What Thomas Brown Must Accomplish to Stay as the Bears HC

The history of interim head coaches staying with their team isn’t the prettiest, but it’s one Thomas Brown can rewrite. As the Bears interim head coach, he has a challenging road ahead to keep his role as the HC, but there’s still optimism. If Brown wants to be more than just a placeholder, he must overcome yet another challenge.

All quotes via Thomas Brown media availability

What Thomas Brown Must Accomplish to Stay as the Bears Head Coach

Maintain the Respect of the Locker Room and Organization

Thomas Brown’s primary objective was “To unify this football team.” It’s the perfect headstart towards convincing the organization they already have the perfect guy for the job.

Brown’s aggressive mindset, combined with his calm and composed leadership style, has already made a positive impression within the organization, with players quickly buying into his vision.

“Football is a violent game. It rewards those who play the game violently…The word ‘team’ —I believe in doing things together. We get rewarded together, we also get criticized together. So we will have an internal process we’ll go through on a weekly basis to prepare ourselves for those opportunities. And on game day, we’ll execute.”

The Bears are looking for a leader of men. So far, by the way Brown has handled himself in press conferences, he fits the description.

Win Football Games, Especially in Green Bay

There’s no sugarcoating it—Thomas Brown needs results. If he can close out the season with a 4-1 or 5-0 record, it’ll be difficult to overlook his candidacy.

Matt Eberflus failed to beat the Green Bay Packers during his tenure, and the Bears haven’t beaten them since 2018. It would be huge if Brown could take the Bears into Lambeau Field, regardless of whether the Packers are starting their starters, and beat them. Beating the Packers means more to this franchise than it ever has. The fans, players, and ownership are desperate for a Bears win against Green Bay, and for an interim head coach to do it in his first matchup would send the Bears a wake-up call. Having a team get back on track and go on a winning streak while beating the Packers, it’ll be hard to move on from Brown.

Regardless of experience, winning football games matter in the NFL. The Bears have failed to be a winning organization, and if Brown can show signs of changing that, it would make him hard to replace.

Continue Developing Caleb Williams

Thomas Brown has figuratively turned Caleb Williams into Superman on the field. Since the duo was formed after the firing of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, Williams has completed 64.1% of his passes for 827 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions with a 99.2 passer rating—all against divisional opponents. However, the challenges for Brown will only grow as he takes on additional responsibilities, including defense, special teams, and game management.

Brown even joked about his new role as head coach:

“I’d probably be the first head coach or interim head coach to stay in the box.”

Obviously, he won’t coach from the booth, but it’ll be a tough adjustment. Being able to see the entire field with no restrictions was what helped Brown turn the Bears offense around. Now, he’ll have to coach from the sidelines.

Last Word on Bears Head Coach Thomas Brown

This football team was ready for a change. With Thomas Brown at the helm, there’s a newfound sense of optimism. The team has been battling hard these past couple of games. Now, it’s time to finish. The road ahead won’t be easy, but Brown has a chance to steer the Bears back on course and cement his case for the full-time role.