On Saturday night, head coach Kyle Shanahan asked three of his elder statemen, left tackle Joe Staley, linebacker Elvis Dumervil and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, to address players during a team meeting.
For Staley, it was a nerve-wracking assignment.
“Anyone that know me personally knows that speaking puts me right back in high school,” Staley said. “Speech class. Get nervous. But it was good. Spoke from the heart.”
Perhaps Staley’s words resonated, but there’s no doubt his actions had a major impact in a 31-21 win over the Giants on Sunday. The five-time Pro Bowler with a fractured eye socket returned from a one-game absence to help lead an offense that had a season-best 186 rushing yards while allowing zero sacks and two quarterback hits.