49ers-Chiefs: Is Patrick Willis Motivated by Dexter McCluster Quote?

If you haven’t heard the story by now, let me fill you in.

During this year’s NFL Draft Combine, Dexter McCluster was generating a lot of pre-draft hype and basically had an entourage of media covering him.

McCluster, ever the media opportunist, regaled reporters with an incident that happened between himself and Patrick Willis while the two attended Ole Miss. The incident would have occurred while Willis was a senior and McCluster a freshman.

Supposedly, during practice, McCluster put a move on Willis, and in McCluster’s words, “I did sort of a drop step and got underneath him and kind of made him look a little silly."—from Matt Maiocco, CSNBayArea.com.

Where is Allen Iverson when you need him? “Practice? We’re talking about practice?”

McCluster went on to say that he has learned a lot more since that day, and he is looking forward to meeting Willis again, this time in the NFL.

Well, Dexter, that day has come, and unless your last name is Morgan, I don't expect you will be carving up Patrick Willis of the 49er defense this Sunday.

Now Willis is a pretty soft-spoken guy. 

“Patrick leads by example. He is not a big talker. He just gets in there and does his job every day and makes everybody around him better. ”—former Mississippi coach Ed Orgeron, from Chris Colston, USA Today.

Willis claims he doesn’t remember the event but made light of it, saying that that sort of thing is going to happen to a defensive player from time to time.

But I can tell you this: Willis may not remember the event, but he has been constantly reminded of the quote. He claims he has no ill feelings toward McCluster and in a very Patrick Willis-like way stated, "It's us against them. It's not me and McCluster. It's about the 49ers and the Chiefs."—from Brad Briggs, National Football Post.

As arguably one of the best defensive players in the NFL, Willis doesn’t need any extra motivation, but the fact that McCluster talked about that event is one thing—the fact that he basically called Willis out is quite another.

Willis won’t admit it, but a warrior like him always has something to prove. The fact that an unproven—in fact, undrafted at the time—player would come out and say something like that is borderline lunacy.

I look for Willis to have a huge day against the Chiefs. Furthermore, I think his teammates will also be looking for a little respect for their defensive leader.

If you look at the statistics, you would never think the Chiefs are a 2-0 team. But their offense and defense have done just enough to keep them in games, and their return game is once again downright scary.

The Chiefs' offensive line, last year considered a weakness, should be heavily tested by Willis and the 49er defense. Look for 49er defensive coordinator Greg Manusky to bring heavy pressure and a variety of looks.

In addition to the “Reggie Bush-like” McCluster, the Chiefs also boast two other pretty darn good receivers in Dwayne Bowe and Chris Chambers. If the secondary plays smart, they should be able to shut these two guys down.

Even with a great run defense, the 49ers have to be careful of Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles. Jones is of course a proven power back, and if Charles gets into the open field he is gone.

Alex Smith and the offense will have to contend with the noise of Arrowhead Stadium, much like they did in Seattle at Qwest Field.

Hopefully with the improved communication in play calling and the improved play of the offensive line, Frank Gore will have another big day, as well as Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Josh Morgan, and company.

The 49ers match up well with the Chiefs in all areas with one exception—special teams.

The 49ers have to find a way to prevent McCluster and Javier Arenas from breaking a big return. They allowed the Saints some big gains in Monday night’s game, and they just can’t afford to be handing the Chiefs large chunks of yardage, or points for that matter, in the return game.

Taylor Mays looked like a Patriot missile going after a Scud when he tackled Reggie Bush on a punt return last week. The team will need more of that kind of special teams play if they expect to slow down McCluster and Arenas.

Of course, Mike Singletary could always use Patrick Willis on special teams this week. I believe he wants to check out McCluster’s “new moves.”

Actually, Willis will have his hands full making tackles in the backfield and chasing down Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel.

There is the matter of turnovers as well. The 49ers have to protect the ball. They can't expect to win if they turn the ball over four times as they did last week.

The 49ers need a win (because “Moral Victories Suck”), and they get one against the Chiefs 24-13.