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We’ve just released Episode 105 of the Thunder Down Under Chargers Podcast.
Our synopsis is below:
“Hello Darkness My Old Friend…” The #Boltfam is reeling after the Chargers’ devastating 32-12 Wild Card loss to the Texans. Justin Herbert’s uncharacteristic 4-INT game leaves fans questioning the team’s trajectory under Jim Harbaugh. Can the Bolts bounce back stronger in 2025? Tune in as we dissect the toughest game of the season, analyse what went wrong, and discuss the future of the Chargers. Don’t miss it!ad for this exciting team. Don’t miss it!
You can also listen on Spotify below (or download on audio wherever you like to listen to podcasts):
As always, you can support us by doing any or all of the following:
– Rec’ing this post and leaving any thoughts/feedback you have in the comments section below.
– Following us on Twitter (and ‘liking’ our tweets) at @TDU_Chargers, or individually, at @TDU_Alister, @TDU_Jack and @TDU_Andy.
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Hope you enjoy the episode! Thanks so much for listening 
Alister (@TDU_Alister)
Posting the Coach’s Film clips from Wild Card Round that I thought were important or interesting:
Clip #1: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1878929563205652845
Clip #2: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1878933554916364721 (see comments for discussion of how much of this performance was Herbert’s fault)
Clip #3: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1878939406037569678
Clip #4: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1878940752136622514
Clip #5: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1878942007781167544
Clip #6: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1878943580812972297
Clip #7: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1878947546397393354
Clip #8: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1878950779505234425
Clip #9: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1878971648227119132
Clip #10: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1878977548039946700
Clip #11: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1878988193707782149
Clip #12: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1878980991483797611
Clip #13: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1878993680838852671
Clip #14: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1878995077797945569
After the Rams won today, the Chargers will Pick at 1.22 in the 2025 NFL Draft: https://twitter.com/TDU_Chargers/status/1878741110757142841
Hey Stormcloud. I haven’t caught up on all the posting since Wild Card Round and the aftermath. I’ll spend tomorrow doing that.
If you listen to this week’s show, you’ll hear our views about everything to do with the game, including Herbert’s performance, the playcalling, the coaching, and much more.
Please feel free to share your opinions below and tell us anything you agree or disagree with from the show.
It was a dreadful conclusion to an otherwise positive season. Jack’s #TeachableMoment hopefully provides some solace to you all. It did for me!
I think the clips you posted here are fuel for anyone who thinks Roman is the right guy moving forward. The play calls, scheme and execution might have been the worst of the season, when the best was needed. Everyone got giddy when he looked great against the dregs, but when he was pitted against another good staff in a critical game, he was soundly outmatched, and failed to adjust. Roster limitations can always be used as a factor, but continuing to put the players you have had for a whole season in situations they are not physically equipped for is inexcusable. I will continue to say it until I am proven wrong, the Ravens and Jim’s own brother, jettisoned him for Monken and the offense has been historic the last few seasons. That’s all the proof I need. He is not the fit for Herbert. His best seasons have come from spreading the field and making the route concepts be read from low to high. Forcing everything into condensed formations with minimal spacing, with no running game to at least succeed from it, is no way to play offense. There is no creativity to the offense. It is very telegraphed. Lets line up in heavy personnel unbalance to one side and run it that way, or lets put Alt and Slater next to each other in a short yardage situation and run it behind them. Not to mention I am exhausted watching Fisk and Matlock being asked to block DE and OLB. With an OL that has a tendency to get overrun, why not slow down the other teams aggression with some screens or RB routes out of the backfield? Some people want to see him with better personnel, but I’ve seen enough. Not the QB for Herbert. Square peg, round hole.
@evolz3737 for now all I’ve got is amen, brother. If Roman was a can I’d be kicking him down the road and outta sight.
I’ve been saying it….you go to battle with the army you have, not the one you want. He seldom adjusted to the players’ best skill sets. John knew.
I think these are all fair comments. The only creativity I saw from Greg Roman on the All-22 is the use of ‘dirty bunches’ (which have become a league-wide craze this year:
to spring McConkey open occasionally.
Harbaugh will not fire Greg Roman, so he”get a chance to show us what his Offense looks like in 2025 with – hopefully, there are no guarantees – better personnel.
I generally prefer to fire people a year too late, than a year too early, because I believe in the power of humans to evolve and improve.
