sport news Former 49er Joe Staley believes San Francisco can go on a run in NFL playoffs ... trends now
Joe Staley says the San Francisco 49ers can go one better than the 2019 season and end their 27-year wait for a Super Bowl.
Staley had a front row seat as Patrick Mahomes dismantled the 49ers defense in a fourth-quarter masterclass in Miami.
But the long term left tackle – who spent his entire 12-year career with San Francisco – reckons Kyle Shanahan’s side are the pick of the bunch this year.
‘They’re as good as anybody. What differentiates this team as opposed to the team we had in 2019 was that we were really dependent on our defense that year, we had a really solid defense - DeForest Buckner, Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, a lot of the same pieces,’ Staley said.
‘But offensively it was hit or miss throughout the entire season. If we were to get on a roll, or move the chains consistently, or lean on our defense. This team has more confidence offensively, especially the second half of the year.
Joe Staley played for the San Francisco 49ers between 2007-2019 out of Central Michigan
‘This year they’re much more certain in their identity, of who they are, everybody knows their role in the offense, and there’s playmakers all over the field.
‘I think that’s one of the key things in playoff football that differentiates from regular season, you have to be able to be a consistent offence.
‘Yes, the old cliché of defense wins championships and that’s a nice thing to have, but you have to be able to score points in the playoffs, and that’s something they definitely have this year as opposed to 2019.’
Now onto their third quarterback following season-ending injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, the 49ers have won 10 in a row. Much of that is due to the genius of Kyle Shanahan, whom Staley is backing for coach of the year.
Staley was a first-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft and was a six-time Pro Bowl representative
‘I know a lot of coaches have done a tremendous job of just turning around the culture of the situation that they were going into at the beginning of the season, but I think everything that Kyle has had to deal with this year - going from managing a new quarterback into the year with Trey Lance and also the injury that happened with him.
‘Going back to Jimmy Garoppolo seamlessly, having that success and then going to Brock Purdy at the end of the year because of Jimmy’s other injury, and just managing that very seamlessly. And then also preparing Brock the way he did to be able to go in and the tremendous job they've done all season.
‘I've always had so much respect for Kyle as a as a play caller. It's really well documented how everybody feels around about him around the NFL. I got to see it first-hand as a player. But I think what's very undervalued is his ability to motivate and lead off the field and in the meeting rooms and everything that he does that's not seen by the general public.
'Guys have a tremendous amount of respect for him and his staff in that locker room and I think it's no surprise to me that he's been as successful as he is this year.’
