Greg Roman OC Discussion, Part 2

[Topcat]

You fired a smart bomb and it landed: AND. SCHEME.

Scheme is likely more important than play-calling.

While I do think Roman has been unfairly targeted...and now exuberantly praised...I do want to raise a possibility:
The Chargers in their offseason employed a pass-game consultant hidden behind the curtain.

Just a wild man's guess. So much of the NFL is hidden to us fans.

Remember that Marc Trestman is still on staff as a "senior offensive assistant." It may be the Bolts upgraded him to design many, if not most of those pass plays we saw on Friday. It also helps to have more weapons to use. "GroMarc Industries...delivering the goods by land and air"

[Riverwalk]

Fans of football crucify offensive play-callers at every level....from high school to the pros.

If a play doesn't work it's the play-caller's fault. Simple as that...and silly as that.

Lions offense without Ben Johnson was a joke.

[dmac_bolt]

Apparently, Roman knows how to put together a pass game plan, too.
Chiefs LB's were geared up to stop the legacy of Roman... their first step was overwhelmingly toward the LOS to stop the run.
A lot of space was created in the play-action pass game. Keenan and Ladd were the beneficiaries.
Roman also likes to send a WR long... that also creates more space for Keenan and McConkey.

Major props to Roman. He ran just enough to keep those LB's moving forward. The few times they went to Conklin, he was wide open. He had the Chiefs DB's on their heals the whole game. They were getting gashed playing zone coverages... so they went man coverage more near the end. QJ made them pay on his second TD. Herbert made them pay when he saw backs turned in man coverage... took off running to ice the game.

This is why I disagreed on many QJ commenters who say he should never run deep X type routes. Need to run someone out deep to keep safeties honest and create some of the one on ones we saw underneath.

What I love is Herbie has such a beautifully accurate gun, where normal QBs might throw 6-8 yard crossers, he's laser pointing 12-16 yard crossers in on a rope

[richpjr]

Here is the article:

Justin Herbert was damn near flawless in Brazil.

“It’s MVP level,” Chargers OC Greg Roman said over the phone Saturday afternoon, after getting home to the States. “It really is. That’s a big-time game and he played about as good as you can. … Patrick Mahomes goes down the field and answers, and Justin Herbert comes out, right back at ya, and oh by the way you’re not getting the ball back at the end.”

The ending that Roman’s referencing—a 19-yard scramble on which Herbert looked like an SUV breaking the speed limit turning the corner, punctuated by a slide that would make a leadoff hitter proud, to convert third-and-14—perfectly illustrates where the QB is in his career.

And it brings Roman back to an offseason trip he made to Herbert’s home in Oregon.

Roman didn’t just go to Eugene to bond with his quarterback, though that was part of the idea. He was also there with an intent to help Herbert take his next steps as a player. To that end, he came equipped with tape to fully bring the idea to life.

That it didn’t happen last year was, to a degree, unavoidable. Plantar fasciitis cost Herbert almost all of training camp, and that foot injury was followed later in the year by an ankle injury that prompted the coaches to act with some caution in his deployment. Free of that, Roman implicitly gave Herbert the green light to run more as they went through film.

“Last year, when he got his feet involved, great things happened,” Roman said. “We scored a lot of points and won those games—Denver, Cincinnati. And showing a lot of cutups of it, and just talking through it: Oh, look at what Josh Allen just did, look at what Mahomes just did. It’s making him aware. It’s not a mandate. It’s as we continue to just be the winningest group we can be on offense, that’s something that we just need to get more out of him.”

Friday showed that Herbert as a runner can affect a defense, even on a play that doesn’t count.

This one came on the final play of the first quarter. On first-and-20, Herbert made Drue Tranquill miss in the open field, ran Jaylen Watson over, then lowered his shoulder and fought through Nick Bolton at the sticks to cap a 22-yard gain. It came back on a holding call, but a message was sent.

“It demoralizes the defense,” Roman said. “They had great coverage, then all of a sudden, Oh man, another first down. And it was so cool to beat the Chiefs with that, too. Mahomes does that to everybody. It’s a vital asset.”

