Thomas Brown was a no-name coach when he arrived to join the Chicago Bears in January. Prior to 2023, he’d been a position coach for the Los Angeles Rams, helping them win a Super Bowl in 2021. That inevitably led to bigger opportunities elsewhere. Unfortunately, things went south in a hurry with Carolina as their team bottomed out at 2-15. The offense struggled. As a result, Brown was fired along with the rest of the staff. Even so, the Bears liked his pedigree and felt he could help them.
A few months later, Brown took over as offensive coordinator after Shane Waldron was fired. It was an exact duplicate of what happened last year in Carolina, with him taking over play-calling midseason. The first time didn’t go too well. Thankfully, Brown seems to have learned from his mistakes. Chicago has almost 800 yards of total offense the past two weeks, with quarterback Caleb Williams posting a 99.9 passer rating. Some have begun calling for Brown to get a look at head coach.
Former quarterback Dan Orlovsky warned the Bears. Either they work to keep Brown in Chicago, or he’ll find success elsewhere. It’s clear they’ve stumbled onto a hidden gem.
Thomas Brown already has the attention of the locker room.
Several players, including Williams, have praised him at every opportunity. They’ve noted his “aura” of confidence and steady leadership. His ability to motivate guys is already becoming obvious. How he’s managed to reorganize the offense from the mess it was over the previous month is extraordinary. His entire vibe has drawn comparisons to guys like Mike Tomlin: tough, no-nonsense, disciplined, and detailed.
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The Bears haven’t promoted an assistant to head coach since 1972, when Abe Gibron got the job. After that proved to be a low point in franchise history, they’ve looked outside for help ever since. Could Thomas Brown be the one to break the drought? The Bears haven’t made any decisions yet, but it’s clear he has the attention of everybody inside Halas Hall.
@Dr. Melhus you make some very good points. My only worry is giving the job to a guy who has gone from relative obscurity to the HC in such a short period of time. Is a huge risk. If we had a 6 game sample that would at least be something to go on. It is looking like there will be a lot of great head coaching candidates out there this hiring cycle, and to pass them over for someone so unproven worries me a little. I’d just feel a little better if brown had a successful run with the… Read more »
If Brown does very well he will be scooped up at least for an OC position somewhere else this offseason. If they promote him to HC and he does well, he will be scooped up as either OC or HC guaranteed. If the Bears bring any other new HC in, they will use their own OC and not Brown, thats just the way it goes. So the Bears have to promote Brown to HC if they want to keep him. This is why they need to: reduce Eberflus to DC / Asst. HC with the same pay and promote Brown… Read more »
@34sweetness343434: I hear you. But I worry about one thing. Brown has had two weeks to put his stamp on the offense, probably using most of Waldron’s nomenclature and plays. While those two weeks have gone well for the offense, is this the time to then give him the rest of the HC responsibilities on top of all that? Personally, I’d rather see Flus relieved of duties, Washington call plays, and Hightower be the interim HC, as that would provide the minimum disruption of the things that are going well now (and weren’t during the first three losses of the… Read more »
Two games in and people want to anoint this guy the next HC. Let’s all be honest here, the bar was set pretty low with Waldron. Thomas Brown is doing exactly what the players have asked, coaching them. The offense is playing better, I won’t deny that. If the Bears lose, regardless of a blowout or humiliation, Poles should fire Flus and give Brown the chance to showcase what he can do. Also, why is Joe Judge getting so much attention for being a HC? The Bills are averaging 45 yards more a game. However, they are scoring about 10… Read more »
If Poles hired him and Caleb endorsed him, Brown is staying. Results are results. No compensation required.
Besides, he’s left-handed which gives him the edge in creativity.