It was painful, but the Los Angeles Chargers finally pulled the plug on offensive coordinator Greg Roman after their embarrassing Wild Card Round defeat to the New England Patriots.
Almost every Chargers fan would agree that it needed to be done.
However, not many believed that head coach Jim Harbaugh would pull the trigger so quickly on a move that would separate him from one of his closest allies. Roman has been Harbaugh's offensive coordinator every season Harbaugh has spent at the NFL level, dating back to his days with the San Francisco 49ers.
At the end of his time in San Francisco, Roman had worn out his welcome. Many have speculated that it contributed to Harbaugh's firing.
It appears that Harbaugh has learned a valuable lesson from his days with the 49ers. He let go of Roman rather than going down with a sinking ship, and Chargers fans should be grateful he finally let go of his past.
Greg Roman is gone, and hopefully Harbaugh is looking toward greener pastures
Roman is a well-tenured and generally well-regarded offensive coordinator at the NFL level. But a trend has developed here.
The 49ers maintained a lethal rushing offense during his four years there, but the passing offense fell of a cliff in his last two seasons. San Francisco finished 30th in the NFL in total passing yards in both the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
Vitriol against Roman began to mount at that time, but Harbaugh predictably backed his guy. His loyalty and stubborn unwillingness to make drastic changes to his staff and system ultimately led to his firing.
Roman also struggled immensely to put together an adequate passing game in Los Angeles. Yet, this time, Harbaugh finally made the brutal decision to let him go.
Hopefully, this hiring cycle proves that Harbaugh is willing to change his ways, going with an offensive coordinator who can truly revolutionize the Chargers' passing game. It would represent a drastic shift for the organization. Perhaps, for the first time, Justin Herbert's talents will be fully maximized.
Maybe Roman's firing would have changed nothing in San Francisco. That team at the time needed a stark cultural shift, and Harbaugh perhaps was not the one to accomplish that.
Yet those who campaigned for Roman's firing at the time, and see Harbaugh's ultimate departure as a result of his commitment to Roman, are likely frustrated to see that Harbaugh has finally learned his lesson in Los Angeles.