NEW YORK — 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.

Willis earned 48 votes Friday from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. Only Carolina linebacker Jon Beason, with two, also received votes.

PARIS — The Dakar Rally, the epic motorcycle, car and truck race across the Sahara desert, was canceled by organizers citing "direct" threats of terrorism from al-Qaida-linked militants.The race was deemed too inviting — and too easy — a target for the terror group's new North African affiliate. The roughly 550 competitors were to have embarked Saturday on the 16-day, 5,760-mile trek from Europe to Senegal in West Africa.