There were those frustrating early years, offset by his first trips into the playoffs between 2011 and 2014. There was a Super Bowl appearance, albeit on the losing side, following by the dissolution of a team going from perennial postseason contender to laughingstock in short order.
Now, following three years of the rebuild under general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, Staley is back into the Super Bowl after the Niners pulled off a 37-20 win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game at Levi's Stadium on Sunday. And in many ways, this edition of the 49ers is far different than any Staley had enjoyed in his previous seasons.
"There are no egos," Staley told reporters after the win. "Everybody genuinely pulls for each other. No one cares about what credit that they get."
In fact, the win over Green Bay epitomized that viewpoint. The 49ers ran for 285 yards, dominating the ground game, while letting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo pass just eight times. Naturally, the low pass numbers cut into most of San Francisco's pass catchers' stat lines. Tight end George Kittle had just one catch for 19 yards. But according to Staley, none of them cared about individual goals.
"Jimmy doesn't care if he throws for 300 yards or, what did he pass today for, 50 to 60? He doesn't care and same with the running backs," Staley continued. "Kittle is a superstar, and he could care less about his stats.
"Top to bottom, everybody just wants to pull for each other and win. It's just a special bunch."
Staley had some noticeable emotions when the 49ers clinched both the NFC West and No. 1 seed in the conference back in Week 17, beating the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field for the first time since 2011. That victory helped ensure the Niners could hold onto home-field advantage, earning the right to host the NFC Championship game at Levi's Stadium.
"It was incredible," Staley's linemate and close friend, offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey, added after the game. "The Faithful have been showing up all year. They have proven once we put something good in front of them, they are some of the best fans in the NFL. Today was even more so. It was incredible from start to finish."
Staley certainly took in a lot of the crowd noise, too, having seen both the highs and lows stemming back from his rookie 2007 season.
And he'll have a chance to see yet another Super Bowl, hopefully this time on the winning end of one.
Written By:
Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
All articles by Peter Panacy
Peter Panacy
Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
All articles by Peter Panacy
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
49ers urged to sign two-time Super Bowl champion to bolster defense
Veteran NFL edge rusher Kyle Van Noy has made it clear he would welcome the opportunity to play for the San Francisco 49ers. Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox believes the fit makes sense for coordinator Raheem Morris' defense. Knox recently identified the top NFL free agents... -
49ers' Nick Bosa shares early impressions of Osa Odighizuwa and Romello Height
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa was among the players who joined Bay Area radio station KNBR on Monday morning. The 49ers opened training camp over the weekend, with Bosa participating on a limited basis during Sunday's practice. Although Bosa has been fully... -
49ers QB Brock Purdy and DC Raheem Morris share training camp updates
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and defensive coordinator Raheem Morris spoke with reporters on Monday, following the second practice of training camp. Here's everything they had to say. Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff. QB Brock... -
49ers and Brandon Aiyuk: The drama has become repetitive
When he became the starter during his rookie year, quarterback Brock Purdy was consistently referred to by his draft-day moniker, "Mr. Irrelevant." As the Niners won and continued to win while he was the starter, reporters used the same phrase over and over again—that Purdy...