Greg Roman Chargers Offensive Coordinator

[Halonoonan]

Some of you crack me up. We wanted Harnaugh because of his past success etc, we get harbaugh, harbaugh picks Roman for OC, some people complain. Maybe harbaugh knows what he’s doing?
roman isn’t going to come in here and make Herbert and game manager.

[Xenos]

Harbaugh's not bringing rookies to the coordinator positions

Engstrand isn’t exactly a rookie. He called plays under Harbaugh at USD. Also playcaller in the CFL. So while no NFL experience, he does have playcalling experience elsewhere. It’s like sayin Minter is a rookie for never calling plays at the NFL level.

[Xenos]

I'll go on record as hating this pick. I saw why he was let go by Harbaugh in Baltimore. Do we need to improve the running game? Of course. But we also need to improve the passing game (something he had trouble doing well and why he was let go with the Ravens). I'll hope for the best, but am prepared (again) for a guy who can't create & scheme his way out of a cover-0 defense.

I think like the offensive version of Gus Bradley, Roman’s scheme usually does well the first year. Maybe second as well. So there’s hope 😅

https://theathletic.com/4107386/2023/01/19/ravens-greg-roman-offensive-coordinator/

During Roman’s first season at the helm of Baltimore’s offense, the Ravens led the league in points per game (33.2) and average rushing yards (206). During the 2020 season, Baltimore was seventh in points per game (29.3) then slid to 17th the following year (22.8). In the final season under Roman, the Ravens finished 19th in the league in points scored per game.

[Formula 21]

Hortiz talkin about building a strong running game with a strong O line to protect Herb.Love it!Said he wants to build a tough mentality here.Wants other teams to know when they come to Sofi there in for a tough time.Preach!!!!

Fuckin genius

[AK47]

Welcome Greg! About time we got someone to marry the run game with Herbert's skills. Going to be an awesome year, payback time, AFC West!

Imagine if it was a prime Peyton Manning that went to the Broncos? That's probably what Harbaugh's vision similarly looks like. Stout defense, stout run game, big play potential from QB as needed.

[DerwinBosa]

I expect quality over quantity in the passing game with Roman calling the plays. I believe the improvement of the running game will help Herbert tremendously. I really think Roman's offense will allow Herbert to get the ball downfield better through deception much more often than when Lombardi and Moore were calling the plays.

Let's also keep in mind that Lamar's best season was actually 2019 under Roman in his first season as offensive coordinator for Baltimore, when Lamar threw 36 touchdown passes to only six interceptions on 56 fewer passing attempts than what he had this season. This year Lamar threw for 500 more yards but had only 24 touchdown passes to seven interceptions. In 2019 Lamar's passer rating was 113.3 and his QBR was 83. This season his passer rating was 102.7 and his QBR was 64.7. Lamar also missed five regular-season games each in 2021 and 2022, leaving Roman with Tyler Huntley starting eight of them, and Josh Johnson and Anthony Brown starting one each. Huntley started the Wild Card playoff game against Cincinnati last season, in which Baltimore should have won, but Huntley's careless fumble on a goal-line lunge led to Sam Hubbard's 98-yard return for a touchdown for a 24-17 Bengals lead in the fourth quarter. Besides that, Huntley played pretty well in that game, completing 17 of 29 for 226 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.

Under Roman, the Ravens rushed for 3,296 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2019 and 3,071 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2020. The Ravens' "worst" season running the ball under Roman was in 2021, when they rushed for 2,479 yards, 18 touchdowns, and had an average of 4.8 yards an attempt--the only year they didn't rush for five yards a carry with Roman. I guess the complaint was the passing game regressed each season after 2019, but I think Ravens fans should realize you can only do so much in that area with Lamar as your quarterback. It won't surprise if me Todd Monken becomes the scapegoat when the passing game doesn't live up to the fans' expectations over the next few years in Baltimore.

Let's also keep in mind that Alex Smith was considered an absolute bust before Harbaugh became San Francisco's head coach in 2011 and hired Roman as his offensive coordinator, and Colin Kaepernick didn't do shit after Harbaugh and Roman "left" following the 2014 season. It can also be argued that Roman turned Tyrod Taylor into a starting-caliber quarterback. Taylor didn't start a game before Roman became his offensive coordinator in Buffalo in 2015. Taylor's only two seasons throwing for over 3,000 yards were with Roman in 2015 and 2016. Taylor threw for 37 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions over those two years.

