Greg Roman, the new offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers, has a vision for improving Justin Herbert. Coincidentally, it is exactly what Roman has done at his last three NFL stops.
Speaking with reporters two weeks after he was hired by new Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, Roman outlined an offense that runs the ball more, to theoretically help Herbert get better looks as a passer.
From ESPN:
“Can you imagine Justin Herbert with a great running game?” Roman said. “… We don’t know, but I can imagine what it might look like. So that’s kind of the vision.”
The Chargers hired Roman a season after he parted ways with the Baltimore Ravens, where he spent four years calling plays for the most rush-heavy offense in the NFL. Over those seasons, the Ravens ranked first, first, second and first in rush rate on first down. They fell to sixth last season with new coordinator Todd Monken.
Roman has also served as offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, which were similarly — but not as severely — run-heavy with dual-threat quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and Colin Kaepernick. One of those offenses reached the Super Bowl in 2013, which was Roman’s first season as an offensive coordinator.
Despite some past success, Roman was a frequent target for fan criticism in Baltimore. He helped guide Lamar Jackson to his first MVP trophy, yes, but the subsequent seasons featured an offense that failed to develop into a consistently elite unit. Jackson having two seasons ended by an injury didn’t help either.
Justin Herbert might see some play-calling changes under Greg Roman. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
Obviously, Jackson and Mahomes are not the same quarterback. Roman still described his vision as a motion-heavy offense similar to his previous stints while promising the “diverse” passing game that never materialized there.
He even hinted at some designed runs for Herbert, via ESPN:
“It’s going to be a little different,” Roman said. “I think…
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