Add to that Herbert as a passer—his rating was 131.7 against a really good Kansas City group—and it’s easy to see why Harbaugh, Roman and everyone else in powder blue is really excited about their quarterback. Last year, Roman said, because of the injury, they basically had to treat September as a second training camp for the offense.

This year, they are hitting the ground running. Roman said, after looking at the tape, Herbert had just one miss, the slight overthrow to Ladd McConkey deep in Chiefs territory. “I told Ladd to get longer arms,” Roman said.

It was a joke. However, he was serious in saying Herbert was actually that close to throwing a perfect game.

[sonorajim]

Remember that Marc Trestman is still on staff as a "senior offensive assistant." It may be the Bolts upgraded him to design many, if not most of those pass plays we saw on Friday. It also helps to have more weapons to use. "GroMarc Industries...delivering the goods by land and air"

Marcus Brady, pass game CO probably helped. I like the work Sanjay Lal has done with his people. He's on the sideline talking with players during the game. And of course all is done under Jim Harbaugh's tent.

[Fleet 1]

I keep talking about QJ in condensed formations. And here is JT discussing it at 1:30 in.

[BayAreaBoltz]

This is why I disagreed on many QJ commenters who say he should never run deep X type routes. Need to run someone out deep to keep safeties honest and create some of the one on ones we saw underneath.

Agreed with needing someone out deep. And you can even use QJ as a decoy. But let's not try forcing the ball to QJ on those kinds of routes. He's usually tightly covered on them and doesn't tend to fare well when he has to make the catch with a defender on him. Or near him.

[Velo]

I keep talking about QJ in condensed formations. And here is JT discussing it at 1:30 in.

This is really good, I learn a lot from this type of analysis. Roman did a good of game-planning and play-calling, he seems to have a good grasp of how to use QJ now and his offensive personnel as whole. My favorite play of the night was Herbert hitting QJ on the crosser for a TD from outside the red zone, not a condensed formation, but a route that QJ is also strong at. That TD was the dagger IMO, it let the Chiefs' D know that they're not going to stop Herbert and the offense no matter what Mahomes pulls off.

[Fleet 1]

This is really good, I learn a lot from this type of analysis. Roman did a good of game-planning and play-calling, he seems to have a good grasp of how to use QJ now and his offensive personnel as whole. My favorite play of the night was Herbert hitting QJ on the crosser for a TD from outside the red zone, not a condensed formation, but a route that QJ is also strong at. That TD was the dagger IMO, it let the Chiefs' D know that they're not going to stop Herbert and the offense no matter what Mahomes pulls off.

Dropping Herbert back 10 steps or just naked boots and rollouts helps. He is a different guy with his healthy legs. This offense last year would have been more efficient if he didnt get hurt in camp. Ive always seen his fit in this offense. But it requires his legs.

[richpjr]

Dropping Herbert back 10 steps or just naked boots and rollouts helps. He is a different guy with his healthy legs. This offense last year would have been more efficient if he didnt get hurt in camp. Ive always seen his fit in this offense. But it requires his legs.

He really is and it was encouraging to read that Roman wants him to use them more.

[AK47]

Dropping Herbert back 10 steps or just naked boots and rollouts helps. He is a different guy with his healthy legs. This offense last year would have been more efficient if he didnt get hurt in camp. Ive always seen his fit in this offense. But it requires his legs.

He couldn't do that last year until maybe November. Those long strides means more distance for pass rushers to cover just to get to Herbert.

[dmac_bolt]

Agreed with needing someone out deep. And you can even use QJ as a decoy. But let's not try forcing the ball to QJ on those kinds of routes. He's usually tightly covered on them and doesn't tend to fare well when he has to make the catch with a defender on him. Or near him.

my comment is always the same: if you never throw it deep to QJ, every DC in the league will know it and then every DB in the league will know it and he's no longer a decoy. you have to throw it deep to him once in awhile to keep defenders playing the entire field and opening up underneath (more) to Ladd, Allen, Conklin, etc.

don't call the deep over-shoulder sideline go route to him on critical 3rd or 4th downs, like the Aztecs' moron Sean Lewis did all game vs WSU with zero receptions.