Thomas Brown was a popular man in the Chicago Bears locker room. Players loved him for his honesty, accountability, and high standards. His ability to stabilize the offense after the Shane Waldron disaster earned a lot of respect behind the scenes. Many felt he might have the capacity to become the team’s head coach with how he carried himself. So when Matt Eberflus was fired after Thanksgiving, he was the obvious choice for the interim position, right? Not according to many inside Halas Hall.
A source informed SM that multiple people were concerned about promoting Brown. It wasn’t because they felt he was unqualified. The fear was that doing so would put too much on his plate. He and quarterback Caleb Williams were finding a groove since he took over as offensive coordinator. Adding more responsibilities might disrupt a good thing. Special teams coordinator Richard Hightower was the more sensible choice. In the end, Brown got the job anyway. Sadly, things unfolded as feared.
After averaging 22 points per game in the three weeks as offensive coordinator, the Bears have dropped to 14 points per game since he took over as interim.
Thomas Brown was thrust into a brutal situation.
He signed on to become the Bears’ passing game coordinator this season. Then, in the space of a month, he was “promoted” to offensive coordinator and again to head coach. Expecting a guy to have success under such circumstances is unfair. He inherited a mess not of his making and was told to fix it. That just doesn’t happen in this league. Still, the man deserves credit for at least helping Williams avoid completely falling apart. The rookie seemed on the cusp of losing all hope after the New England game. Brown’s influence helped avert total disaster.
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Fans won’t remember him as time goes on once the team revamps the coaching staff next year. They will become distracted by the new head coach and, hopefully, the success he brings. However, people should give Thomas Brown some respect. He may not have saved the Bears’ season, but he did at least preserve the future of the team’s potential franchise quarterback. Maybe his fate would be different had those inside the building who wanted him to remain as offensive coordinator were listened to. Still, his willingness to try is commendable.
@Veece Talent or coaching? Coaching or talent? The reason I harp on coaching so much, is that no team can draft 53 (or even 22) first round picks without being incredibly bad, or being corruptly gifted picks by the league. So many players are not “supremely” talented but most are very good. To win, a team has to make every single player really good, and then take advance of the superstar, All Pro, Supremely Talented few players on a team. You may not always win, but the probability is very high. Philadelphia, Kansas City, Baltimore only have a few “talented”… Read more »
You can absolutely see it. His first game as head coach, Williams control of the offense fell apart and the defense was horrible. THIS is why you overload your coaching staff with old heads and young guys. Call them “consultants,” “analysts,” or “coordinators,” just HAVE people. All you smart young guys can be “assistants,” or “quality control managers,” just have some flexibility. When the Raiders fired Luke Getsy, they had Joe Philbin jump in on their offensive line and Scott Turner was offensive coordinator. Norv Turner was “consultant” to Scott. Otherwise known as “Dad.” Philbin built the Farve-Rodgers offensive teams… Read more »
@Dr. Melhus You say it’s not about talent then comment how Detroit has a great OL. So, obviously, it IS about talent. Then coaching. Lions had many injuries on D and still outperformed the Bears D. Johnson’s offense is geared to adhere to their player strengths not force square pegs into a round hole. They have a great balance of run and pass with Montgomery inside and Gibbs outside, crossing patterns by St. Brown, hitches and seam routes by La Porta, and deep fly and posts by Williams. Using weapons so effectively is something the Bears aspire to achieve. Of… Read more »
The problem isn’t a lack of talent. The problem is the lack of a preseason to coach that talent up to a level where they can play together effectively. Brown can’t have that given the situation. Football isn’t just about skill. It’s about working together. Take the Lions as an example. They have a great offensive line, but their WRs collectively are not as good as the Bears WRs. Sure, bunch them together, and St. Brown is probably #1, but Moore and Allen are probably the next 2, and for me, Odunze and Williams are a toss-up. LaPorta is faster… Read more »
@Veece MacGyver could do it.