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          NFL Nation

          Mike McCarthy goes back to work with Packers' offense

          • Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff WriterNov 19, 2015, 05:15 PM ET
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              Rob Demovsky is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Green Bay Packers. He has covered the Packers since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2013. Demovsky is a two-time Wisconsin Sportswriter of the Year as selected by the NSSA. You can follow him on Twitter at @RobDemovsky.
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          GREEN BAY, Wis. -- No, Mike McCarthy isn’t taking back play-calling duties. But the Green Bay Packers coach has taken a bigger role in the offense in an apparent effort to jumpstart Aaron Rodgers & Co. in advance of Sunday’s game at the Minnesota Vikings.

          “I’ve spent the majority of my time starting this week on offense,” McCarthy revealed on Thursday.

          McCarthy made one thing clear: Tom Clements remains the playcaller.

          “Nothing has changed,” McCarthy said. “Everybody’s job description is exactly the same as it was when we put it together in the spring. I move from room to room, and I try to be as resourceful as I possibly can to my coaches and to my players.”

          One of the things that attracted McCarthy to the idea of not calling plays anymore was the freedom to have a greater input with the defense and special teams and see the game from the bigger perspective.

          But with the offense on pace to finish outside the top 10 in the league for just the second time since he became the head coach in 2006, McCarthy clearly felt the need to get back to his area of expertise. The Packers rank 21st in total offense and 22nd in passing yards. Under McCarthy, they’ve never finished a season lower than 13th in total offense and ninth in passing yards (both in 2012).

          When asked after Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Lions if McCarthy should take on a greater role in the offense, Rodgers said: “I think the way things are going are just fine.”

          On Wednesday, Rodgers reiterated the need to stay the course.

          “I just think we don’t panic,” Rodgers said. “We stick to the plan. Guys stick together, there’s not a lot of finger pointing and a lot of bitching in the locker room. Guys stick together for the most part. That’s why when there’s a sideline incident like a couple weeks ago, it’s surprising -- and overblown as well. But it just doesn’t happen around here a lot. We stick together, believe in each other, believe in the plan and stay the course. Mike talks about that a lot, about believing in the direction we’re going and not wavering from that.”