Why Not Greg Roman?
December 31st, 2014
49ers OC Greg Roman has been on Joe’s radar for over a year.
So on the day before New Year’s Eve we learned from the creator, curator and overall guru of Pro Football Talk, the great Mike Florio, that the Bucs have been sniffing the scent of Dixie Chicks offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter.
Joe thinks that is a helluva choice. Problem is, Koetter is still under contract with the Dixie Chicks and whoever is the new coach, likely a defensive guy, he may want to keep Koetter.
Another guy Joe has had on his radar since October 2013 is San Francisco offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Like Koetter, he has seen his head coach depart and is still under contract with this team. The 49ers might tap Roman to be the head coach, or the new guy may keep him.
Joe first wrote about Roman 14 months ago as a prospective successor to former Bucs commander Greg Schiano, if the losses kept mounting for Schiano
They did and he went.
There are reports out of San Francisco bubbling that Roman may very well head to Ann Arbor to rejoin his head coach, Jim Harbaugh, who just took over the Wolverines.
Could Roman be lured to Tampa Bay by a shiny new rookie quarterback? And in Tampa Bay, he wouldn’t have to worry about sucking up to 18-year olds and, well, have you checked the weather in Ann Arbor today compared to Tampa?
Roman helped resurrect Alex Smith’s career and looked like he had turned Colin Kaepernick into a decent quarterback (he tore up the Bucs last season) before Kaepernick regressed this year. Still, a regressed Kaepernick is light years better than Josh McCown.
Roman was also an offensive line coach with the Balimore Crows. That team, for whatever reason, sure does produce decent coaches from its assistants’ ranks.
December 31st, 2014 at 6:42 am
That’s my first choice! I wanted him to be the bucs head coach last year.
December 31st, 2014 at 7:04 am
We need a line coach too! Josh McDaniels wouldn’t be a bad choice nor darrell bevell of Seattle but those guys are probably untouchable unless a huge contract is in store. Why leave a winning organization? Hard to interest a team with our current roster. I like winstons ability to throw the ball he makes catchable quick throws n understands the reads of lbs to hit wrs in the middle. Hard to bring down n can move his legs with pressure in the pocket. Hes no homerun runner like mariota but the qb skills are undeniable. Onfield leadership he seems to be nfl ready. Downside he forces the ball in one on ones. Mariota is a big threat tho n he caan spot his wide open wrs. Nice defensive reader too. I think lovie likes winston more tho cuz he’s traditional qb. All depends on the type of offense we go towards. A new style would put asses in the stadium.
December 31st, 2014 at 7:04 am
Just bring mariota and his oc scott frost and install the spread! I’m tired of watching dreadful offense in tampa. Let’s make watching football on Sunday’s in tampa fun again.
December 31st, 2014 at 7:06 am
Get mariota and scott frost and install the spread really could it be worse then this past year ? I doubt it!
December 31st, 2014 at 7:07 am
Joes, I like this idea a lot. I’m not a big fan of Koetter. With those weapons Falcons o should be much better.
December 31st, 2014 at 7:26 am
Here is the thing with most OC potential hires. They know they’d be chained by Lovie’s philosophy. My suspicion is we are going to have a hard time, even with the #1 pick, attracting a prospect that people who actually like watchng modern nfl football will agree be excited about. Its going to be a head scratcher pick. Someone everyone is surprised gets the chance, and that guy is going to be beholden to Lovie’s style of football.
Hope I’m wrong. Happy New Year to you all.
December 31st, 2014 at 7:46 am
The question is whether Roman is responsible for Kaepernick’s regression.
December 31st, 2014 at 8:00 am
3 out of his 4 seasons in San Francisco he guided a bottom third of the league offense. Sounds pretty much like Lovie’s kind of guy.
December 31st, 2014 at 8:03 am
If Jay Gruden gets the axe……….I like him or Roman.
December 31st, 2014 at 8:12 am
We’re probably going to get a mediocre OC, whose willing to swallow his pride with the fact he’s working under Lovie, just for the pay. High IQ OC’s know this.
I hope the call comes from the Glazers to go ahead and fix pass rush now and draft Williams.
December 31st, 2014 at 8:20 am
I like roman’s coaching background. But, how does one have Kapernick, Gore, Boldin, Crabtree and Vernon Davis on offense and only rank 25th in the nfl in points scored? I don’t know the 49ers that well, but even ATL ranks 12th in points scored and we know their Oline is terrible and they have no running game.
