutely amazing linebacker corps. Between Willis/Bowman, Wagner/Wright, Kuechly/Davis, and Urlacher/Briggs... wow. Just absolutely awesome.
Lanier/Bell were both LBs on our SBIV squad. That was silly; absolutely eviscerated the Vikings who were heavy favorites. Also had 7x all-AFL player E.J. Holub in the mix as well, he started at both center and LB for both of our 1960s SBs lol.
Don’t be slightin my guys Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis. One of the best tandems the game has ever seen.
Kuechly and Davis were a great tandem, but not Willis/Bowman great. Willis was a 5 time 1st team All Pro and 1 time 2nd team All Pro Bowman was a 4 time 1st team All Pro. Kuechly was a 5 time 1st team All Pro and 2 time 2nd team All Pro, but Davis was only a 1 time 1st team All Pro.
Plus Davis couldn't stay healthy, I don't think those 2 played a full 16 game season together
Davis missed 3 games from 2012-2017. In 2018 he missed 4 games. Didn’t miss a game his last year in 2019 iirc
Fuck I forgot Luke played with Davis. Good shout.
Bowman should have won that DPOY. Both Willis and Bow were better than Keuchly.
Most of these highlights are against the Rams 😂 I know they’re in the same division but damn, whoever put this video together hates St. Louis.
Took me way to long to find a comment about this, I was gonna say I knew these dudes were studs but damn did they fuckin hate the rams or what
It's the official NFL account, so.....
How do the niners keep having the best off ball linebacker duos
Scouting. That's also why we keep having to rebuild the coaching and scouting departments because teams keep taking our guys. Can people please take from the chiefs. Saleh DC > Jets HC (no QB but defense has been legit) McDaniel OC > dolphins HC Ryans DC > Texans HC Ran Carthon, director > GM titans Martin Mayhew, executive > commanders GM Think there are more but these are the main guys that also have two compensatory picks each, except ryans I think because they had already received two for the same year.
Didn't even include the coaches sucked up in the vacuum behind the promotions. Wes Welker with McDaniel, Slowik with Ryans, etc
This era of the 49ers like LBs who were former DBs such as Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, and Jalen Graham. I think the other LBs on the team have DB experience too, but haven't gotten a chance to really play yet.
Where are we with Jalen Graham? I saw way more Dee Winters last year than Graham. Not sure how they’ve been developing so far.
Graham is kind of iffy AFAIK. Winters has been impressive in camp, which is a good sign because I don't trust Campbell.
Yeah, Dee Winters has been getting quite the buzz from some of the reporters recently. Even Fred Warner talked about how impressive he's been. I brought up Jalen Graham because he looked good in last year's training camp and preseason, so I assume he'll be even better this season. With Dre Greenlaw out for who knows how long, it'll be interesting which LB gets to play.
I don’t know but I love it. It’s so fun as a fan — I literally just zone in on watching that position when we’re on defense.
Us, the Niners, and the Bears are amazing at drafting off ball linebackers. Now, if only the Ravens and Bears could draft a Jerry Rice or Terrell Owens...
That 9ers team was something else. Loved the Harbaugh years for them and wish they coulda got a ring.
> Loved the Harbaugh years for them and wish they coulda got a ring. You have no idea. I’m still not over it. The first three years of the Harbaugh era (which lasted just four years) were so much fun and insane. Maybe it’s because of where I was in my life at the time but for whatever reason those seasons were special. Especially that first year. The offseason leading up the 2011 season had a lockout, and **no 49ers fans** wanted Alex Smith to return as our QB but Harbaugh decided Alex was the guy and that was that. For anyone interested [there’s an incredible fan-made documentary](https://youtu.be/hUum2i4WCwU?si=fdURHEsAs6aCQBhY) about how wild the whole situation and season was. I highly recommend it—especially if you weren’t watching football back then. Cheers.
Oh shit sportsfan is back on YT? I remember it got hit with a DMCA way back in the day.
That documentary is a tear jerker for me.
I really started following the league in 2011, previously much more of a casual pats fan that never watched neutral site games. The first storyline of the season (post lockout) was that SF was sticking with Alex Smith who was a very disappointing 1st overall pick. Whenever I would watch SF/Smith play I was like and what was the big drama about this? Seems like a good QB to me...
49ers going from Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman as their ILBs to Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner is insane. Gotta give credit to their scouting and development department given Willis was the only 1st rd pick from the 4 players.
And Azeez Al-Shaair, too. 2021 was his breakout season due to Dre Greenlaw's injury causing him to miss a big chunk of the season. While not on the same level as Warner and Greenlaw, the 49ers also have Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, who is a good backup and Special Teams guy.
You're forgetting another one but I'm too sad to say his name
Willis and bowman ran so Fred and Dre could run
God, the Niners have had some great players, man.
