The Green Bay Packers' offense finished first in points (30.4) and sixth in yards (386.1) last season, yet head coach Mike McCarthy relinquished play calling duties this year for the first time in his career. Offensive coordinator Tom Clements will take over that role, but he may be splitting it with someone else: Aaron Rodgers.
"He has," Packers quarterback coach Alex Van Pel answered when asked in Rodgers could call plays. "He could. Sure. Definitely."
Rodgers is entering his 11th NFL season and his eighth as a starter. He's got two MVPs and one Super Bowl ring to his name. Taking more responsibility for the offense is just the next logical step at this point.
"I've always had a lot of freedom," Rodgers said. "It's just occasionally the personnel groupings restricts some of the checks you can make. But that's kind of a natural progression for a quarterback who's been in a system for a long time, if they can handle it to do more things. I have always liked a good starting point for a play, and then have the ability to get us in a better play if you can do it quickly and it's clean."
The Packers are returning all 11 starters on offense this year. Rodgers' familiarity with the talent around him and his knowledge of the offensive scheme will only aide him in potential play calling situations.
"We're going to have the same offense," Clements said. "We're going to run the same plays. We're going to tweak things here and there. Mike met with him a lot last year. I'll meet with him. I'll be in meetings with him throughout so that when we reach game day, we're on the same page. So I don't think much will change."
And it's not as if this is an entirely new endeavor for Rodgers and the Packers. McCarthy gave his star QB play-calling duties in the 2011 regular-season finale against the Detroit Lions when Rodgers was being rested for the post-season. Who knows if it was a coincidence or not that backup Matt Flyn threw for a then team record 480 yards and six touchdowns.
"This is why I need to be here, because there's a couple of offenses; there's one that's on paper, and there's one that's run in the game," Rodgers said. "You're always trying to build a bridge between the two, and that's when you do it is right now."
