Even as the losses mounted to open the season – nine straight to be exact – Staley's confidence in Shanahan never wavered, and the left tackle's trust in the process became paramount. It's impossible for a coach to keep hold of a locker room without the veterans buying in. That leads us to one of the year's pivotal turning points.

Shanahan came to Staley with a favor ahead of San Francisco's Week 10 home game against the New York Giants. It's tradition that a few players speak at the final team meeting each Saturday night before a game. Shanahan asked his left tackle if he was willing to share a few words.

Staley, who enjoys public speaking about as much as an introverted third grader with a speech impediment, obliged.

"Joe is a funny guy, and he's got a great personality, but I don't think he loves to sit in the front of the room and talk," Shanahan said. "I remember when I asked him to, he almost had a panic attack."

Staley kept things brief. Daniel Kilgore estimates that his fellow offensive lineman spoke for no more than two-and-a-half minutes. Staley swiftly covered the ebbs and flows of his career and reiterated to his teammates that this year's roster was composed of a special group of players. He made the point that nobody had turned on one another as so often happens amid a losing season.

"I told them that I'm excited to go to work with them everyday," Staley paraphrased his speech. "I believe in what we're doing here, and I told them to stay the course. Everything else will take care of itself in terms of wins and losses."

Staley openly admits that he's not a "rah-rah" guy and much prefers to lead by example – you know, like returning to the lineup just one week removed from a broken orbital bone. But while he'd never give himself the credit, there's no denying that his words resonated with everyone in the room.

For a man who loathes speaking in front of a group, Staley knocked it out of the park.

"He's a man of few words, and so when he got up there, everyone got quiet and listened," DeForest Buckner said. "That's the type of respect everyone has for him."

Added Shanahan: "There are very few people in the locker room that demand that kind of attention."

Sure enough, the 49ers throttled the Giants, 31-21, the very next day to capture their first win of the season. New York's garbage time touchdown late in the fourth quarter was the only reason the final score resembled a semi-close game.