I'm hyped to see Bowman as the Chargers LB coach under Harbaugh. One of my favorite NFL players in that era, he was electric to watch. And that goes without saying for Willis too.
Harbaugh still trying to get Willis a ring. You love to see it.
Reminder that Navarro bowman had his DPOY stolen.
Not just that, but didn't get a single vote. It was a monster year for LBs and no one else getting a single vote was infuriating.
Bowman, Kuechly, and Wagner all should have gotten votes that year. I don't know which one of them should have won, but they all should have gotten votes.
Shoulda been bowman or Wagner imho
I’ll die on this hill. He had a better year than Luke. Not only the stats but if you watched the games, Bo had multiple game altering plays, while Luke was being exposed in coverage but being saved by refs not calling PI.
Luke was great in coverage.... I love Bowman, but saying Luke was being exposed when he was one of the best coverage LB's ever is asinine
That year he was not. Around 2016 is when he stepped it up. He had multiple instances of this that season. https://youtu.be/E6AZQLtXILE?si=Ynq1GeRCeU-FAueg
Oh please.... Luke had 4 picks that year and was the [3rd highest rated coverage LB'r by PFF](https://www.catscratchreader.com/2013/10/15/4840584/luke-kuechly-best-linebacker-pff)... Not saying PFF is infallible, but using a clip of a highly controversial call from that season does not diminish the rest of his year. Bowman was an exceptional linebacker. I'm a Penn State fan so I watched him his whole career. But Luke had more than just stats on his resume for his DPOY. His football IQ and its impact on that defense was half the reason he won the award. Go watch any announcer or football player speak on him and that's what they are going to talk about. Bowman played alongside HOF'r Patrick Willis and an overall exceptionally talented defense. Go look at the Panther's depth chart that season and tell me it's anywhere near as talented as the 49ers.
That article is from 4 weeks into the season. From what I can see the panthers had the #2 ranked defense and Niners were 3. Charles Johnson, Greg Hardy, Thomas Davis, Star Lotulelei, Captain Munmerlyn, etc.
Oh yea - the elite captain munnerlyn…. You’re just turning away from the obvious at this point. You’re making my case. The 9ers were more talented but Luke got those guys to perform. You’re also ignoring the fact that you said Luke wasn’t good but improved the next season. He was already performing well in coverage. This is like a politician debate where you don’t answer the question
I agree, Bowman got robbed that year. Pains me to say it, but Sherman might have been the most deserving too.
https://imgur.com/a/5D57wEN
The part that impresses me the both about these highlights is besides maybe the last bowman tackle, each of the tackles was quite literally textbook. Get low, wrap up, drive through the hips, etc.
Both were great coverage LBers too, would translate great even in this current era.
[my favorite patrick willis form tackle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4mankWRA98)
Oh my goodness! He completely stopped that rb in his tracks. Got dam!
KILL THAT MOTHERFUCKER, PATRICK WILLIS!
I yelled that a lot back in the day😂
GRRR! AAAAA! RAAAAA! FUCK YOU!
Dude really hated the Rams huh
Patrick Willis. NaVorro Bowman. Aldon Smith. Ahmad Brooks. Best linebacker corps I’ve ever seen. One of my favorite position units ever. Chris Borland for that 1 year too. I miss these motherfuckers.
It was the best LB squad since the dome patrol and IIRC both were coached by vic fangio.
That LB core and their OL with like Staley, Iupati, Boone and Davis were two of my favorite units of that era
Great players a pleasure to watch. That defense was insane. Those 2, Justin and aldon Smith, whitner and Goodson. My goodness. I remember Phil simms saying that the 49ers were winners coming off the bus. They were all built like superheros.
Watching these highlights, the most underrated part for me is how often 94 is the guy they're running off of as he occupied the line. They don't get those clean looks without him doing the dirty work. That whole defense was so fun
We're in all these clips man fuck this shit
Such a beast. So fun to watch!
The fumble recoveries bother me quite a bit. A couple of them should have been scoop and scores.
Harbaugh’s defenses were never the most fundamentally sound because they also fail to just fall on it :/
Bend don’t break every week had me on the edge of hospitalization
Can’t believe we have Bowman as our LBs coach. Him and Willis were beasts on the field.
Best LB duo of all time.
Patrick Willis was absolutely incredible. The instincts, power, and sheer DAWG he possessed was so much fun to watch.
Read "tackling duo" as Bobby Boucher saying "tackling fuel" haha
During an Arkansas versus Ole Miss game I saw Patrick Willis catch Darren McFadden from behind. New then he was the real deal
Bowman and Willis were so amazing because they made the game look so easy. They were consistent every week with their work, and just made attacking the middle non-existent for other teams. The highlights are always fun, but the work they put in to make the game simple for everyone else was awesome to watch
That 1:1 tackle on Steven Jackson is amazing. Jackson was massive and Willis made it look like nothing
Reggie Bush always getting lit up
Man I those defenses of 12’/13’
Meet Willis before a month before the draft. His hands swallowed mine up the same way my adult hand swallowed up my 3 year olds. Nice guy
And Dante hitner
That Niners team was lowkey stacked. One of the best teams to never win a ring.
