Niner Noise
FanSided

Assembling the San Franciso 49ers all-time NFL playoff team

By Timothy L. Miller

Joe Montana and Steve Young, of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Mike Powell/Allsport/Getty Images)
Joe Montana and Steve Young, of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Mike Powell/Allsport/Getty Images) /
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San Francisco 49ers all-time playoff team
Keena Turner #58 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) /

Linebacker

1.  Keena Turner 1980-1990 (1984 Pro Bowler, 14 postseason victories, 4x Super Bowl champion)

Keena Turner was a staple of the San Francisco 49ers’ defense through four Super Bowl championships in the 1980s. The acquisition of Turner was a part of the defensive overhaul that propelled the Niners to their first Super Bowl.

2.  Patrick Willis 2007-2014 (7x Pro Bowler, five postseason victories)

Willis may have retired without a Super Bowl victory, but his performances in postseason games were spectacular. With the ability to cover the entire field, Willis was the best player on a number of excellent defensive squads for San Francisco. With interceptions, sacks, double-digit tackles, fumble recoveries and tackles-for-loss, the middle linebacker did it all over his postseason career.

3.  Charles Haley 1986-1991, 1998-1999 (3x Pro Bowler, seven postseason victories, 2x Super Bowl champion, Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2015)

Haley was the youthful, energetic pass rusher the Niners needed when he was taken in the fourth round of the 1986 NFL Draft. Haley went from a pass-rushing specialist to an every-down player in 1988. His sacks of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason in Super Bowl XXIII were key to the San Francisco 49ers’ victory.

4.  Ken Norton, Jr. 1994-2000 (2x Pro Bowler, six postseason victories, Super Bowl XXIX champion)

After two consecutive losses to the Dallas Cowboys in the 1992 and 1993 NFC Championship Games, the 49ers were on a mission to tighten up their rushing defense. The answer was signing middle linebacker Ken Norton. He was a key piece in getting the Niners over the hump and onto Super Bowl XXIX victory.