SANTA CLARA (KRON) – It’s officially playoff week for the San Francisco 49ers (13-3) and for the longest-tenured player on the team, this week brings lots of emotion.
49ers’ left tackle Joe Staley has seen the playoffs with the 49ers before.
“I haven’t been here since 2013. So excited to get back in the playoffs and play meaningful football. Excited for the opportunity this week,” said Staley.
The tackle has spent his entire career with the 49ers.
Staley was drafted by San Francisco in 2007.
“I’d be lying to you to say I always believe, I mean there’s some dark years there we had here in the franchise, I think it’s been well written about and reported on. Once I met Kyle and John and the vision they had for the franchise. I was pretty confident we were going to get there. I was happy I was still feeling the way I felt and still had years left to play, was gonna be able to see this through. Excited to be here and this opportunity, let’s go get it done,” said Staley.
The left tackle has seen the coaching staff go through a series of changes.
49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan signed a five year contract with San Francisco in 2018 through the 2022 season.
Reporters asked Staley on Tuesday if he had a time frame when he expected to see results from the duo.
Staley explained, “You have to understand the position we were in coming off of a, 2-14 year. Kind of wanted to completely rebuild the roster. That’s gonna take time, it’s not gonna be one off season.”
The tackle added, “They’ve had a vision from day one and it’s been exciting to see them build this place.”
Reporters followed up by asking the left tackle what advice he gave to the rookies and players who’ve never experienced a playoff run.
“This is the stuff that can get a little bit distracting. The media coverage, the heightened awareness of what we’re doing, but as far as performance on the field, it’s what we’ve been doing this whole entire season. I think that’s a big thing to stress to the guys,” Staley said.
The veteran added, “I haven’t made any speeches and I don’t think anyone is going to make any big speeches about what we’ve done the whole entire season. We’re preparing the way we’ve prepared every single day. That’s what’s going to carry us through the playoffs. That’s what’s going to prepare us for the game on Saturday and hopefully going forward.”
