From the moment Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy announced he would hand off play-calling duties, many believed that Aaron Rodgers should just be allowed to call the plays.
After all -- the thinking goes -- Peyton Manning seems to call his own games.
"Well, Peyton doesn't do that," Rodgers recently told ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky. "Nobody does that."
Rodgers simultaneously debunked the false belief that Manning calls his own plays -- when in reality he mainly makes checks at the line of scrimmage after dissecting the defense -- and that the Packers signal-caller wants to call his own game.
While Rodgers' coach-like acumen might put him in a position to be able to call his own plays, the signal-caller admitted even the best need aid from the sideline.
"I think everybody would want a starting point," Rodgers said. "We all have moments where we have (called the plays), whether it's a no-huddle situation or two-minute. Everybody wants a starting point. It's tough to have to call every single play, so it's always nice when you can have a good starting point and you can make a slight adjustment if you have to."
It's those adjustments at the line that separate the all-world quarterbacks like Rodgers and Manning from the heap of mid-level signal-callers.
Tom Clements will be the voice inside Rodgers' helmet this season. Clements has been with the Packers since 2006 as quarterbacks coach, then offensive coordinator and now associate head coach and play-caller. Thus the offense won't change much despite the handoff in duties.
The adjustment will be something we'll keep an eye on during training camp and the preseason. Assuming there are no hiccups, the Packers will boast one of the highest-octane offenses in the NFL.
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