December 31st, 2014 at 8:39 am
Lovieball is the greatest impediment to securing a truly innovative OC.
The search will take longer than most believe. We’ll be settling for either a retread or an unknown.
Bucslife on the verge.
December 31st, 2014 at 8:41 am
He is exactly who Mike Glennon needs…..good find Joe !
December 31st, 2014 at 8:46 am
@Delson
A new style would put asses in the stadium.
AMEN BROTHER. No more Dungy/Lovieball. What frightens me is that is exactly the direction we seem to be headed. We have the FG in house now. Ready to win some exciting 15-14 games with five FG’s and great defense?
NO! NO! 1000X NO! Embrace the new NFL rules. Move on with the times. Go all in with Mariota and go with the new offensive schemes of people like Kelly or even schemes like Green Bay, Seattle. Mariota has been compared most frequently to Aaron Rodgers. Build an offense around those attributes and put some FREAKING POINTS ON THE SCOREBOARD!!!
We can join the new millenium even if we’re a decade late.
Here’s a challenge Lovie. I don’t care if your defense takes the ball away and thinks it can win games….I just want your defense to be so stout that we CAN run a wide open offense without fearing the consequences of the increased turnovers because we have the GREAT defense that can cover up our mistakes and limit them to threes, while we’re scoring 7’s!!!
Can you produce a defense that good Lovie?
December 31st, 2014 at 8:52 am
How didn’t you write abot how lovie wanted to model his team after the Seahawks and 49ers?! Seems like a great choice.
December 31st, 2014 at 8:54 am
I like Koetter….he knows all the NFC South Defenses…..especially his own….he has done well with a poor Oline and no running game….
December 31st, 2014 at 9:05 am
Mt. Tom: You nailed it, we’ve been putting out this formula:
Lovie Smith = OC Killer
December 31st, 2014 at 9:06 am
Brad Childress makes sense here. Definitely not a head coach, but he is a gifted OC. Quite available, and the ownership respects him.
December 31st, 2014 at 9:25 am
Jacksonville fired their OC Jedd Fisch out of the blue. Maybe we should grab him. He has worked with a Rookie QB now and should be a good fit.
December 31st, 2014 at 9:29 am
No OC with any credibility or half a brain is going to commit career suicide by working for Lovie. Lovie has 10 years of history blowing up and destroying offensive coordinators. For all you Lovie nut huggers that’s a fact easily verified. For all you who think jameis Winston can’t Change (grow up) what makes you so confident Lovie will /can change.
December 31st, 2014 at 9:29 am
Greg Roman’s one of the best offensive line coaches in league no doubt. But his offense has come under fire the last few years in San Fran.
December 31st, 2014 at 9:30 am
Or bring him in as a QB coach.
December 31st, 2014 at 9:31 am
Chud; GregRoman; two best options as new HC of the Bucs – screw Lovie, he is terrible!
December 31st, 2014 at 9:34 am
Looking for OC? We need a HC! Lovie is terrible, look at what he has done the very last season and even his last 7 years with Bears!
Chudzinsky; GregRoman – two best options for Bucs as new HC.
December 31st, 2014 at 9:36 am
Delson Says:
December 31st, 2014 at 7:04 am
We need a line coach too! Josh McDaniels.
*******
Really? The guy is interviewing for Head Coaching jobs at Atlanta and SF. You want to bring him in as a Line Coach? Yeah, he’d go for that over a HC gig.
December 31st, 2014 at 9:36 am
Koetter – why him? he had a decent QB, two very good – great WR´s (julio jones) and still wasnt able to produce a top 5 Offense!
December 31st, 2014 at 9:59 am
That’s because he tried to do the “Pistol” and that isn’t something that Ryan should be doing. Especially, without a RB.
December 31st, 2014 at 10:14 am
Tmaxcon Says:
No OC with any credibility or half a brain is going to commit career suicide by working for Lovie. Lovie has 10 years of history blowing up and destroying offensive coordinators.
****
Been saying pretty much the same since the Tedford debacle.
Might as well say the same for drafting a QB. Being Lovie’s prized QB isn’t exactly an ideal place to launch an NFL career. The loser, (2nd pick), may be the winner.
