San Francisco's Joe Staley Was the Star of 49ers" Film Session San Francisco left tackle Joe Staley sprinted like a man half his size, even considering his reputation as a speedy offensive lineman. He leveled safety Isa Abdul-Quddus with a cut block at the 10 to clear the way for Alex Smith's 28-yard quarterback sweep for a touchdown in the 49ers" 36-32 victory against the favored New Orleans Saints. On third-and-8 with 2 minutes 18 seconds remaining, Smith got the snap and went to his left away from the blitz. Then Staley came up big - 6 feet 5 inches, 315 pounds big. "I would say Joe was running like a tight end, but he wasn't," Coach Jim Harbaugh said. He was running faster. He was running like a D.B. And Joe told us in the locker room: "Wait until you see my block. Wait until you see my block on film. And it was a tremendous block. The stride, the beauty of the arm action, the leg cycle, the speed. And to cut a corner in open space, that's similar to tackling a guy in open space, and Joe is that kind of athlete. Staley lettered two years in track at Rockford High in Michigan, setting school records in the 200 meters and on two relay teams. A first-time Pro Bowl selection, he has done the little things all season. He is the one who took accountability for the offensive line's early-season struggles and called on the unit to be better. Staley rolled after making the play and looked up in time to see Smith scurry into the end zone. San Francisco needed that play, as the Saints" Drew Brees led another touchdown drive before Smith hit Vernon Davis from 14 yards for the winning score with nine seconds left. "That was more tongue-in-cheek kind of thing," Staley said of talking up his highlight reel. I was just real happy about the win and the outcome and those plays that Alex made in the final drive. That really sealed the game for us and won us the game. For Vernon to come up with those key catches, that's more the story than that play. ON THE SIDELINE Jerry West has said it is harder being an executive than a player, and John Elway agrees. "Yeah, there's a lot to that," Elway, the Broncos" Hall of Fame quarterback and executive vice president for football operations, said in reflecting on his first year in the front office. Especially being a quarterback, you have so much control because you're touching that football down in and down out, and it's such an important position. Elway said running an Arena Football League team after his retirement from the N.F.L. was a good steppingstone. "Now, I will say this, being in my position is a heck of a lot better on the body than the old job," he said. But I think mentally it's still just as tough, with the wins and the losses. TOUGH ON THE WALLET According PrimeSport, which offers tickets and packages for sporting events, the N.F.C. championship game between the Giants and the 49ers in San Francisco had seats available for as low as $308 - if anyone considers that low - and as high as $2,750. For the A.F.C. championship in Foxborough, Mass., between the Ravens and the Patriots, the going rate was $209 to $1,443.