Bar set high for 49ers' Staley

SANTA CLARA – Joe Staley went head-to-head against the AFC sack leader on 27 plays Sunday in Miami. He won every time.

Offensive coordinator Mike Martz said that’s the kind of perfection he expects to see from Staley, a second-year pro who is completing his first season as the 49ers’ left tackle.

“Our expectations for him and the standard we have for him is awfully high, and he reached that standard or approached our expectations of what we think he’s capable of in that game,” Martz said of Staley’s performance against pass rusher Joey Porter of the Miami Dolphins. “The bad news is we expect him to be like that every week.”

Staley considers that good news, because he expects that out of himself, too.

And for his encore, he will face St. Louis Rams rookie defensive end Chris Long, the No. 2 overall draft pick of 2008, on Sunday.

The first Staley-Long matchup took place Nov. 16, and Staley was the decisive winner. Long recorded just one assisted tackle in the 49ers’ 35-16 victory at Candlestick Park.

“I knew he’s a great young player — an up-and-coming guy,” Long said this week. “For years to come, it’s one of those matchups that hopefully can gain some luster and we both can have some success in this league.”

Staley and Long have chances to be building blocks for their teams. It’s not unrealistic to think the Staley-Long battle in the NFC West could take place twice a season for a decade.

“Chris Long is a good player,” Staley said. “He’s really relentless. He plays really strong every play. It’s good to have that matchup in the NFC West. Hopefully, we can play a long time for our teams.”

Long, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Howie Long, has experienced some growing pains as a rookie — just as Staley did a year ago at right tackle.

Two weeks ago, Long had a blank stat sheet in the Rams’ loss to the Arizona Cardinals. But he rebounded last week to notch five tackles against the Seattle Seahawks.

“He’s playing with that pizzazz that you saw him play in college, which is way more aware of what is going on around him now and not so unsure of himself,” Martz said of Long. “So I think he’s one of those players that you’ll see break out here.”

Rams interim coach Jim Haslett said Staley and Long have to be prepared to play every week because they will always be matched against a great player.

“I think both of them are really good football players,” Haslett said. “I liked Staley when he came out, and I think he’s a heck of a player. And Chris, obviously, being on the right side, he’s going to get the best lineman every week. He’s performed well sometimes and other times he hasn’t lived up to it.”

Staley definitely lived up to it last week against Porter, who ranks second in the NFL with 17½ sacks.

Porter had zero success against Staley, so he moved to the other side of the line and recorded the game-ending sack against 49ers right tackle Barry Sims.

But this week it was back to work for Staley.

“You always got to be working on something,” Staley said. “Once you think you’ve got it, that’s when you play crappy.”

GORE QUESTIONABLE

Running back Frank Gore has not practiced since sustaining his left ankle sprain Dec. 7 against the New York Jets, but coach Mike Singletary said there is a chance he could be available for Sunday’s game against the Rams.

“(He) just warmed up a little more, stretched it a little bit more,” Singletary said. “We’re hoping for the best. He’s had a lot of rest this week and last week. Hopefully, we can get some response there.”

Veteran DeShaun Foster is likely to make his second consecutive start in place of Gore.

Barry Sims is expected to start at right tackle in place of Adam Snyder, who saw limited action Friday due to an ankle sprain.

Return specialist Allen Rossum will return to action, Singletary said. Rossum has missed the past three games with an ankle sprain.

The following players are listed as probable for Sunday’s game:

defensive end Ron Fields (foot);

safeties Michael Lewis (abdomen) and Mark Roman (head);

receiver Josh Morgan (head);

Staley (ankle).

For more on the 49ers, go to Instant 49ers at http://blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers. You can reach Staff Writer Matt Maiocco at 521-5492 or matt.maiocco@pressdemocrat.com