December 31st, 2014 at 10:28 am
It’s funny to see all these fans that are fine with mediocrity. All these names that people are throwing out are retreads who have been with multiple teams and aren’t getting calls to be head coaches. That means they aren’t doing the best of jobs. Josh McDaniels would be a great pickup, but there is no way in hell he would join the Bucs when he could just stay with the Pats or be a head coach somewhere. The Bucs need something fresh, someone who isn’t afraid to buc the NFL standard. Chip Kelly has proven that Oregon’s offense works in the NFL. Why not grab a product of his system and implement it in Tampa. I don’t want to see the 49ers offense (I had Gore in fantasy, so I played close attention to the 49ers). They have a ton of talent and managed to suck it up. I don’t want the Falcons offense, who is slightly above average with excellent receivers and a decent QB. I want a fast paced, misdirection, down the field rapid assault, run a play every 15 seconds offense that will be exciting to watch. I want Scott Frost!
December 31st, 2014 at 10:38 am
I’d like Dirk just so we can start calling him Dirk Diggler
December 31st, 2014 at 11:10 am
I want iwant iwant iwant iwant iwant, it don’t matter what you I or any other fan want’s, it is all in the hands of the glazers and until they are serious about winning football program in the bay area, expect more of the same with a different cast of characters every three four years. happy new year everybody. except for you lovie.
December 31st, 2014 at 11:19 am
@skyline I didn’t mean bring McDaniels in as a line coach what kinda sh*t thinkin would that be? He’s an expert game planner but also knows how to pick n produce a quality oline. Same as darrell bevell. Need to hire either for assistant hc/offensive coordinator.
December 31st, 2014 at 11:23 am
I can see fired head coaches going backwards to OC or DC but an OC making a lateral move especially if they desire to be head coaches….I want to hire an OC but what I don’t want is someone that’s gonna bolt for a head coaching job in like a year or two and we’re starting all over again with a new offense and a young quarterback
December 31st, 2014 at 11:31 am
Exactly my thinkin too B4L. Scott frost from Oregon would be a great pick up look at Luck as an example. He has his college coach along with some college teammates if I’m not mistaken.
December 31st, 2014 at 12:05 pm
I remember there being a whole lot of the season where SF didn’t use much of Frank Gore at all. If Lovie wants to use the run more than we did this year then would it be wise to bring in a guy that couldn’t figure out how to get Frank Gore into the game more and give him Martin and Sims? Not sure they’re on the same tier
December 31st, 2014 at 12:16 pm
Why would those two OC leave winning organizations to coach same position and less control of what they do. Doesn’t make any sense that’s like you being CEO of Microsoft and leaving to be CEO of dollar store
December 31st, 2014 at 12:33 pm
Lovie can say whatever he wants.. This Is The GLAZERS pick! Do you honestly think they want Winston after the Josh Freeman Saga? They know if they get this wrong it will set the bucs back another 10 years. This is Ownerships pick. Why do you think we tanked the game. Ownerships Call. This is a easy choice —> Mariota! He is never in the headlines unless its for football. Jameis in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Think about this Johnny Football is who we thought he was… Same is going to be for Jameis Winston. PERIOD
December 31st, 2014 at 12:47 pm
I’ll take a coach that can hold a team to 20 or less most of the time with an offense that doesn’t have to do to much to win over a potent offense with no defense or special teams any day.
Only one team was able to win like that and it had Peyton Manning as it’s QB but they got destroyed in the superbowl. A rookie QB with a good OC and QB coach will develop nicely with a Lovie coached team. Don’t turn the ball over, lean on your running game, and support the defense with time of possession. Will make the oc look like HC material, turn Lovie into a great coach, and be a stud for the Bucs for a decade.
December 31st, 2014 at 1:00 pm
I can tell you why not. Roman would present a challenge. A points challenge. Yes he might actually score to many points for Lovies liking. We all know Lovie doesn’t like to score very often.
December 31st, 2014 at 1:08 pm
Roman would be an awesome choice… He had done a masterful smoke and mirrors job hiding Kaep’s deficiencies, but with injuries to the O-Line and a beat up D Roman couldn’t give SF fans water from a rock.
Here’s the breakdown…
If you’ve played or coached at any level beyond high school then you’re taught how to properly watch film. You’re taught not to watch the ball or the entire landscape of the play at first… You isolate one position at a time noting the formation, down, and distance as you do – you’re looking for tendencies that can offer you tips or clues as to the play being run or weaknesses to exploit such as weight forward on the fingers (rear slightly raised) or weight distributed to the heels and rear (rear slightly dropped), leaning one way or the other, foot placement and footwork and so on. It’s not unusual to watch one play – one position frame by frame a dozen times or more.
