Joe Staley: 13 best moments from 49ers tackle’s career
![Joe Staley #74 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) Joe Staley #74 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/0c804085b7959578166180a9fceb2921b066244a174aa6101acb0a0eaecd2ac9.jpg)
No. 9: To protect an NFL quarterback, offensive lineman must be stronger than their opponent. Joe Staley showed how strong he can be by lifting an unthinkable amount of weights.
Back in high school, I took a class called “sports performance.” It was a class focused on working out, nutrition, and learning about how to live a healthy lifestyle. At the time, it was one of my favorite classes because how often can you say, “I get graded on working out.”
Like Joe Staley, I played offensive line in high school. So, of course, working out is important. But playing the same position as him is where the similarities come to an abrupt end. To his credit, he kept working on his NFL dream and I took a band trip to Banff, Alberta Canada.
This next video is from 2017. It’s Joe Staley bench press 455 pounds. At the young age of 32 years old:
Slomo 🎥 of @jstaley74 hitting 455 pounds on the bench this morning. 😳
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) May 31, 2017
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In my prime, I couldn’t do this even if you paid me. But this shows how bad he wanted it. He knew his role on the team, he knew if he didn’t keep up his physical fitness, a younger player could take his spot.
He worked his tail off and had arguably one of the best careers in a 49ers uniform.