Talking the talk, blocking the block

On Saturday night, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan asked three of his elder statesmen, left tackle Joe Staley, linebacker Elvis Dumervil and fullback Kyle Juszczyk , to address players during a team meeting.

For Staley, it was a nerveracking assignment.

“Anyone that knows 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 at Levi’s Stadium 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 and limited New York to zero sacks and two quarterback hits.

The 49ers entered with the second-most sacks (32) allowed in the NFL and quarterback C.J. Beathard was hit 37 times in his previous three starts.

Shanahan said Staley, 33, the team’s longest-tenured player, surprised him when he told him via text message Tuesday that he’d start against New York. Staley played with a helmet visor to protect his eye. Shanahan noted it was a risk Staley didn’t have to take.

“For him to come out there today I think pumped a lot of guys up because that’s not something he had to do by any means,” Shanahan said. “It was something he wanted to do and we really appreciated it.”

Staley, whose eye was initially nearly swollen shut, showed no visible signs of his injury after the game and said the glue covering the gash fell off shortly before kickoff.

“It was an omen,” he said. Sack man: Evidently, Ronald Blair’s thumb is OK.

In his second game back from a thumb injury he sustained before the season, the defensive tackle started and had two sacks, just one fewer than he managed in his first 17 games of his career.

Blair, a 2016 fifth-round pick, spent the first seven games of the season on injured reserve.

“It feels great because, for the longest time, I felt like I was letting my guys down sitting back and watching them while I was sitting out with a thumb injury,” Blair said. “I’m just glad to be able to come back into the locker room and celebrate a win with the guys.” Briefly: The 49ers’ 67 percent conversion rate on third down (8-for-12) was their best since they had the same percentage in a win over Jacksonville on Oct. 27, 2013. … Running back Raheem Mostert (shoulder) was the only player on the team’s injury report. … Defensive tackle Solomon Thomas (knee) missed his second straight game and cornerback K’Waun Williams (quadriceps) returned after a twogame absence.