More Fascinating Details About Thomas Brown’s Promotion Come To Light

The Chicago Bears thought they were doing the right thing when they promoted Thomas Brown to interim head coach in November. He’d garnered lots of praise from players in the building for his steady, disciplined approach. He managed to rescue Caleb Williams from complete collapse, helping the rookie quarterback play some of his best football over a three-week span. Maybe Brown could have a similar impact on the rest of the team. Alas, it didn’t work out that way.

Chicago only won a single game the rest of the season. The offense struggled and the defense took a step back as well. As it turns out, there were many inside Halas Hall who weren’t enthusiastic about Brown getting promoted. Not because he was unqualified, mind you. It was more out of fear that it would put too much on his plate. Adam Jahns of The Athletic received a notable comment on that.

In less than three weeks, Brown was promoted from offensive coordinator to interim head coach. He moved from the booth to the sideline but still called plays. As one team source put it, “It took one of the positive, better moments and shortened it.”

Thomas Brown no doubt wonders how things might’ve been different.

If he’d been able to maintain the momentum he was building with Williams, the team might’ve had more success down the stretch. That would’ve elevated his profile and given him a serious opportunity to go after a head coaching job, either in Chicago or elsewhere. Sadly, he got caught in a tough situation. The Bears wanted to see if he had the chops to handle the job, failing to realize there was no viable replacement for him at offensive coordinator. Thomas Brown was already running a scheme he had limited familiarity with (Shane Waldron’s). Having to do that while also running team meetings and crafting game plans had to be a nightmare. It was an unenviable situation. That said, players are hoping the team retains him in some way, feeling he has so much to offer their locker room.