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Greg Roman is the newest member of the Los Angeles Chargers' coaching staff, but their fans are not exactly pleased.
On Sunday, the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the team had added the Baltimore Ravens veteran to new coach Jim Harbaugh's staff, with the position still to be determined.
Roman had served numerous roles within the Ravens, including offensive coordinator. In that position, he helped Lamar Jackson win the 2019 MVP award and assembled one of the league's most potent rushing offenses. But towards the end of his tenure, he also attracted criticism for his failure to develop the passing game, which led to his departure after the 2022 season.
And that certain point has Chargers fans turning on Roman before he has even donned powder blue, fearing that he will ruin Justin Herbert's career.
Greg Roman's history with Jim Harbaugh explained
If there is one major reason for the Greg Roman hiring, it is that Jim Harbaugh knows him well.
The two first crossed paths in 2009, when the former Michigan star was named head coach of Stanford. He hired Roman, his elder brother John's former offensive line assistant at the Baltimore Ravens as associate head coach.
In 2011, Harbaugh joined the San Francisco 49ers as their coach, and Roman followed him there as offensive coordinator. The two, alongside defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, proceeded to return the franchise to contention, making three straight NFC conference championship games as well as an appearance at Super Bowl XLVII against the Ravens in 2012.
In the leadup to that game, Harbaugh praised Roman's "revolutionary" offense:
“I think the way he has mixed the trap, the power, the wham plays, into the pistol offense and into our conventional offense has been revolutionary in many ways.”
The 49ers lost that game 34-31, and two years later, both Harbaugh and Roman were ditched by owner Jed York at the behest of then-general manager Trent Baalke. Harbaugh returned to Michigan as head coach, while Roman became the Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator before returning to Baltimore.
