Teammates, fans like Staley’s rare reception

Left tackle Joe Staley isa former tight end who enjoys receptions as much as he enjoys greasy food.

So the nearly 300-pound lineman reacted instinctively in the second quarter Sunday when he saw quarterback Nick Mullens’ batted pass hanging in the air. Staley grabbed the deflection, was tackled for a 5-yard loss and enthusiastically skipped back to the huddle as the Levi’s Stadium crowd roared its approval in the 49ers’ 20-14 win over the Broncos.

“The correct thing to do is bat it down,” Staley said, smiling. “But a lineman sees the ball in the air and you’re not not going to catch it, right? It’s like telling me, ‘Hey, there’s pizza here, but don’t have a slice.’ ”

The grab was the third career reception for Staley, 34, who began his career at Central Michigan as a tight end. He had a 17-yard catch in 2011 and a 14-yarder in 2013 on designed plays.

In 2011, Staley memorably signaled for a first down after the catch. But a celebratory skip after a 5-yard loss? Staley explained.

“So I caught the ball and right when I caught it, I was like, ‘That was stupid,’ ” Staley said. “And then I looked and then I saw like four guys coming at me and I was like ‘Oh, man.’

“… And then I got up and then I heard the crowd go kind of crazy: They were like, ‘Yeahhhh.’ So then I just got hyped off the crowd. So I know I’m not supposed to do that. (Head coach) Kyle (Shanahan) will probably break it down in the meeting room.”

Said rookie right tackle Mike McGlinchey: “We were all pumped about that. We felt the celebration was a little bit much for a (5-yard) loss. But anytime one of us big boys touches the ball, it’s exciting.”

Staley was correct about Shanahan reviewing his catch in a meeting. When asked whether Staley should incur a penalty, Shanahan agreed he should be fined by his teammates.

“He’s always trying to show us how athletic he is,” Shanahan said, “but he hurt us. We lost 5 yards. It was not a smart play.” York remembered: The 49ers’ locker-room celebration was muted because of the death on Friday of Tony York, 35, the son of owners Denise and John York and the brother of CEO Jed York. A cause of death was not specified when the 49ers announced York’s death Saturday.

Shanahan said the team had a “special moment” with Jed York in the postgame locker room. John and Denise York did not attend the game. Shanahan’s voice was thick with emotion as he began his news conference by referencing Tony York: “This game was definitely for him.

“Getting to know the Yorks the last two years, the one thing that was so apparent to me about Tony … he was the biggest Niners fan out of any of them and really out of anyone I’ve been around since I’ve been in San Fran.Yeah, he is an owner, but (he was) just the true fan.” Rookie against Miller: In his successful matchup with AllPro pass rusher Von Miller, McGlinchey allowed a sack … but it came with an asterisk.

In the second quarter, Miller beat McGlinchey with an outside move and dropped Mullens for a 9-yard loss. However, McGlinchey was being pulled by defensive tackle Derek Wolfe.

“He yanked me down,” McGlinchey said, “and Von got my edge.”

Miller had three tackles, three quarterback hits and three offside penalties.

“I told him he’s a hell of a player and it was a lot of fun preparing for him and watching him on tape,” McGlinchey said. “If you love football, you love watching guys like that. … I was very much looking forward to that opportunity to play him today, and I thought I did a pretty good job.”

McGlinchey said Miller returned some of his compliments: “For him to say that means the world.”