That being said, Greg Roman genuinely could not have performed any worse on Saturday. If you told me that Harbaugh could replace him with a young playcaller from the Shanahan or McVay tree, I would be interested. But I don’t think that’s the type of playcaller Harbaugh would be interested in because he believes in old school, power football, and playing in jumbo packages with unbalanced formations. That’s been his modus operandi for so long. And with Defenses around the League still generally liking to live in Nickel as their Base, I think he’ll believe in building on the 11-win season playing his style of football, with better personnel on the Offense.
So it’ll be another year of Roman, and we’ll get to see if it benefits Herbert to have a second year in that system; and if, with a better OL/skill players, guys have a better time getting open than they did on Saturday.
@alisterlloyd agreed, I don’t think he’s going anywhere with his connection to the Harbaugh family. I still question whether that style of football can be successful in today’s NFL. The rules are even skewed to favor the QB and the passing game. I think the best offenses are passing offenses that have a solid complimentary ground game. One where if the rushing attack is having success in a game you can lean on it, but it doesn’t have to be the focal point of the offense. Unfortunately, neither style was established this season. So knowing that you can’t fill every hole in the offseason, which do they choose to improve?
@evolz3737 and let’s see what happens when it’s a tougher schedule with teams like the ones who punched us in the mouth this year.
11 wins was great. We beat most of the teams we should. But, like you, I’m not certain run-centric offenses are best suited for today’s NFL. Productive, sure, but when you have a QB as gifted as Herbert I think it’s more pass to set up the run. Not sure that’s gonna be the way they go though. If it’s run centric then invest in making it work. Right now the offensive identity under Roman against playoff caliber teams is MIA….and I don’t think that’s all on the roster.
Look what Lamar has been doing since big brother John said goodbye to Greg. The proof is there to see.
As much as I wanted the Bolts to win the wild card game so they can take out those shit Chiefs in the divisional, the silver lining in all this is we don’t have to see the TDU crew naked after such a win over KC.
Listened to the pod today and I agree with the points on Roman, the team preparation and the questions regarding playoff Herbert. I agree with Jack that Roman will be back, for a sense of continuity, but there is still a real lack of faith going forward. Buck and I have been echoing the same sentiment all year that he was stubborn to make players fit his system and not adjusting the offense to what he had for optimal performance consistently. I have to say that after seeing the clips TDU provided and re watching the game, Herbert was really hamstrung by lack of play calling, OL play and lack of players stepping up to make plays. He is not blameless because I thought there were opportunities for him to use his legs to make plays and really take over the game with his sheer will and athleticism. After all, he performed that way in his final Rose Bowl with Oregon, so we know he has the aptitude for it. I also would not convict him yet as a playoff bust. He has only had two playoff opportunities and he didn’t play badly against Jacksonville, he was just not dynamic. It does begin to raise the question of whether the playoff stage is to big, but I do not think he has had a big enough sample size or ample help around him to make any declarations on him. Looking forward to the offseason shows and content.
Thanks Erick! Agree with your comments about Herbert. Credit to the Texans, who managed to close off most of Herbert’s escape lanes, but he never decisively took off within 2 seconds of the snap, and once it was apparent that his receivers weren’t creating separation quickly or being schemed open, it would have been nice to see him take the bull by the horns in the second half and not stand in the pocket like a lame duck. I do think that’s largely a reflection of coaching. When Harbaugh and Roman consisntely preach the importance of protecting the football, and not turning it over, it’s hardly creating an environment where the QB feels comfortable saying to himself, “F*** this playcall, if I like this look pre-snap, I’m taking off with my legs here“.
The only real “out” for Greg Roman is if the Offense dominates next year, and we find a way to agree that Yr 1 was about ‘establishing Harbaugh’s preferred scheme’ for the players who’ll be around long-term, and the following years were about perfecting it and bringing in players who suited that scheme. The problem with this excuse, as @tau837 has often said, is it’s the same excuse that I (and others) used for Brandon Staley after Yr 1. And his Defense obviously never materialised into a good Defense.
So the simplest explanation – Greg Roman just isn’t a very good coach or playcaller for the modern NFL – might be the best explanation for this season’s troubles on Offense…
@alisterlloyd Harbaugh says no coaching changes so I guess we’ll see. I sure hope this isn’t a sibling rivalry or loyalty litmus test decision.
