Bear Digest

The Reasons Thomas Brown Rates a Solid Chance to Retain Bears Job

Analysis: The situation for Thomas Brown isn't perfect but it's far better than the one most interim coaches inherit as he tries to make a statement about deserving to keep his new job.

Gene Chamberlain

Gervon Dexter celebrates after coming up with a fumble in the red zone Thursday. Bears interim coach Thomas Brown should benefit from a defense still giving 100% effort after six straight losses.
Gervon Dexter celebrates after coming up with a fumble in the red zone Thursday. Bears interim coach Thomas Brown should benefit from a defense still giving 100% effort after six straight losses. / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Interim coach is never a desirable position.

It's perceived team management is always thinking of you as a place holder until they get the chance to look over what everyone else has to offer on their coaching staff.

It's usually a situation where something bad is happening with the team. After all, unless it's like when Chuck Pagano had leukemia and the Colts turned it over to Bruce Arians, someone got fire and the interim coach is someone on staff taking over for the rest of the season.

It's not an ideal setup for Bears interim coach Thomas Brown. He no longer has the backing of an experienced defensive signal caller trying to stop the opposition the way the Bears did with former head coach Matt Eberflus performing the task on game days.

Defenses will be called by Eric Washington who has had only minor play calling experience with Carolina and wasn't entirely successful. Ron Rivera took the duty back at the beginning of December in the 2018 season after Washington did it all season. The results under Rivera that season weren't a great deal different than they were for Washington, and now Washington has gained more experience over six seasons since then.

Still, it's a team that nearly beat three straight high-powered divisional opponents.

His first opportunity comes on the road, and if he can win there the confidence will really soar because the Bears have only been able to win three times on the road in three seasons, and none within the last calendar year.

Here are the four reasons Brown should have a good shot at sticking as the head coach.

5. The Schedule

If the Bears were playing a handful of weak teams like they did earlier in the year, then the decision makers could brush off any success Brown has as the result of weak competition.

This won't be the case. Three divisional opponents and the 49ers and Seahawks fighting for playoff spots are their five remaining opponents. They're also playing three of those on the road.

If they score some wins in those games when they're all but eliminated from the playoffs or eliminated, then you know Brown has had the right effect.

One of those games is at Green Bay and the McCaskeys are always impressed by wins over the Packers. Or at least they would be if they could remember some of those.

4. Play Calling

The dynamic changes somewhat with Brown now on the sidelines. It's safe to wonder if he's the same effective play caller without the benefit derived from being away from the fray, looking down at defense. Besides that, he has to worry about strategic situations now, although it would be difficult to imagine he could ever be worse at this than Eberflus.

However, there is no denying how effective Brown has been at calling plays after the Bears struggled under Shane Waldron. And Brown's success has come against the toughest part of their schedule.

They average 86 more yards overall and 82 yards more passing than they did in nine games under Waldron.

They scored 2 1/2 points more a game but 13 more per game for his three than they did in the final three with Waldron as offensive coordinator.

Bottom line is the wins and they haven't had any of those, but they had six straight losses with a different head coach than Brown.

Now they'll see if he can add the wins just like he added the yardage.

3. The Mix

An energized offense around Caleb Williams and a defense totally ticked off because of how they weren't given the chance to send it to overtime due to blunders at game's end--witness reports of Jaylon Johnson hollering at former coach Matt Eberflus within the locker room before reporters entered.

The pass rush and pass defense had been strong and on the offense now is rolling.

It looks like a group ready to win but lacking the right leader.

Enter a person who has a reputation for talking in a dynamic way to a team. The offense got to experience this and now the ticked-off defense will also be part of Brown's talks.

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The difficult schedule works against them but if Brown pulls off several wins or more with a mix of this type, something could break his way.

It's a better mix than if the defense was struggling. The one factor that could derail them is their porous run defense.

If they solidify this, it's all right there for Brown.

2. Caleb Williams

The success they've had with Williams since Brown took over as play caller counts for something. Do they really want to break up that dynamic? It will be easier to do if the team struggles under Brown. If they succeed even to some degree, that success working with Williams as QB could be the deciding factor because they've already seen what he looked like working with a poor coordinator.

The franchise ownership has also seen what it looks like having a quarterback who gets a new coach in Year 2, and a quarterback who gets a new coach in Year 2, and now a quarterback who could get a new coach in Year 2. The first two tries weren't exactly success stories.

1. Money

The price is usually right with a lesser-known head coaching candidate and in this case there's much more to it.

How can the McCaskeys turn down a chance to hire a candidate in house at a low price when they still have to pay Matt Eberflus for the next two seasons on a five-year deal?

Other organizations wouldn't put this cash situation among concerns.

This isn't other organizations.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.