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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Joe Staley gave two straight one-word answers and then poured out his heart.
The 35-year-old longest-tenured member of the 49ers is now a two-time Super Bowl loser and can feel the clock running out on his chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, after Sunday’s 31-20 loss to the Chiefs.
“I’m sorry,” a rosy-cheeked Staley said. “This is super disappointing. This is very hard being in this moment right now.”
And yet he took a breath and summoned the poise to take fans inside the agony of losing a Super Bowl, especially when beginning the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead.
“You put your heart and soul and your whole entire life into trying to be a Super Bowl champion, and you get toward the end of your career and you realize how rare these opportunities are,” Staley said, staring off into space. “The emotions are still raw and real for me right now. I’m trying to answer questions, and I’m sorry that I’m not.”
Another pause: “Put yourself in my shoes for a second. It is tough.”
The emotion Staley felt was only magnified by his physical pain. He briefly left the game to get stitches after his finger was “sliced.”
It took Staley seven years to make it back to the Super Bowl after the 49ers lost to the Ravens. The offensive lineman has played for four coaches and seen the team slip to the bottom of the NFL since then, so there are no guarantees he will be back again soon, even when surrounded by a top-notch defense and a quarterback in his prime.
“This football team is built for the long haul,” Staley said, “and I could not be more proud of the guys that we have in our locker room. I think we have a ton of talent, and we will be back.”
Teammates rallied around Staley after hearing how the loss shook him.
“It sucks losing it, especially for Joe,” Jimmy Garoppolo said, “with just everything he’s been through.”
Added All-Pro tight end George Kittle, “I love Joe Staley. Since Day 1 I’ve been here, he’s been incredible. To see him get back to this game and how happy he was, he’s been competing for us the whole season, playing at an elite level.”
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