@alisterlloyd You hit the nail on the head with “modern NFL”. Todays game is pass centric, so having a play caller/OC whose strength is not that aspect of the offense seems to be short sighted. I have a feeling that he was brought on because of his relationship with the Harbaugh family. After all, Jim was out of the NFL for 10 years and look at who he brought with him. Minter and Herbert from Michigan, he inherited Ficken, and added coaches to the staff (Bowman, Hardwick etc..) that he had relationships with or were players in the league a decade ago. I’m not sure Jim had the resources in the modern NFL to be able to cull a more modern OC. It is natural to fall back on what you know when starting someplace new. I just hope it doesn’t take to long to either adapt the offense or to earmark the right person to take over when needed.
@evolz3737 Going into the season, my hope was that Marc Trestman (who is older, but at one point was the young, innovative pass-centric offensive coach, eventually flaming out as the HC of the Bears) and Shane Day would bring elements to Roman’s run-centric game plan.
Given that Roman is going to be on the staff in 2025, I wonder what changes will be made to his staff and schemes. A few ideas (which I wrote a bit about in another thread):
- Andy Bischoff (running game coordinator, TE coach) has been a TE coach in the league for a long time. Andy made chicken salad out of a chicken shit TE roster. You could argue he did the exact opposite with the RB group. I think a change needs to be made here, with a more proven RB coach.
- Kiel McDonald (RB Coach): Was the RB coach at USC. Another guy with limited experience and no ties to Harbaugh. N
- Marcus Brady (passing game coordinator) has no history with Roman/Harbaugh (that I could find). He worked with Steichen in Philadelphia for the last 2 years, and has been a (not very successful) OC in the league. Not sure if he’s a fit.
- Mike Devlin (OL coach): A dude that has been coaching OL for a long time, he was the OL coach for the Ravens 22-23. Not super-impressed with what was done this year. The inability to adjust to the stunts defenses were throwing at the interior is pretty damning. John let him go for a reason. I think an upgrade here may help.
I think guys like Shane Day (Herbert had a very good season learning yet another offensive system) and Sanjay Lal (who made amazing progress with Davis & QJ) are part of the solution. My hope is that they bring in more “modern NFL” minds onto the staff and integrate that into the physical style of offense Harbaugh wants to play
@kevdiego Marcus Brady has a history with Marc Trestman, Kev. That’s the connection. Marc Trestman was HC of the Montreal Alouettes from 2008-2012. Brady was his WR coach from 2009-2011 and his OC in 2012. They also spent one year together in 2017 with the Toronto Argonauts after Trestman got fired by the Ravens (with Trestman as Toronto’s HC, and Brady as OC which he’d been since 2013).
@alisterlloyd Thanks Al. I was to busy/lazy to do more than superficial research.
Who do you think will stay/go from the staff? Who do you think SHOULD go from the staff?
I think someone needs to be held accountable for the lack of adjustments DCs were throwing at the OL. Since we’re all resigned to Roman coming back, I think the most reasonable head to mount on a spike is Devlin. Don’t know much about him, but I can’t think of a player on the OL that improved in 2024. I also think that the one position group that consistently failed in big games was the OL.
I think a great OL coach is a key component of making the vision of what Harbaugh wants the Chargers offense to be become reality. In spite of having 3 1st round picks, the OL was the position group defenses feasted on all year.
From week 1 vs. the Raiders all the way through the playoffs, DL stunts disrupted the Chargers offense. Roman had no answers for what they had to know was coming. Fucking frustrating. Something needs to change. If it’s not Roman, then Devlin is the most logical change.
@kevdiego I agree with this and was thinking the exact same thing. And maybe Hardwick, too… I loved him as a Chargers player, but I can’t tell that he helped the team as an assistant OL coach this season.
@evolz3737 What we call short sighted, Harbaugh might view as zigging while the rest is zagging and potentially exploiting a weakness across the NFL right now (opposition Defenses stopping the run). Winning by playing bully ball has worked for Harbaugh across a number of previous destinations, so this year’s results are unlikely to dissuade him about the style. He’ll strengthen the parts of the team that stopped him from playing that way, and go for it again, I think.
@alisterlloyd I have two concerns with this.
1. Is Harbaugh to old school/hard headed to be able to adapt if this style proves in a year or two to not be effective and just continuing to only do what he knows has worked in the past?
2. Will he continue to tailor the roster only to this approach, making the ability to pivot difficult without once again churning the roster to fit a new style, and will he even decide to coach long enough to see that change through?
For some reason, (recent health issues included) I don’t have the feeling that this is a decade long coaching endeavor for him here. I have the feeling this will only be a 3-5 year ramp up to win a SB, so IMO, there is little room for a costly mistake like having the wrong offensive scheme in place to get to where we all want to be, and we are already down one year of that tenure.
