'Rolling ball of butcher knives' honored

League-leading tackler, the 49ers' Willis earns AP defensive rookie award

One NFL scout called linebacker Patrick Willis "a beast." An NFL coach said Willis is "a rolling ball of butcher knives."

And that was before Willis won The Associated Press 2007 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Willis' dominant performance could have been overlooked because his San Francisco 49ers went 5-11 in a mediocre division. Instead, his league-leading 174 tackles and presence all over the field made him a runaway winner and the fifth straight linebacker to take the honor.

"It's a great honor," said Willis, who woke up Friday to "a bunch of text messages and 13 calls" on his cell phone telling him he won. "I can't give enough credit to my teammates, especially for the front seven -- the defensive line was unbelievable -- and for my linebacker corps helping me find my way, and for my coaches believing in me."

MORGAN PLANS TO PLAY -- SOMEWHERE: While Dan Morgan knows he may never play again for the Carolina Panthers, he's not ready to end his injury-plagued career.

"I definitely want to come back and play," Morgan said as he left Bank of America Stadium this week. "Whether it's here, I'm not sure."

With the emergence of rookie Jon Beason, who finished second in the voting Friday to San Francisco's Patrick Willis for The Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Morgan may be looking for work soon.

After Morgan's latest injury, a partial tear to his right Achilles' tendon in Week 3, Beason moved from outside linebacker to replace Morgan in the middle. Veteran Na'il Diggs moved to Beason's old spot. Beason led the team in tackles.

PATRIOTS' WILFORK FINED: New England defensive lineman Vince Wilfork was fined $15,000 by the NFL on Friday for poking a finger inside the face mask of New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs last weekend.

League spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed the fine, the third this season for New England's 2004 first-round pick.

Wilfork was not penalized on the play, which came with less than a minute to play in the first half of the Patriots' 38-35 victory last Saturday as several players from both teams jostled after the whistle.

LOSMAN WANTS TO BE TRADED: Bills quarterback J.P Losman wants out of Buffalo, unhappy with how he lost his starting job to rookie Trent Edwards.

Losman's agent, Gary Wichard, said on Friday that his client would prefer to be traded, but said he would play out the final year of his contract. Wichard said he has not yet spoken to the Bills because the team is seeking a new general manager after Marv Levy stepped down earlier this week.

Whether the Bills choose to keep Losman, Wichard said he didn't see any chance of Losman remaining with the team after next season.

TITANS TRY TO QUASH LAWSUIT: The Tennessee Titans want a Nevada judge to quash a lawsuit seeking damages for a strip club employee paralyzed in a triple shooting that followed a fracas involving suspended NFL player Adam "Pacman" Jones.

In Las Vegas next Wednesday, a judge is due to hear arguments by an attorney for the team who contends the Titans had nothing to do with Jones going to the Minxx Gentleman's Club last Feb. 19, and that the team doesn't have enough ties to Nevada to establish jurisdiction for the lawsuit.

It would be "unreasonable" to require the team to defend itself in Las Vegas against a case by the paralyzed man, Tommy Urbanski, and his wife, lawyer Nathaniel Hannaford argued in a brief filed in December.

Matthew Dushoff, a lawyer for Urbanski, insisted Friday that Nevada has jurisdiction because the Titans sell tickets and merchandise in every state, and Jones is employed by the Titans.