Now that I’ve set the table, guys that know how to watch film and grade performance will tell you that Roman was extremely limited in the plays he could send down to the field for many reasons, but most notably Kaepernik has too many deficiencies to list, and most people (fans) think he’s something he’s not…
It’s not unusual for a rookie like Kaepernick that has some talent to achieve a little success, but the true test comes in year two and three. If the player performs consistently through those years then barring injury and stupid off the field issues he has a chance to be very special.
Roman had to design an entirely new package / scheme to accommodate Kaepernick because he knew the QB position would not be able to handle running a traditional offense that requires pre-snap reads, adjustments, QB audible, clock management, and progression from the pocket (option 1, 2, 3, 4, outlet). In summary, Roman had to dumb down the playbook.
Have you noticed the lack of swing passes and screens? That’s because, believe it or not, those are some of the most difficult to complete for a QB.
He’s not what would be considered an accurate passer, and his footwork is horrible when he “drops” (fading back to pass).
He doesn’t settle into the pocket and regularly puts his lineman at a disadvantage because Kaep is not in sync with the blocking scheme called by the linemen at the line of scrimmage. (I don’t need to hear them make the call when watching film to know what they called based on how they block after the snap.) When the offense is at the line of scrimmage that’s when the pre-snap read is made on both sides of the ball and on offense (usually the center or one of the guards) will yell out the blocking scheme (or QB audible).
It’s the call at the line that tells Kaep how to drop back placing him in the position where he is most likely to be protected, and it tells the RB what gap or area he needs to fill and block… However, Kaepernik regularly screws that up which is why he’s one of the most sacked QB’s in the NFL this year.
His release / delivery is slow and a mechanical mess. Rarely, consistent…
If the defense takes away the primary and secondary receiver(s) then he throws all the meetings, reps, and practices out of the window usually panicking or breaking contain which will eventually get himself murdered out there… He needs to go through his “reads” such as receiver 1, 2, 3, and then if those are covered hit the outlet.
The list goes on… These are my personal observations and criticisms.
Roman is smart and without a doubt tried to teach the kid these things, but it’s obvious Kaep couldn’t go through his progression.
December 31st, 2014 at 1:11 pm
No offense @Joe but you were also lobbying for Johnny Football also…..bad idea bro he had multiple weapons and a decent qb and offense couldn’t score points
December 31st, 2014 at 1:14 pm
@BeeMoney
Do you honestly think they want Winston after the Josh Freeman Saga?
what are you trying to say? freeman’s only issue coming out of college was inaccuracy you sound like a racist just an fyi. and don’t give the glazers all that much credit because other than the chucky hire what hire have they gotten right sense? think they know anything about picking a franchise quarterback? If I was lovie I would let them make the pick honestly because he can sit back and say I told you to let me handle it
December 31st, 2014 at 2:39 pm
I too was lobbying for Roman last year. But I thought he should be given a HC job. Then the YUCS got Lovie. Oh well. One thing I didn’t like is that Roman has gotten too conservative. Or maybe that was Harbaugh. Im with @Todd on this one. If you bring in MM bring Frost with him too. It can’t get any worse. Seems to be working fine for Chip.
December 31st, 2014 at 4:25 pm
@ bucs4lyfe
First of all CLOWN, How do you a racist out of that sentence!! Please I will wait. Secondly, the saga I was talking about had nothing to do with his issues coming out of college. I was talking about the stuff people heard around Tampa and THE SAGA that happened after he was benched. And last but not least you CLOWN!!!! You sound like you don’t even know sports. Oh and I’m African American
December 31st, 2014 at 4:51 pm
@bucs4lyfe – That was a ridiculous allegation. If you think that the correlation that he was trying to make is that Winston and Freeman’s skin color was what would be what linked them in the Glazer’s eyes then you are the special kind of stupid that broke the JBF comments section.
December 31st, 2014 at 5:38 pm
@PatrickInVA
Thank You REAL Sports FAN #Salute
December 31st, 2014 at 7:34 pm
Thats almost as funny as someone comparing MG8 to Montana on JBF a while back. Lmfao. Man these comment sections are awesome.