Baltimore Ravens fans may have seen Lamar Jackson's mercurial talent turn him into one of the must-watch attractions in the NFL, but those same fans were simultaneously driven up a wall by Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman and his archaic offense stifling what Jackson could do.
While Roman, who coordinated offenses for running quarterbacks like Colin Kaepernick and Tyrod Taylor, did help Jackson win his first MVP in 2019, the lack of innovation in the passing game led to Lamar struggling to replicate his 2019 stats through the air. His postseason performance was well below par. Todd Monken was just what he needed.
Despite that, Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers decided that Roman was somehow the best choice to get the most out of Justin Herbert and his bazooka of an arm. Roman's initial comments on his plans for the Chargers this season sound all too familiar to a fanbase that put up with iffy playcalling for years.
Roman claims that he is going to have "balance" in the offense after months of hyping up a new run-first game plan, claiming the illusion of being able to run the ball is often considered "just as powerful" as actually running it. Roman also claimed he would have a balanced attack in Baltimore, and he rarely did.
Former Ravens OC Greg Roman on his Chargers vision
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) June 13, 2024
“I think we want to have some balance in our offense. We’re not just gonna run the ball into a brick wall. Sometimes the illusion of wanting to run the ball a lot is just as powerful as the ability to”pic.twitter.com/aqiSA9EEBw
Greg Roman's quotes on Chargers offense are eerily similar to Ravens philosophy
Roman's offenses typically rank at or near the top of the league in rushing yards, so he must be given credit where credit is due. However, Roman's passing offenses and evaluation of talent around Jackson were called into question quite often during his Ravens tenure.
Roman appears to have convinced Harbaugh what he had in Baltimore was the peak of offensive innovation, as the Chargers have signed a half-dozen former Ravens players. Names like Hayden Hurst, Bradley Bozeman, Gus Edwards, and JK Dobbins are getting another shot under Roman. Even Ben Mason is in town.
The Chargers going to a run-first game at the expense of their extremely talented quarterback, which makes even less than it did with Jackson due to Herbert's superior arm strength and inferior running ability. Rather than adapt, Roman is continuing to use a scheme that was behind the times a decade ago.
Ravens fans know the exact talks Chargers fans are going through in their heads right now. Herbert is talented enough to overcome some of Roman's worst moments, but don't be surprised if he struggles to get to the postseason due to poor schematic infrastructure.