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Packers sticking with Tom Clements as playcaller, tweak operation slightly

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Whatever ails the Green Bay Packers' offense, head coach Mike McCarthy hasn’t felt the need -- and has no apparent plans -- to take back the play-calling duties that he gave up this offseason.

Tom Clements, who was promoted to associate head coach this offseason when McCarthy decided to make him the playcaller, called plays in this past Sunday’s 37-29 loss at Carolina and is expected to do so again this Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

However, McCarthy made one change in the offensive operation last week. Quarterbacks/receivers coach Alex Van Pelt moved from the coaches’ box, where he worked the first seven games, to the sideline. It’s likely this was the change McCarthy was referring to in his podcast on Packers.com (see the 7:30 mark) last week, when he said, “Frankly, we’re going to make an adjustment this week. ... In hindsight, job responsibility, when you go through a change, I probably might have asked too much of Tom.”

With Van Pelt on the sideline, it gives quarterback Aaron Rodgers someone to talk to between series and allows Clements, who calls plays from the sideline, to plan for the next series. Van Pelt had been on the sideline with Rodgers last season but moved up to the box under the new plan this year.

McCarthy spoke this offseason about how the decision to give up play calling would free him up to be more involved in the defense and special teams while still staying close to the offense. Like any non-play-calling head coach, McCarthy also can -- and perhaps has -- called some plays at various points of games this season.

“I’m as involved in the offense and defense and special teams as I can be,” McCarthy said Monday. “I watch more film and keep doing what I’m doing. My job responsibility, job descriptions have been defined. And that’s not going to change.”

The Packers finally got their offense going late in Sunday’s loss at Carolina after trailing 37-14. A week after throwing for just 77 yards in a loss to the Denver Broncos, Rodgers finished with 369 yards and four touchdowns against Carolina but threw an interception on fourth-and-goal in the final minutes to end the comeback bid.

Rodgers called some of that late-game success “school-yard ball.” Some of that could have been a situation where Rodgers was calling the plays at the line of scrimmage.

The Packers rank 25th out of 32 teams in total yards and 26th in passing yards but rank 10th in points.

“I think the operation has gone well,” Clements said Monday. “I think I said it last week, too, we haven’t played consistently, as consistently as we’d like to. But the operation has been fine.”