"I read this in the paper the other day, `When somebody's chasing you, it makes you run faster,"' Harris said with a laugh. "That speaks volumes. It's always been beneficial to me to have somebody on my coattails.

"But in terms of being fearful for my job? No. Joe's good, he's going to continue to push me and he also provides us with really good depth. I have nothing but good things to say about him."

Harris, 25, is coming off a solid season, but the 2003 first-round draft pick from Stanford also is in the final year of his contract. The drafting of Staley — the second of the 49ers' two first-round picks — strengthened the line and provided some flexibility if the 49ers trade Harris or lose him in free agency after this season.

Staley said neither he nor Harris is taking their mutual push for the right-tackle job personally.

"Everybody wants to start," he said. "Everybody wants to play in the NFL. Kwame is helping me and I'm telling Kwame what he's doing. It's not like we're enemies or anything."

Offensive-line coach George Warhop described the competition as "very close."

"Kwame's not shrinking from it, I can tell you that, and Joe's not shrinking from it either," Warhop said. "We've got two very good players. We've got a young guy who's got a lot of ability and a lot to learn, and we've got a young veteran player who continues to improve. That's a good problem to have."

Staley, 22, accelerated his learning curve when he practiced with the first team during organized team activities in June, when Harris was sidelined by a bulging disk in his back.

But Harris, who has started the past 32 games at right tackle, returned from the injury at the beginning of training camp and has played well while taking all the first-team practice repetitions.

"Training camp is intense, it's fun and it's nice to be back here with all these teammates, building solidarity, building camaraderie," Harris said. "It's a man's work out there. And it's nice to be playing football again. It gives you a place to put in all that tension, all that anxiety, all that built-up rage after being out of the game."

Some of that anger and tension in Harris might be a reaction to critics who have taken aim at his inconsistent pass protection.

An aggressive, forceful run blocker, Harris has been vulnerable at times to speed rushers, especially when his technique has broken down, causing him to lose his leverage. According to STATS, Inc., Harris has been beaten for 18 sacks in the past two years, including 8 › last year.

Staley has held up fairly well in pass protection during team and individual drills, showing exceptional quickness and athleticism to stay engaged with pass rushers. But he has a lot to learn.

"I feel like I've made a lot of progress, as far as fundamentals, and since training camp started, I've become more confident in my abilities and what I can do at the NFL level," Staley said.

Just as important, he has cultivated the mental toughness that he said offensive linemen need.

"I've always kind of had that mean streak on the field," he said. "But you definitely have to have that as an offensive lineman coming out here, showing you're not going to back down to anybody as a rookie. You can't come in here scared, because people will pick on you and they'll exploit you on the field."

NINER NOTES

—Nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin returned to practice after an MRI exam on his strained elbow showed no serious problem.