Cam Heyward has played his fair share of Greg Roman offenses during his career, and in that time, he’s learned a thing or two. Having spent years playing his units with the Ravens, he sees the same principles in the Chargers’ offense. On Thursday, he explained the two things that stick out to him most.
“The running backs have been really successful”, Heyward said, via the Steelers’ website, assessing the Chargers’ run game under Greg Roman. “The last couple weeks they have gone over 100 yards, so there’s still a test there even if there isn’t Najee [Harris] or Omarion Hampton. Yeah, we’re gonna have a challenge on our hands”.
Roman is known for building run games that tend to be successful regardless of the moving parts. He did that with aplomb with the Ravens, often to the Steelers’ chagrin. Right now, the Chargers are down their top two running backs but still managing to move the ball. Asked why he thinks that is, Heyward said, “I think it’s just a commitment to the run”.
Of course, a mere commitment to the run is not enough. The Steelers had a commitment to the run in 2024, and that just resulted in a lot of carries with little efficiency, unlike what Greg Roman built with the Ravens and now the Chargers. That’s because he has a scheme that lends itself to success, including the blocking style.
“Keep your head on a swivel”, Heyward said when asked what he has learned about playing Roman’s offenses, ahead of the Chargers game. “Sometimes they run the wham and trap blocks for d-linemen. But there’s a commitment to the run game in a multitude of ways. And they’re always big-play-capable. We have to have our eyes in the right place, we’ve got to tackle well, and we’ve got to get off blocks”.
I think you can figure out what a wham block is just by looking at it. And why you’d want your head on a swivel, especially if you’re in the trenches.
Love this run scheme from Minnesota. Wham both DTs. Corner looking lost helps but good way to make those linemen worry about getting earholed the rest of the game. 32 yard run for Cook. pic.twitter.com/NjvS4lmLIg
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) December 13, 2018
This season, the Chargers rank just 20th in rushing attempts, yet 10th in rushing yards. They have put up 1,116 rushing yards so far, picking up 4.8 yards per carry. And they have only had Najee Harris for three games, Omarion Hampton for five. But they have seen good work from others like Kimani Vidal, and Justin Herbert does his share of running. The Steelers will have to account for that, too, when they play Roman’s Chargers defense. Even if it isn’t Lamar Jackson.
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