Packers promote Tom Clements to Offensive Coordinator
By: Nick Goddard
Updated: February 2, 2012
Green Bay (Green Bay Packers) - The Green Bay Packers named Tom Clements
their new offensive coordinator Thursday. Head Coach Mike McCarthy made the
announcement.
Clements possesses 19 seasons of coaching experience,
including 15 in the National Football League. He served as Green Bay's
quarterbacks coach each of the past six seasons (2006-11) and was a part of one
of the league's top-10 offenses each year. Prior to coming to Green Bay,
Clements served as the Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator for two seasons
(2004-05).
"Tom has been an integral part of our success and our
staff, making it an obvious decision to promote him to offensive coordinator,"
McCarthy said. "He has earned this opportunity and we look forward to continued
offensive success in 2012."
Clements has been instrumental in the development of
two-time Pro Bowler Aaron Rodgers, who set an NFL record for the most passing
yards by a quarterback in his first four seasons as a starter with 17,037 from
2008-11. In 2011, Rodgers set the NFL single-season record for passer rating
(122.5) and set team marks for touchdown passes (45), passing yards (4,643),
completion percentage (68.3), yards per attempt (9.25), touchdown/interception
ratio (7.5) and 300-yard games (eight).
Clements has also tutored backup QB Matt Flynn, who set
single-game franchise marks for passing yards (480) and TD passes (six) in the
2011 regular-season finale vs. Detroit, just his second career start. In 2011,
the Packers set the team record for net passing yards (4,924) and tied an NFL
record for the most TD passes in a season (51).
Under Clements' guidance, Rodgers became the first
quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards in each of his first two
seasons as a starter (2008-09). In 2007, Clements helped QB Brett Favre post one
of the finest seasons of his career as he threw for 4,155 yards and 28 TDs with
just 15 INTs for a 95.7 passer rating. With Favre eclipsing the 4,000-yard mark
that season and Rodgers doing so in 2008, it marked the first time in league
history that a team had different quarterbacks each register 4,000 yards passing
in consecutive seasons.
"I'm happy that it's happened and I'm happy for Joe
(Philbin) that he's a head coach, and I'm glad I was able to step into his
place," Clements said. "I've been a coordinator before, only for a few years.
I've always wanted to get back to doing that and I'm thankful that it's here in
Green Bay.
"I think it's a great opportunity. We have a young team.
We've had success over the past couple of years. We still have a lot of room to
grow and I'm happy to be a part of it."
In Clements' first season as the offensive coordinator in
Buffalo, the Bills increased their scoring output by 152 points and reduced
their number of sacks allowed from 51 to 38, the fewest by the club since 1999.
In 2005, QB Kelly Holcomb set a club record with a 67.4 completion percentage,
surpassing Jim Kelly's mark of 64.1 in 1991.
Prior to joining Buffalo, Clements served as the
quarterbacks coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers (2001-03), Kansas City Chiefs
(2000) and New Orleans Saints (1997-99). Before entering the NFL coaching ranks,
he spent four seasons (1992-95) on the coaching staff at his alma mater, Notre
Dame.
Inducted into the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame in
1994, Clements played 12 seasons in the CFL at quarterback (1975-79, 1981-87)
and was a seven-time divisional all-star and two-time Grey Cup champion. He was
selected as the league's Rookie of the Year in 1975 and the Most Valuable Player
in 1987. Clements also played one season (1980) for the
Chiefs.
Clements led Notre Dame to a 29-5 record in his three
seasons as a starter (1972-74), including an unblemished national championship
season in 1973. He was an All-American in 1974 and finished fourth in the
Heisman Trophy balloting that season.
