Dave Razzano is a former NFL scout and Playmaker Mobile correspondent with more than 22 years of professional scouting experience with the San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals under NFL coaches including Bill Walsh, George Seifert, Chuck Knox and Dick Vermeil. He's been a part of five Super Bowls with three Super Bowl wins (49ers, 1989, 1990; Rams, 2000).
Interview by Dewey Hammond.
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Q: Brett Favre, retired.
A: First of all I’m going to change my power rankings and drop them to fifth or sixth. Right now they’re number one overall. It’ll definitely hurt them to lose Brett Favre. I think instead they’ll be a prominent upper-echelon team with their backups, running game and defense. I think Sage Rosenfels is a little better than people are giving him credit for. He’s always been a real solid backup whenever he’s had the opportunity to come in. They drop off but that team is loaded. They’ll still be a solid football team but losing Favre will definitely hurt them in the long run.
Q: How specifically will it impact the passing game and running game with Favre not on the field?
A: You won’t see Sidney Rice catching 83 balls like he did last year. You won’t see the big plays down the field. You’ll see more of an underneath ball-control passing game. Their running game will be solid but losing Favre effects everybody because he’s such a threat both in and out of the pocket as well. Just his presence on the field, his cannon, he can get the ball in tight spots at any moment. It hurts everybody but they can still be efficient with the running game and shorter passing game. They might not get the numbers everyone expects but they still have Adrian Peterson, they have Toby Gerhart and that offensive line and the defensive front seven. In a way I think sometimes people can rally. They might rally. They have enough talent to rally and say, Look, we’re not going to fall back. We’re going to win some games. They’ll still be a good team.
Q: Is there at all a QB battle between Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson?
A: [Reluctantly] I think there will be but whenever Sage has had an opportunity he’s been a solid passer. They traded for him to be their starter and then when Favre became available they jumped on him. But they had every intention of starting Rosenfels when they got him in a trade from the Houston Texans. I know their management really likes Rosenfels. He’s an upper-echelon backup and fringe starter in this league. He could be a solid starter given time because he has produced and moved teams every chance he’s gotten. He’s a big guy and an athlete with a nice arm, not great but he’s accurate. Rosenfels will definitely be the guy.
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