The New York Jets plan to hire former Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts head coach, and LA Chargers quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, Frank Reich as the franchise’s next offensive coordinator.
After bringing in Reich, along with Greg Roman and Darrell Bevell, for in-person interviews yesterday, Jets brass ultimately decided to go with the most variably experienced and, in many eyes, the best overall candidate for the job given the other candidates.
While this may not carry the weight of some of the other hires in this year’s coaching carousel, it certainly spells bad news for Roman as he looks to continue his NFL coaching career.
Greg Roman loses out on what might be his last chance at an OC job
Greg Roman losing out on the only opportunity he was considered for is a tremendously bad look for the veteran NFL play-caller. Both Ravens and Chargers fans know all too well how a Roman-schemed and called offense can take even the most incredible talents this league has to offer and leave them looking dazed and confused when things start to break down.
When fans can point out glaring issues in the offense and easily highlight what needs to stick around, but the offensive coordinator fails to do so week in and week out, there are major issues at hand.
For the Jets, this should have been quite simple: “What did you do to put your past two high-level quarterbacks in the best positions to succeed, and how do you think you could help our franchise provide competent quarterback play for the first time in a very long time?”
When Roman got to talking about not running a Burger King offense and calling plays to win games, GM Darren Mougey and owner Woody Johnson would have had every right to laugh him right out of the building.
If Roman couldn’t take two elite talents and create modern passing concepts with them, how could he take a potentially young quarterback or a veteran looking for a second chance and turn that into success? If the pieces aren’t 1000% in place for Roman, he has no second gear to shift to. Offensive line in question?
Keep running deep routes and forcing them to block for four-plus seconds. Outside run game working for multiple weeks? Why not abandon it and run straight into a weak interior 20 times a game? This is the offense Greg Roman was able to present to the Jets, and it’s the exact reason he was passed over for this opportunity.
Greg Roman’s Chargers tenure was awful. Unfortunately for him, there aren’t many jobs worse than that of the New York Jets, and even they looked elsewhere after bringing him in. It will take quite a lot for a team to offer him another job as he gets older and more out of touch with where the league is today.
Could he find himself heading to the college ranks to rebuild his image? It may be his best shot at getting back to coaching in the NFL. Until then, being passed over feels like it could spell the end of Greg Roman’s NFL career, and his mishandling of the Chargers offense is reason enough for that to be the case.