San Francisco surprised some NFL betting players by finishing with a .500 record of 8-8, and it shouldn't be a surprise that defense is at the top of the agenda with Mike Singletary putting his stamp on the team. The 49ers took another step towards the next level by locking up their best player this week.

Patrick Willis signed a five-year deal worth $50 million to man the middle of the San Francisco defense, which finished 15^th in the league last year. Willis is a three-time Pro Bowl at inside linebacker, and the former Defensive Rookie of the Year led the NFL in tackles with 152 last northbet.com betting season, along with career highs in sacks (4.0), interceptions (three) and forced fumbles (three). Singletary has been the one to guide Willis' career as he was the 49ers' linebackers coach, and he was a pretty good linebacker himself: Singletary was inducted to the NFL Hall of Fame in 1995 after racking up 10 Pro Bowl nods as the leader of the famed "Monsters of the Midway" unit in Chicago in the 1980s.

So, how good can Willis be? Barring injury, he could follow Singletary to the Hall of Fame in the future. Willis is a frightening mix of speed and power, and while he's intelligent, Singletary has taught him to read and react more since he came out of Ole Miss. Willis has played all 48 games of his career, leading the league in tackles in two of his three years and finishing second in the other, and with him leading the way, the defense will hold up their end of the bargain in the 49ers' online betting odds.