So in the NFL, Roman's starting quarterbacks have been Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Tyrod Taylor, and Lamar Jackson, with backup Tyler Huntley seeing significant action. I don't see anything close to an elite passer in that group.

I like the hire. Let's see what Roman can do with Herbert.

[ChargingBolts]

Hmm. Let's hope Roman has learned from his mistakes and doesn't want to be unemployed again. I prefer a 60/40 passing game. Especially with a qb like Herbert. Please no FB, such a waste of a roster space, so one dimensional and when the FB is in there the D keys on the run. I'd rather have a TE in the backfield that can block or go out and catch a pass. (I also think long snapper is a waste of a roster space, you basically tell the back up center to learn how to long snap to stay on the team then you can keep an extra qb or rb or wr on the roster)

[Steve]

The catch with teams that go too far one way or the other in the run or pass emphasis is that it is tough to correct once you head down that path. The Ravens spent a lot of draft capital on players trying to develop a passing game under Lamar, but if you don't have very good receivers, you don't throw the ball much ... and you don't get better ... so you run the ball more ... so you don't practice the passing as much ... so you don't improve much ... so you don't call it in games ... and it just becomes a vicious cycle. We have kind of had the reverse cycle with our passing game.

The flip side is that a "contrarian" offense (that emphasizes the run) has access to personnel that other teams are maybe not as interested in and plays a style that defenses are not built to stop. When you get to the playoffs it is kinda Martyball. Playoff teams (good teams) can stop the run, and then when your running game is struggling you are forced to beat a good team with your passing game that you aren't as good at is less than ideal. And Roman's playoff record reflects that.

Hopefully, this time, we go for a lot more balance. The best passing QB that Roman had was Smith in SF. If you look back at it, they were a lot more balanced then. When he had to go with Kapernick and the rest, he didn't throw the ball as much because those guys would have been exposed if they had tried to be a passing O. You can only dial up so many chunk plays per game. If your only option is play action, it really limits what an offense can do, so they had to go mostly run to set up those plays.

Herbert is pretty well suited to Romans offense. Herbert does his best work on play-action, boots, waggles and RPO stuff. Unlike the guys Roman has had in the past, he just isn't limited to ONLY those plays. And since we were a poor running O the entire time we have had Herbert, it hasn't been our best look.

Herbert can throw 3-step, 5-step stuff all day long too. It hasn't worked consistently for us because we haven't been able to keep our offense healthy, especially the WR (Williams).

[Steve]

Hmm. Let's hope Roman has learned from his mistakes and doesn't want to be unemployed again. I prefer a 60/40 passing game. Especially with a qb like Herbert. Please no FB, such a waste of a roster space, so one dimensional and when the FB is in there the D keys on the run. I'd rather have a TE in the backfield that can block or go out and catch a pass. (I also think long snapper is a waste of a roster space, you basically tell the back up center to learn how to long snap to stay on the team then you can keep an extra qb or rb or wr on the roster)

As far as FB go, it depends on who you can get. As Charging Bolts mentions, most of the guys who are the best players are used at TE instead of FB. Most FB are either guys who didn't get to play much in college and don't have any skills, or they are playing TE.

If we can find and quickly develop a FB, fine. Good FB can add a lot of toughness to a team. Just don't waste a roster spot on a sloppy guy who isn't very good just so you can run a few lead plays. It isn't good roster management unless the guy is consistent and good enough to have on the field regularly, and for the most part a TE can do that.

[Blastttoff]

I’m sure Herbert will be much happier working with a 2nd and 5 situations rather than always having to bail us out with 2nd and long situations.

[GoChargersGo!!]

It’s official. Not sure why there was so much confusion about the process. Hoping for the best even if he’s not my preferred choice.

Going back to his SF and BAL days as OC he has a offensive system that is very run heavy. The Chargers right now don't have a real bell cow RB. I am curious about how this is going to work out as well. Also times have changed in NFL considerably his system could be outdated I believe he received a lot of criticism in BAL about his play calling. Teams don't run the ball 40 times a game like they used to it's a pass happy league now.

[GoChargersGo!!]

I’m sure Herbert will be much happier working with a 2nd and 5 situations rather than always having to bail us out with 2nd and long situations.

I hope that this hire works out he had Lamar Jackson arguably the best running QB ever and his play calling was still questionable in 2nd and short, 3rd and short situations.