GREEN BAY, Wis. – Here's an image you probably won't see during Thursday's preseason opener: Mike McCarthy, the Green Bay Packers coach, on the sideline with a laminated play sheet over his mouth so would-be lip-readers can't discern what he's telling his quarterback.

You won't see this during the #Packers preseason opener at New England, McCarthy's 1st since giving up play calling. pic.twitter.com/wrwIrc0kER — Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) August 12, 2015

If all goes according to McCarthy's offseason plan, you might never see it again.

Thursday's preseason opener at New England marks the first game since McCarthy in February handed offensive play-calling duties to longtime assistant Tom Clements, who assumed the title of associate head coach for the offense.

It will serve as the first trial run with the new offensive structure, with Clements moving from the coaches box to the sideline this season.

"The exhibition games are trial runs for everybody, for the staff, for the players and see if you need to make any adjustments," Clements said. "But things have been operating smoothly, and I don't anticipate any problems."

Clements has been using the same setup during training camp. For all 10 practices, he has been on the headset and sending the plays directly to his quarterbacks' helmet speaker.

Unlike defensive coordinator Dom Capers, who calls plays from upstairs, Clements prefers to be on the sideline. It saves a step in the process. Capers has to send the call to associate head coach/defense Winston Moss on the sideline, who then relays it to inside linebacker Sam Barrington, who has the defensive speaker in his helmet.

"I think it's quicker for the operation rather than to have to have the call made down to the sideline and the call into quarterback," Clements said. "It saves time, and it can help us play quicker. We're an up-tempo team, and that's what we're trying to accomplish."

The tradeoff is that from the sideline, Clements doesn't have quite the same view he had last year. For that, however, he'll have quarterbacks/receivers coach Alex Van Pelt, who will move from the sideline to the coaches' box.

"I'll talk with Tom as far as down and distance and hash marks and stuff like that so that he can get the play call ready," Van Pelt said. "Tom will be talking to Aaron [Rodgers] on the sideline. I'll be in on that conversation through the headsets and if I need Aaron, I'll get him on the phone between each series. I don't think it will be an issue at all."