LAKE FOREST — Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown met with reporters Monday for the first time since the team fired former coach Matt Eberflus on Friday and named Brown its interim head coach.
Brown’s climb through the organization has been quick after the Bears hired him to be the passing game coordinator in January. He became the offensive coordinator on Nov. 12 when Eberflus fired former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
Now Brown has the task of preparing the Bears for the final five games of the season, starting Sunday at the San Francisco 49ers. Here are five of the most interesting things Brown said Monday.
On his message to the team
Brown met with Bears players Monday for the first time since Eberflus’ firing. Players had the weekend off after playing against the Lions on Thursday.
Before Brown looked ahead to the 49ers, he tried to set the tone for the next five weeks.
“The initial goal is to unify this football team,” Brown said. “Everybody’s on the same accord, moving in the same direction, speaking the same language and attacking with effort. No more divisions. As far as the outside noise, we ignore it. It doesn’t matter, whether it’s positive or it’s negative. What matters is our daily approach, us working together and executing when it’s time to go execute.”
Brown also challenged the Bears to be more disciplined and play more physically. Penalties consistently derailed drives on both sides of the ball this season and was one of the reasons why the Bears couldn’t come back to beat the Lions. Through 12 games, the Bears average 6.5 penalties per game, the 13th most in the NFL heading into Monday.
In Brown’s view, penalties boil down to lack of focus and a one-player-at-a-time mentality, something players have spotlighted in recent weeks. Brown wants the Bears to consistently hit the reset button after each play and focus on the details when it comes to technique.
“We need to do a better job as coaches to coach it the right way,” Brown said. “If we do that, our guys will execute when it’s time to execute.”
On his plans as head coach
Brown set the coaching plan for the final five weeks. After coaching up in the coaching box as the team’s play caller the past three weeks, Brown said he’ll continue to call plays but move to the field.
Wide receivers coach Chris Beatty became the offensive coordinator while defensive coordinator Eric Washington and special teams coordinator Richard Hightower each retained their positions. Washington will take over defensive play calling after Eberflus did it this year.
Although Brown is the head coach, he said he won’t micromanage the defense or special teams.
“It’s not a one-man show, it’s not about me,” Brown said. “I am in a leadership position, the goal of a leader is to make people in situations better. My goal every single day is not about what is right for me, it’s about what’s right for this football team.”
He also emphasized the importance of cohesive communication, something that was a problem primarily offensively for much of the season under Waldron. Brown acknowledged that the NFL is a player’s league and there needs to be two-way communication to succeed.
“I want those guys to understand they always have a doorway and a pathway to come communicate with me,” Brown said. ”I will not just do whatever they ask me to do. That’s not how it works. But every thought process is about being able to understand how to resolve problems, how to make people and the situation better so we can get a better result.”
On Caleb Williams
Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams had three of his best games this season with Brown as his offensive coordinator. Brown doesn’t plan on changing what’s been working in terms of Williams’ development.
“A few more roles that are put on my plate, but that won’t change at all,” Brown said.
Williams has looked more comfortable with Brown’s play calling and the numbers back it up. In the three games Brown’s called plays, Williams has averaged 275.7 passing yards per game, thrown five touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Bears offense as a whole has looked better. It had three of its four highest yardage totals and skill players like DJ Moore and Keenan Allen had season highs with Brown in charge.
Brown said he’ll continue to be involved with meetings and play calling, helping Williams navigate through the coaching change.
“We all have to make adjustments,” Brown said. “Life is ever-changing. It’s not an excuse. I don’t make excuses. So I think being able to communicate effectively, to be on the same page, to continue to demand that we do things the right way, but also taking it one play at a time, one day at a time.”
On his interest in the head coaching job
Before Brown met with reporters, team president Kevin Warren and general manager Ryan Poles answered questions about Eberflus’ firing. They also laid out what they’re looking for in the Bears next head coach.
Brown will get a good opportunity to audition for the job and prove that he should be the next full-time head coach, especially if Williams continues to develop. But Brown wasn’t worried about his candidacy.
“That’s not under my control,” Brown said. “I do my best to avoid worrying about stuff that I can’t control because it’s a waste of my time. I can control my approach every single day.”
Brown hasn’t just had a quick advancement through the Bears. He reached the NFL coaching ranks in 2020 when he became the running backs coach for the Los Angeles Rams. Since then, he’s been an assistant coach with the Rams and offensive coordinator with the Carolina Panthers before joining the Bears.
Even if Brown does have interest in the job, he’s not changing his approach.
“Every job I’ve had that’s led me to the future is based on the current work I do,” Brown said. “So, that’s all I care about. I’m not worried about what happens in five weeks. I really don’t. It’s not even in my thought process. I’m focused on this very moment and how to do the best job I can for this football team to help lead these guys the right way and go have success.”
On what happened in Detroit
Although Eberflus received plenty of national scrutiny for his handling of the last play in Thursday’s loss that ultimately led to his firing, Brown took responsibility for the loss too.
“I am not exempt from responsibility in those actions,” Brown said. “We’re a team, I believe in doing things together.”
The Bears lost their sixth straight game when the offense failed to tie or score a game-winning touchdown late. Eberflus didn’t call a timeout while Williams and the offense scrambled to get off only one play with 36 seconds left in the game.
While the national focus has been on the final half minute, Brown was more worried about what led up to that moment.
“We had several opportunities before that to go execute,” Brown said. “I’m not going to get into the weeds of what was communicated, not communicated, because that’s irrelevant and over with now. But we definitely had an opportunity to learn from it and I don’t remove myself from accountability in those scenarios.”
