Pete Carmichael, not Sean Payton called plays in preseason opener

January 1, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael on the sideline during the third quarter of a game against the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

While Sean Payton is usually the one calling plays for the New Orleans Saints, the team chose to change things up in the preseason opener. As Nick Underhill of The New Orleans Advocate explained, it was actually Pete Carmichael calling the plays when the Saints faced the Baltimore Ravens last week.

"He did last week," Payton told Underhill. "We will keep looking at how we do that, but he called all of it last week. He did a good job."

As noted by Underhill, this wasn't the first time Carmichael has been the primary play-caller. While he called plays last offseason, he also handled the duties when Payton wasn't on the sidelines in 2011 after breaking his leg.

Could this be something we will see more of in the future? It's probably pretty unlikely that Payton gives up the play-calling duties, but hey, who knows what the future holds. Regardless, the offense seems to be just fine with Payton, so there's no reason to fix what's not broken.

(h/t The New Orleans Advocate)