@evolz3737 Not sure he’s going to see it that way when we are all watching the offensive pendulum swing back in real time. The idea of just pass pass pass and you don’t need a RB pendulum swung too far and the smart teams have already figured it out. Other than the Chiefs, all of the best teams in the league are moving the ball heavily through their run game. Lions, Eagles, Ravens, Bills – all have premier talent at the RB position and they’re beating teams up at the line of scrimmage. They have great QBs too, but other than maybe the Bills, those teams would not be nearly as effective offensively without their strong running game.
That is EXACTLY what Harbaugh wants here.
@evolz3737 Interesting discussion. I’m hoping the 2025 Chargers land somewhere in the middle. From a roster standpoint:
- After completely refreshing the RB room, there is still a gaping hole for an RB that can catch. I don’t mind bringing Dobbins back, but he’s not a threat out of the backfield. I also read that his knees have been operated on 6 times. Not sure you want to depend on his health in 2025. The Chargers need to draft an RB in the middle rounds.
- Expecting QJ to learn how to catch the football and be anything more than WR3 is not a good plan. The Chargers need to add an WR2 either early in the draft or through FA. Not sure the Chargers will (or should) pay the big bucks for Higgins, but Cooper or Hopkins could bring a lot to the 2025 team.
- I think a quality center that can read defenses and call protections will significantly improve the guard play. There’s not a lot of FA options, so this is likely a position that needs to be addressed in the draft. Another year of watching Bozman and Johnson block air while dudes wiz by them will not help my 2025 resolution to drink less
@kevdiego I think WR3 is still to rich for QJ. I view him as a WR4 on a good team at best. As WR3 we are one injury away from him being back in the same role as this year. I hate to say it, but he really doesn’t offer much in the skillset department for more than that. He cannot win on go routes, he can’t beat man coverage, he is not a real factor in the red zone, and he does not offer anything in the contested catch department. Not to mention the hands and confidence are just to much of a liability. Ideally, we can add a receiving TE, a RB who can catch and another WR. Just having those type of options pushes him down the pecking order regardless.
@evolz3737 I agree with most of this. I do think QJ has skills. He’s big, fast and good in space. His issue is he can’t consistently catch the ball, so you can’t depend on him in critical points in the game. Unless he learns how to catch, he’s going to be a bust.
Interesting point I just looked up. Both QJ and Jalen Reagor were pick #21 in their drafts. The Eagles cut Reagor after 2 years – We’re all assuming QJ is on the team in 2025, and I still think that’s likely. His cap hit is $3.9 vs. $8.4M to cut him. So, while I think it’s unlikely, its not impossible to cut his inconsistent, football bobbling ass.
@kevdiego Funny how they were both on the same roster this year. It’s a sad state of affairs when the biggest flaw of the WR you drafted in RD1 over better receivers is bad hands. You almost can’t make it up. What were those conversations like in the scouting meetings?
Random Scout: “Man this guy flashes some on tape and he’s got some speed, but he cant catch contested balls, he attempts to body catch everything and overall his hands are bad leading to drops. I’m not sure he’s the pick.
Kellen Moore: “Even though they are completely different skill sets and talents, I can turn him into CeeDee Lamb.”
Telesco: “Plus he’s tall!! Sold!!”
@evolz3737 Ha – I’m sure a version of that conversation led to the draft pick. How much better would we feel about this roster with Flowers or Addison on it? Disappointed that Telesco didn’t have more time to properly fuck up the Raiders.
I do think QJ is on the 2025 Chargers. If he continues to bobble/drop passes in key situations and struggle to get separation, I think it’s likely the team moves on from him in 2026.
@kevdiego Johnston’s contract is 100% guaranteed. Was Reagor’s? Not sure, but that could be the difference. Regardless, Harbaugh has consistently praised Johnston, and I don’t recall the Chargers releasing a player that he consistently praised. The closest might be trading Allen, but that was because he wouldn’t take a pay cut, which is not a comparable situation.
I recognize that it is not impossible, but IMO there is a 100% chance he is on the 2025 opening roster barring injury or something unexpected (retirement, suspension, etc.).
@tau837 No question that it would be expensive to cut QJ, which is why is likely won’t happen. I was just pointing out that a successful team (like the Eagles) cut bait very quickly on their 1st round pick. I thought Reagor flashed both good and bad this year. A few drops, but the catch he made on the sidelines where he twisted and contorted his body – that was one of the best catches of the year.