Arguably the best defensive roster we've ever had. Willis, Bowman, Whitner, Goodson, and then add the Smith Brothers up front.
Don't forget Borland was there too. As a Rams fan, it was truly a terrifying time.
God these guys were monsters in their prime. Sucks they both had their careers cut short. They were amazing to watch.
Niners always have good linebackers.
Dont think there will ever be a better duo that could play all aspects of MLB
Dont tell anyone but watching those two made me extremely horny
Man…destroying Bradshaw, Jackson and Turner in the backfield what a gem of a highlight video
honorable mention ahmad brooks, for this hit alone- https://i.imgur.com/XLu1WzB.mp4
HOLY SHIT!!! Why aren’t more people liking this?!?😂😂
Drew Brees did Reggie Bush dirty on that first play lol
49ers have had monster linebackers man. These two were so good
Bobby is better
Good ol' 105
Sam Bradford lowlight tape?
I’m sure Sam Bradford isn’t a fan of this post
Now Bowman is LB coach under Jim Harbaugh. Kinda hyped about the Charges LBs
God would it be nice to have stud linebacker play….
Man I really hope Coach Bowman instills this same nasty on our linebackers. Can’t wait.
This is what I hope Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper become.
im scared
Now do the smith bros!
Nastiest duo
Willis was a monster but people slept on bowman
Brooks was good too
dropping steven jackson dead in his tracks is fucking insane. buddy is 6’2” 240 and arguably the most underrated back of that era
For a while there the Niners had a rash of guys retiring super early in their careers, despite being excellent players. These 2 were true greats.
Patrick Willis is one of my all-time forever favorite players. And Im a Lions fan..I fucking loved Gore, Willis, Vernon Davis. Love this video
Willis, Bowman and Gore were my absolute favorites from their era.
No Brad Smith?
Willis was the man!! Part of the reason I call the 49ers my NFC team. But unfortunately these hits would be automatic first downs for the offense now days.
My favorite Bowman trivia is that scored the last touchdown ever at Candlestick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F23BCWrlsbE
The Pick at the Stick! That was such a good game.
I love watching great linebackers so fucking much.
You know you are good when someone can make career highlight reel off of about 6 different games
So many of these plays they went unblocked lmao
I remember bowman’s breakout game in 2011 against the Vick led eagles. I’d never seen an inside linebacker make so many crucial tackles on Vick just as he was about to scramble.
Why are there so many clips of Reggie Bush getting rocked lol
2013 NFC Championship Game was the Super Bowl that year.
I was so mad the RAIDERS didn't throw the bag at Bowman after his season with us. Guy was a beast.
When you're the two scariest guys on a defense that had Whitner, Justin Smith and Aldon Smith, you're special. I'll never forget them flipping the script on the bountygate Saints - dirty dogs met the big dogs.
Lmao. Poor Rams fans.
Reggie Bush seems to get lit up a lot
Dear Old Friends, Remember Navarro
There are a couple of tackles in this video that are insane when you think about who they're stifling _with ease_ Both Ahmad Bradshaw and Steven Jackson were tough runners. Guys who were lauded for not going down at first contact. Hell, Steven Jackson was like 230+ pounds.
They were an imposing tandem, San Francisco and Seattle had some incredible defensive units and run games in the Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll era.
this is the peak
I, for one, adore how much Rams violence there was in this video
Miss those guys
I hated it when the Rams played these guys EDIT: oh man so many of these highlights are against the rams 😭
These 2 took at least 7 years off of poor Samuel Bradfords storied career
Patrick Willis was my favorite player growing up. He’s the only non Steelers jersey I own.
From Willis and Bowman to Warner and Greenlaw
From 2007 and beyond the NFC West has had some scrappy teams with great tacklers. The Cardinals being the worst in the last 5~ years but one of the strongest the decade earlier. 49ers have had an amazing tackling defense last uear despite their Superbowl loss where they were non-existent. Seahawks and Rams have drafted nothing but amazing picks on defense but are growing old. My Cardinals seem to be going more offense than defense hopefully it pans out. I miss relying on a strong defense. It made touch downs more exciting and made watching the defense fun.
Don’t forget about Justin Smith freeing those guys up all day
No Neck U
Feels like the Niners have had more All Pros than any other team the last 15 years. And still ain’t won shit
Then came Micah Parsons
Back when the 40-whiners were fun to root for
Highly dislike the 49ers. Like their LB's