Patrick Willis

Super Bowl 2013: Live chat before kickoff

2013-02-03 12:00:00

Who is the better coach, John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens or his younger brother Jim Harbaugh of the San Francisco 49ers? Which team has the better quarterback, the Ravens with veteran pocket-passer Joe Flacco or the 49ers with dual-threat youngster...

Greg Cote: Knicks would have been spicier matchup for Miami Heat

2013-05-19 00:14:02

Miami Heat players have been steadfastly neutral in claiming no preference as they waited for Indiana and New York to figure out which would play the underdog in the NBA's upcoming Eastern Conference finals. Confident champions do not deign to worry about...

Panthers' Beason has a lot of football -- and charity -- left

2013-05-14 07:24:02

Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly said one of the things that makes veteran linebacker Jon Beason so effective is Beason's ability to communicate on the field. Beason was talking plenty Monday night, directing traffic as he and 15 teammates...

New Pats receiver bares sole in Foot Locker spot

2013-05-14 00:00:00

Newly installed New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola has lent his colorful personality to a new Foot Locker television ad debuting today that pits his recognizability against that of ASICS' vibrant running shoes. In the 30-second "Park Run"...

Levi's Stadium: 49ers' new Santa Clara home gets a name in $220 million deal

2013-05-09 03:54:03

Get ready for Levi's Stadium. The San Francisco 49ers have scored the West Coast's biggest naming-rights deal, announcing Wednesday that legendary San Francisco jeans-maker Levi Strauss will put its name on the team's new Santa Clara stadium when it...

Niners' Reid ready to take on Rodgers, Pack

2013-04-27 00:00:00

SANTA CLARA, Calif._Safety Eric Reid, the San Francisco 49ers' first-round draft pick Thursday night, arrived at the team's practice facility Friday dreaming big. "We're starting against Green Bay, and if I can pick off Aaron Rodgers, that'd be nice,"...

Mark Purdy: You can learn a lot from NFL draft

2013-04-27 00:00:00

The NFL draft is a beautiful thing. The beautiful part of the NFL draft is, for all of the blather and smoke, the event is a truth serum of sorts. Teams can lie and mislead all they want before the draft. But when it comes time to pick, they tell you...

San Jose Mercury News Mark Purdy column

2013-04-27 03:34:02

The NFL draft is both silly and beautiful. It is silly because of what happened Friday night in the third round when the 49ers drafted an outside linebacker named Corey Lemonier from Auburn. On an ensuing conference call with reporters, Lemonier said he...

NFL mock drafts all over the board with San Francisco 49ers

2013-04-25 09:34:02

The 49ers will take a defensive lineman. No, a safety. Wait, it's a tight end. Oh, a cornerback? Nah, it's a wide receiver. Predictions vary on the 49ers' potential first pick heading into Thursday night's first round of the NFL draft. Some 24 hours...

First round is no place to gamble on a QB

2013-04-24 01:34:02

IT TURNED OUT there were no franchise quarterbacks to be found in the 2007 NFL draft, but that didn't stop the Oakland Raiders from selecting JaMarcus Russell first overall, or the Browns from taking Brady Quinn 22nd. A franchise QB is the holy grail,...

Arthur Brown is an intriguing linebacker prospect

2013-04-03 13:30:00

For me, one of the more intriguing prospects in the 2013 NFL draft, at least among the ones who may be available when the Ravens are on the clock at No. 32 overall, is Kansas State inside linebacker Arthur Brown. Brown, the older brother of Philadelphia...

Ravens met with North Carolina linebacker Kevin Reddick

2013-02-23 13:24:00

INDIANAPOLIS -- �North Carolina linebacker Kevin Reddick met with Ravens linebackers coach Ted Monachino here at the NFL scouting combine, and he indicated it was a productive talk. With Ray Lewis retiring, Dannell Ellerbe an unrestricted free agent and...

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco passes under pressure from 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis in the first quarter of the Super Bowl.

2013-02-03 00:00:00

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco passes under pressure from 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis in the first quarter Sunday.

2013-02-03 00:00:00

Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta (88) hauls in a touchdown catch against the 49ers' Donte Whitner and Patrick Willis (52) in the second quarter Sunday.

2013-02-03 00:00:00