The Facts: Before Rodgers suffered an injury to his left calf last year, the Packers had experimented with the pistol formation. But Rodgers' immobility necessitated its constant use, and now HC Mike McCarthy may be inventing ways to make it a regular option for his quarterback. "I like the pistol," McCarthy said this week. "I think there's a lot of value regardless of the injury to Aaron. I know he likes it. There's a place for it year-round in your offense."

Diehards Line: As Journal-Sentinel staffer Tom Silverstein suggests, for the Packers, the pistol adds another element of unpredictability to the offense since they can run the same plays they can from under center or from the shotgun. When studying tendencies, a defense has to consider what the Packers might run out of three formations instead of two. ... McCarthy has turned play-calling duties over to Tom Clements, his former OC whose title is now assistant HC/offense. Rodgers is expected to have more say in the game plans each week, but the process of integrating him with Clements and new coordinator Edgar Bennett won't happen for a while. "I think we're watching a great Hall of Fame player really at a midpoint of his career," McCarthy said. "He gives us the flexibility to be very creative offensively. He gives us the ability to be very aggressive in what we do. It's a lot of fun from that perspective. He's a great football player. ..." No argument here.