Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy resumed calling the team's offensive plays Sunday, reclaiming a responsibility he gave to associate head coach Tom Clements in the offseason.
McCarthy said after the Packers' 28-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Green Bay that he knew he needed to take back play-calling duties for the sake of the team. But that didn't make it easy to demote Clements.
"The personal part of it was brutal," McCarthy said. "Professionally, I felt like I had to do it. I was worried about making sure I was going to do my job good."
McCarthy said he will continue to call plays going forward.
"I've been suggesting things, and we just shift gears, where I called it today and he was suggesting things," McCarthy said. "So it worked out. The decision was made because I feel as the leader of this football team I've got to make sure to maximize all the opportunities and resources to (save) and to give our team the chance to win. "
McCarthy said he informed Clements of the decision on Monday. Clements then moved from the sideline to the coaches box for Sunday's game. In McCarthy's first game back as playcaller, the Packers ran the ball 44 times for 230 yards.
"Personally, it didn't feel very good. It didn't feel good at all," McCarthy said of the choice. "That's a challenge with these types of decisions. But professionally it was what I felt I needed to do. And regards to Tom Clements, he's a big part of our success here, has been since Day 1, and will be as we continue forward. So this is an adjustment in our process, and this is the way we'll go forward."
Said Aaron Rodgers: "I will say that it's not been about the play calling. It's been about the execution. We haven't executed very well. Today was a little better."
McCarthy was following the advice of people in the organization urging him to take over the task, but he had been reluctant to do so because it might create a negative perception about the performance of Clements and new offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett.
The head coach is considered one of the best offensive playcallers in the league. The Packers have struggled offensively since starting 6-0, going 2-4 in their past six games -- including consecutive losses at Lambeau Field.
Play-calling duties have been a recurring topic since the Packers' bye week. Their perennial top-10 offense with McCarthy as the playcaller entered Sunday ranked 22nd in yards, 15th in rushing, 23rd in passing and 26th in third-down conversion rate under the new offensive structure he implemented for this season.
ESPN's Ed Werder, Rob Demovsky and Jason Wilde contributed to this report.