I think the other issue keeping QJ on the roster is that the Chargers do not have a lot of options at the position. I think Palmer is gone. Reagor is a FA. Fehoko (who will be 28) is a FA. Chark (who will be 29) is a FA. Dez Fitzpatrick (who will also be 29) is an RFA. Jaylen Johnson (who went to the same high school my daughter is attending) was a UDFA and I believe is a RFA.
So, going into the 2025 season, the receiver depth chart looks something like this:
- McConkey
- QJ
- Davis
- Rice
One or more of the FAs may be back to fill out the bottom of the roster, but the Chargers clearly need a WR2. Lots of noise around Higgins, but I’m not sure this front office is going to throw the cash necessary to sign Tee. I think a vet like Cooper or Hopkins would add a lot to this roster. Both should be relatively affordable. There’s also a lot of depth in this WR class, so hopefully Hortiz can find one or more contributors in the mid-late rounds. My guess/wish for the 25 WR room:
- McConkey
- Cooper/Hopkins/Vet FA
- QJ
- Draft pick
- Davis
- Rice/Fehoko/Reagor/Draft pick
@kevdiego I hate the idea of signing Hopkins. He will be 33 in June. I have no confidence that he will play like a WR1/2 which is the caliber of WR the Chargers need.
Maybe slightly better, but I don’t want Cooper either. He will be 31 in June, and his play fell off this season.
Reasons the Chargers should seriously consider giving Higgins the contract it would take to get him if the Bengals actually allow him to hit the market:
- Higgins is also the best WR available, considerably better than Hopkins and Cooper — PFF’s 7th highest graded WR this season. Having seen what Herbert can do with Allen, Williams, and now McConkey, imagine what he can do with Higgins, who is like a better version of Williams.
- Higgins just turned 26 yesterday. Signing him this offseason guarantees the Chargers they will not have to worry about WR1/2 for at least 3 years, barring injury. And possibly 4-5 years if they keep McConkey beyond his rookie contract. That roster certainty is worth a lot.
- Related, they would not have to even really consider taking a WR with their top draft picks this season, which would free them up to focus on other positions with good talent in this draft, where they need and can draft starters.
- Higgins has also shown aptitude as a run blocker, with two seasons with 66-67 PFF grades. There is reason to believe he would be better at this than most WRs, including Hopkins and Cooper.
I doubt this will happen, because Higgins might not even reach the market, and, as you said, not sure Hortiz-Harbaugh will value him enough to invest the cap space it would take in WR1/2.
@tau837 No question that Higgins is the best FA WR in 2025. The issue with Higgins is his hamstring injury history. He’s missed 5 games in each of the past 2 years with hamstring injuries. Each hamstring injury a player suffers makes another hamstring injury more likely. The risk here is handing a bag of $ to a player with availability issues (and millions of reasons not to rush himself back from the inevitable injury).
Agree with your points on Hopkins. He’s not the perfect solution. He did have an overall PFF grade of 78.6 in 2024, with 610 yards and 5 TDs. Cooper is also not a perfect solution. My thought was that adding a low-ish cost vet would help the very young WR room.
The other options are Chris Goodwin (who I think would fit well with this team/staff), Marquise Brown or bringing Keenan back. I believe all three are hurt? Not sure if any are interested in coming back to the Chargers on a team-friendly deal.
@tau837 @kevdiego Would agree that Higgins is the best fit despite his injury history. Have to keep in mind that the Chargers really need an X receiver. It’s not simply signing any WR, but they need a WR that is complimentary to that they have. Most teams don’t want an entire WR corps of slot receivers.
For example, Godwin is a great player but he excels in the slot and his best route tree is kind of redundant to McConkey IMO. Same with guys like Slayton, Osborn, Moore, Cooks, etc.. Cooks could be used in multiple roles but all of his best football was out of the slot. I’m not saying you always need McConkey in the slot, but I do think you want either McConkey or Johnston in the slot and they need to bring in a bigger outside X receiver.
Higgins makes the most sense for sure. Hopkins or Cooper can help for a year but they’re definitely old and it would have to be a short-term deal. I’d prefer Hopkins over Cooper personally if they could get him on a 1-year deal and then there are a lot of good “X” receivers in free agency next year.
Marquise Brown isn’t a prototypical X, but Roman used him that way in what turned out to be Brown’s best professional season. Unfortunately he’s lost a step and constantly injury prone. Seems like that would be a big gamble but maybe bring him if he’s cheap enough.
