After the Packers lost to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game, head coach Mike McCarthy said he was unaware that linebacker Clay Matthews was dealing with an injury in the second half of the game because he was focused on calling the plays for the offense.
McCarthy may not have that issue to deal with again in 2015. Chris Havel of WDUZ in Green Bay is reporting that the Packers will promote offensive coordinator Tom Clements to associate head coach and give him the play calling responsibilities while also moving Edgar Bennett from wide receivers coach to offensive coordinator.
No other Packers reporters have confirmed that report, but Tyler Dunne and Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com and Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin all report some variation on the theme of the Packers considering changes to the responsibilities of the offensive staff.
Silverstein reports the goal is greater “team oversight,” something that became a concern when the team “lost its way” in that title game loss to the Seahawks. In the past, McCarthy has said he’s willing to make a change with play calling “if I felt we would be better served to have someone else call the plays.”
The Packers haven’t reached that point in the past, but it sounds like 2015 could bring a new approach on the sideline in Green Bay.