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SANTA CLARA — Joe Staley used to be so naive.
As a rookie, he witnessed a fellow 49ers offensive lineman get injured, then cut from the team. That’s when a stunned Staley launched a profane tirade against the injustice of it all.
“I got really worked up,” Staley, now 34, recalled as he prepared for Sunday’s season-opener against the Minnesota Vikings. “I said, ‘This is (bull)! A guy gets injured and you get rid of him like that?