Longtime NFL scout Dave Razzano is not afraid to voice his opinion and he’s well-qualified to break down a game, having worked for three organizations that either won or played in a Super Bowl (San Francisco, 1988-92), St. Louis (1992-2006) and Arizona (2006-09). He now analyzes games every Sunday in San Francisco and writes therazzreport.com.
Here’s his take on the Redskins-Niners matchup:
On why Alex Smith is different: “He’s not different at all. What’s different is that Frank Gore, they run the ball and have the No. 1 defense in the league. So it’s not that Alex is different. He’s managing the offense. Jim Harbaugh knows what he can do. They run Gore and he gets six or seven yards on first down. They throw short. The defense hasn’t given up a rushing touchdown. They’re winning the old-fashioned way. They’re not throwing the ball. They run it and stop the run and their schedule is easy [coming up; ED note: this initially was misstated to say the schedule had been easy] and they got breaks early and all of a sudden they’re 6-1. Harbaugh’s a great coach; he knows what Alex can do. But he hasn’t had to air it out at all. Gore is hard to stop and that sets the stage with that big young physical offensive line.”
On where they’re strong on the line: “[Left guard] Mike Iupati’s a stud, [left tackle] Joe Staley’s a stud. They have some issues at center and the right tackle is OK; he’s a big guy that’s still learning. They’ve always had good linemen. They never had the quarterback. They’ve got a big fullback [Bruce Miller] who leads up in there and they use angle blocks. This run scheme, that’s Harbaugh and they know what they’re doing. It’s a different scheme. Harbaugh’s a run-first guy – he was even at Stanford. You look at Stanford this year and they’re averaging over 200 yards running a game. People think that’s a West Coast offense with Andrew Luck, but that’s Harbaugh’s offense. He likes to run. He’s not your typical West Coast throw the ball guy; that’s a misnomer. The Redskins’ defense is playing hot and cold. They have a good front seven; Kerrigan is playing well and Fletcher always plays well. The defense has potential but it’s a little hot and cold.”
On how to stop it: “The way to stop it, and this is what teams have been unable to do, you’ve got to score points and force them into throwing situations. Nobody’s done that with the Niners. You have to force them to throw. When games are close they just hand it off to Gore and Kendall Hunter. They’re hard to stop. This game plays into the 49ers hands. The Redskins can’t run the ball now and they can’t throw it. I don’t see the Niners stubbing their toe at all in this game.”
On where the Niners are vulnerable: “The passing game. But the problem is you have to stop them on first and second down and force them to throw. The Redskins have to blitz Smith. Harbaugh is such a great play caller and he plays high-percentage throws. He’ll roll Alex out and throw seven to eight yards. He moves a team methodically down the field. He just knows. But you have to force Smith to throw and that’s when you get errors.”
On why the Niners are such a good run defense: “Justin Smith has always been a big-time defensive lineman and they’ve got NaVorro Bowman but if you have Patrick Willis and Justin Smith, that’s a pretty good start. Ahmad Brooks is playing well. Ray McDonald is playing well [JK Note: McDonald hasn’t practiced this week] Aldon Smith is a rookie but he is playing well. But Smith and Willis in the front seven, those are two legit guys. They keep guys fresh, rotating guys in. I don’t buy that Bowman is playing as good as Willis. He’s playing well, but he’s not Willis.
On what the Redskins should do: “I think you run away from Justin Smith. You can’t run to the left. He shuts everything down. He’s that powerful. He’s always been one of the underrated linemen in the league. He’s not an elite rusher but he doesn’t have to be. He’s a strong, relentless 290-pound guy. He’s what the Redskins would like Adam Carriker to be. He’s not bad, but Smith is a stud. So you have to run to the right, run some draws and screens. You have to be creative. It’s tough because the Redskins can’t run the ball at all. You’ve got to take your shots down the field early and then work it underneath. They have to loosen up that defense. The corners aren’t that great so take shots. The front seven does a good job rallying to the ball.”
On John Beck: “You know what, he’s a decent backup. I thought that going in. The problem is that they have no run game and the wideouts are up in the air. It’s not all him and when they play that bad, you hold onto the ball and get sacked that many times… the whole thing is bad. The line was average [before the injuries]. I look at Cam Newton and he has a run game and that helps. He has Steve Smith. You need a guy that can separate and they’re not doing anything consistently. Here it is halfway through the season and they’re playing musical chairs at quarterback and that’s not an easy thing. He hasn’t played that much. The crazy thing is going into the season with Beck and Rex Grossman. I don’t know what Shanahan was thinking. I like Beck, but not as a front-line guy. But I don’t know what they saw him do to sign him. When he has played he hasn’t played well. I don’t know how you have those two quarterbacks so you can’t do much. I don’t get it.”
On how the Redskins can help Beck: “The problem is you have to run the ball and that’s their problem. Some teams don’t have run games; Detroit doesn’t have one but Matthew Stafford has an elite arm and can get by with that. Santana Moss is out so what do you have in the outside game? The tight end has to be his best friend. I’d shorten up the routes, get the ball out of Beck’s hand and throw some screens, run some draws. You can’t be a normal offense. Do what [San Francisco coach] Jim Harbaugh does. Watch what he does and everything is underneath. He takes advantage of the situation.”
On offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan: “I know he’s been handed every job. Kubiak handed him that job. I’ve never heard anything bad about him; I’ve never heard anything good. Some guys move up without having to prove themselves. The jury’s still out on him. He hasn’t done anything to prove himself.”
On Mike Shanahan: “If I’m Dan Snyder I’m pulling my hair out and then you get these retread coaches that don’t have a lot of incentive because they’ve already made a ton of money. I don’t get it. I put myself in their shoes and they’ve made a ton of money and they’re 60 and if we win, fine if we don’t? … I don’t know what the incentive is for Holmgren, Parcells, Shanahan to really roll up their sleeves and grind. A guy like Harbaugh is hungry; he rolls up his sleeves and you can tell he’s really into it.”
