The Chicago Bears are venturing into the unknown now. Shane Waldron has been fired. His inability to fix the offense after three weeks of not scoring finally did him in. Players weren’t happy, and fans were irate. Head coach Matt Eberflus had to do something. His own seat was heating up at a frantic pace. So Waldron was out. In his place, the Bears promoted passing game coordinator Thomas Brown to the position. It marks the second time he’s been asked to become the play-caller in the middle of the season, doing so last year in 2023.
That experiment didn’t go too well. Carolina’s offense was practically dead during the final month of the season. Then again, head coach Frank Reich didn’t do any better. The Panthers were stuck with a rookie quarterback, a bad offensive line, and no credible wide receivers. One would think those struggles negatively affected Brown’s reputation among NFL players.
Nope.
Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network revealed that the NFLPA surveyed players to determine the best offensive coordinators in the league. Brown came in second, behind only Miami Dolphins coordinator Frank Smith. That should tell you the type of coach and leader he is.
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Thomas Brown is the polar opposite of Waldron.
The former coordinator’s personality was often criticized. He was known for being passive and lacking any sort of commanding voice in the locker room. That made it difficult for him to drill the importance of details and execution into the offense, leading to constant mistakes and miscommunications. Players openly complained about it before and after he left. Well, that won’t be an issue with Brown. Based on multiple sources, the young coach has no qualms about being direct with guys and is lauded for his attention to detail.
Buzz has been building for the past few years about Thomas Brown being a future head coach. When you watch him speak, it is easy to see why. He has a calm, composed demeanor but also a firm voice. His intentions are clear, as are his goals. In his presser, he told the Bears offense that there won’t be any quick fixes. Attitude, hard work, and effort will be needed to turn this thing around. The task ahead is a Herculean one. Morale is low. The schedule is getting tougher.
It might be too late for Brown to stop the ship from sinking. However, he is more than ready to try anyway.
We can’t predict injuries. Which is why coaching matters. Great teams move back-ups to the fore when starters get injured. Yes, there is fall off, but not fall-off-the table fall-off. When any team is thin, they coach players and build them to starters, and those players have to be both physically and mentally capable of stepping up. If not, it’s the coaching. The quarterback is correctable either by himself or with coaching, but the REST of the offense is ONLY correctable with coaching. Not by the quarterback. Brown, by calling plays, can’t instantaneously change the preparation of the offensive line… Read more »
@Arnie
What you say about Williams is an echoed of what Fields was criticized for – and why I blamed the coordinating and coaching. Lack of trust in reading defenses, and lack of trust in the consistency and reliability of options.
Those are not quarterback problems. They are offensive problems (in every sense of the word).
The problem with the named coordinators is that the top two didn’t call plays, they may have been exceptional behind the scenes, but Frank Smith doesn’t call plays on Miami. McDaniel does.
If any of you believe that the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers offensive lines (we can visit their respective O-line coaches later) are in any way similar — watch the game on Sunday. And, don’t expect GM Ryan Poles’ 3rd-round pick (at #75) the still.”incapacitated” OT, Kiran Amegadjie to be available. He is in week #3 of nursing “a knee” injury (not at all unusual for a player who has had such a “devastating injury” as a quadriceps tendon (tear or complete rupture). Remember… No one put a gun to Ryan Poles’ head, forcing him to select Kiran… Read more »
@Arnie I actually agree with the majority of your comments however….
The GM is on his 2nd coaching staff, he’s ultimately responsible for the coaching he put into place.
My hope is that Kevin Warren does a non biased evaluation of the GM and render a decision that’s in the best interest of the team and the city of Chicago.
Our team is worse than last year, the GM can’t be ignored considering the context and state of our beloved team.