Packers: Aaron Rodgers and Tom Clements go way back

An old ally returns to the frozen tundra. The Green Bay Packers announced last month that former QB coach Tom Clements would return in the same role after a few years away from football.

The Pennsylvania native was a key piece on the Packers’ offensive coaching staff as he would help guide Green Bay’s offense to an elite level repeatedly over his 11 seasons. Most of his time was spent in the QBs room. The player that Clements was closest to during his time in northeast Wisconsin was… Aaron Rodgers.

The two were together from 2006-2016. Rodgers took over for legend Brett Favre in 2008. In those nine seasons when Rodgers was starting, this duo did incredible things. Clements helped elevate Rodgers to a future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. Rodgers would win two MVPs, lead the NFL in passer rating twice, become a three-time All-Pro, earn six Pro Bowl nods, and they would both win a Super Bowl with Rodgers earning Super Bowl MVP.

The team would win the NFC North four times, make the playoffs eight times, and also make three NFC Championship appearances. The strength of the Packers during this time was their offense. Their QB emerged as an absolute superstar. Their skill-position players were elite. The west coast offensive scheme then-HC Mike McCarthy ran was an elite one.

Clements spent more time with Rodgers than any coach. He helped Rodgers grasp the scheme concepts, make the right reads, and fool the defense. Clements would later be named offensive coordiantor in Green Bay in 2012 and assistant HC in 2015.

When Clements left after the team after the 2016 season, the Packers missed the playoffs the next two seasons with the offense landing in the bottom half of the league in a lot of major categories.

The team missed the former offensive assistant badly. But Green Bay has their old friend back. So does the QB. Rodgers has described Clements as “a father figure”. That is one of the many reasons why this is such a neat move by Matt LaFleur, Brian Gutekunst, and the Packers.

Clements has a strong bond with his players, and he has a long history in Green Bay of performing his job at a high level. He can mix in some old west coast concepts to this Mike Shanahan-esque offense that involves a lot of running the ball. The offense will add another layer this season. The 68-year-old is back where he belongs.