Green Bay Packers: Mike McCarthy finally takes back play-calling

Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy has reportedly decided to take back play-calling duties from Tom Clements.

Dec 3, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy talks to a referee and points during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Packers win 27-23. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Mike McCarthy handed off play-calling duties to Tom Clements this past offseason following the Green Bay Packers’ ugly playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks. According to a report this afternoon from Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, he’s about to take those duties back after just 12 games.

ALSO ON SPIN ZONE: NFL Records and Milestones to Keep an Eye On

Green Bay has struggled to adjust without All Pro wideout Jordy Nelson establishing a deep passing game, but their offensive shortcomings have run deeper than one player’s absence. With Clements holding the play sheet, the Packers offense has performed very poorly in short-yardage situations and consistently failed to adjust to opposing defenses throughout the course of a game.

More from Green Bay Packers

• Packers may have found Jordan Love a Travis Kelce-type
• 3 underrated moves Green Bay Packers made in 2023 offseason
• NFL Predictions: 5 Teams that will be drafting a quarterback in 2024
• NFL: Predicting the top 5 running attacks for the 2023 season
• Can Green Bay’s defense carry the Packers to the playoffs?

This lack of diversity in play selection has left Aaron Rodgers staring at the same two-to-four receiver isolation routes game after game. With so little help from the scheme itself, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams have struggled to get open at the intermediate or deep levels of the secondary. Mix in an offensive line that hasn’t exactly built a wall around Rodgers, and things have been consistently unbalanced.

Rodgers has covered this brilliantly at times, but at many points over the past several games, even his magic hasn’t been enough. The potential return of Eddie Lacy to number one duties today should coincide very well with McCarthy’s return to play-calling, as the wet conditions at Lambeau Field lend themselves to a heavy rushing attack with he, James Starks and upstart rookie John Crockett.

Next: Fantasy Football: Week 14 NFL WR Rankings

McCarthy inarguably has his flaws as a play-caller, too, but given that these have played out on the grand stage and he’s had an opportunity to step back, there’s hope that he’s learned from those shortcomings. He’s already been spotted with the offensive play sheet in his hands late in games over the past month, so this move did seem inevitable.