SANTA CLARA — Joe Staley’s young daughters, Grace and Audrey, flanked him as he sat on his 49ers helmet after the first practice of training camp.
Staley gazed at the green-grass horizon, at the ground No. 74 has tilled since arriving as a 2007 first-round draft pick out of Central Michigan. On the cusp of his 13th season, he soaked up the scenery and relished his family’s presence.
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Fast forward to last Sunday night’s 26-21 win at Seattle to ice the regular season. Staley wiped tears from his eyes as he walked off CenturyLink Field.