Aaron Rodgers won't call his own plays; Peyton Manning doesn't, either

Earlier this year, Packers coach Mike McCarthy announced that he wouldn't be calling the plays for Green Bay going forward. But don't look to Aaron Rodgers to take over the job as play-calling quarterback.

"Nobody does that," Rodgers said in a recent interview.

Wait a minute. Nobody? Doesn't Peyton Manning call his own plays? Isn't Rodgers, the reigning MVP, sharp enough to run his own plays as the defense comes at him?

Truth is, Rodgers noted, Peyton doesn't call his own plays. And it's not a matter of not knowing the plays, it's more a matter of having more input on what the defense is offering up in any given situation.

"I think everybody would want a starting point [for deciding on a play call]," Rodgers said. "We all have moments where we have [called specific 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."

McCarthy announced earlier this year that he would no longer be calling the Packers' plays; Tom Clements, promoted from offensive coordinator, will be handling those duties.

"It's fun to call plays on Sundays," McCarthy said at the time. "Don't get me wrong. It's probably something I enjoyed it more than anything as far as the game. There's nothing like Sundays. ... To go out there and compete against the coordinator or who's across the field is something I've taken a lot of pride in, had success in, really enjoyed. But this change and the confidence I have in Tom and Aaron, I feel great about it and we'll be better for it."

Jeff Saturday, who snapped to both Rodgers and Manning, noted that it's not unusual for a quarterback to use a coach's play-calls as the starting line for improvisation rather than handling those calls himself. "Peyton has -- and Aaron did as well when I was there -- the freedom to change if they see something like they differently," Saturday told ESPN. "It's what you call the 'check-with-me' system. You've got two runs and two passes in your head when you walk to the line of scrimmage and whatever defense they give you, you have what you like best and that's how you go."

Earlier this offseason, Manning noted that he enjoys having a coach give him guidelines. "I like to think I’m pretty versatile, believe it or not," he said. "I feel like I can execute whatever plays the coach calls. I feel the different offenses I’ve been in that I’ve executed the plays that the coordinator has called. I feel like I can do that."

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.

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