One player I would highlight that I think would make a lot of sense if they can’t get Higgins is Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. He is still young and ascending and has flashed the big play ability you want to see out of a typical X receiver. He’s not an athletic freak (kind of a poor man’s Mike Williams in measurables), but he’s shown the ability to get open and some prowess in the Red Zone. Certainly he’d benefit from better QB play as well.
Of course, the draft is always an option as well, but I’m certain they’ll make at least 1 addition to the WR corps through FA.
@alisterlloyd I think this is true as well. I would be shocked if they don’t make 1 – 2 changes on the offensive line (obviously center and one of the guard spots) and bring in a good RB and another TE. They will want to bring in more of “their” guys who are tougher and more physical. We have to remember, they wanted to change the mindset to this “bully ball” concept, but they still inherited basically all of the same OL players except drafting Alt and bringing in Bozeman (who was on a one-year contract for a reason).
The Chargers averaged 136 yards per game rushing in their wins. They averaged just 62 yards per game in their losses with most of those being in the 5- – 60ish yard range. I’m sure that is a statistic that is going to be front and center for Harbaugh & Co this offseason.
@blue-beers Harbaugh sez Bozeman is a player he definitely wants back, says he did a fine job. I’m expecting no change at center and it makes me very sad.
Great pod. I could tell the frustration all of your faces throughout. Totally warranted and agonizing. The stat about Romans playoff point output his last five games is startling and with good QBs (64 points in 5 games – yikes). As you pointed out its where you’ll see the best teams most of the time so need to bring in some fresh blood to complement like Kev suggested. Hes obviously not going anywhere but I liked Jacks thoughts around a six game trial. Thats enough time to demonstrate some willingness to adapt and use an upgraded roster to the best of its abilities. Obviously SOS will play a part in that analysis. I dont think Harbaugh will operate this way but its a good amount of time to give him.
I do wonder as you did if Harbaughs conservatism play will carry over to year 2. It was completely understandable this year. This year was always a throw away for me. If we were 5-12 I would have been worried but any improvement gives me confidence and we got that. Hortiz made some magical moves to get us there as well. I have confidence in H & H.
Herbert needs to gain confidence and be supported. One of the glaring holes this year was a lack of RB pass catcher. Shocked the front office overlooked that as Herbert has used the Ekelers of the world as a safety net for the better part of his entire career. Need to find that guy in the offseason. Surely they are out there (and also have some running ability)
Onward and upward.
Sidenote: Pulling for DET/BUF SB – one of those cities needs some love
@pistol495 same on the SB match up with my nod to Buffalo. I’m an AFC guy….usually.
@pistol495 Thanks for the comments!
I watched Harbaugh and Hortiz’s press conference yesterday, and Harbaugh’s comment about wanting to bring every coach back in 2025 didn’t surprise me, and it didn’t sound like coach speak either. Naturally, there may be some attrition, but I doubt much ‘fresh blood’ will be brought in.
This year’s draft class is apparently a strong one for RBs. Greg Roman’s track record doesn’t fill me with confidence that Herbert will ever find a true safety net at that position while he’s the OC. Roman tends to prefer bringing the RB in to help with pass protection and using the Wing TE or FB (if anything) as an outlet coming across the formation or running to the flats. Not utilising RB wheels or finding a RB/WR hybrid who can run some routes from the slot is a travesty when you see how Ben Johnson, Joe Brady, and other creative OCs are murdering opposition Defenses with that style of player. *Sigh*.
Good shoutout re DET/BUF. I totally agree. Although I also have a soft spot for Baltimore, and my younger brother is a mad Eagles fan (believe it or not) so I wouldn’t hate it if they won. He managed to attend PHI v GB in person last week. He’s in the USA with his wife for a holiday and managed to convince her to go to the game – they had a great time.
Really I don’t care who wins the SB as long as it’s not those Chiefs again!
The stat about Romans playoff point output his last five games is startling and with good QBs (64 points in 5 games – yikes).
In fairness, 5 games is not a large sample size, and he had Huntley in 1 game instead of Jackson.
I’m not thrilled about Roman, but he certainly wasn’t solely responsible for the Chargers’ poor offensive performance last week. He is accountable for it and no doubt significantly contributed to it, but he also didn’t throw 4 interceptions, drop passes, etc.
@tau837 Absolutely, was just a bit surprised at the output and considering his long term viability.
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