Bears expected to interview interim HC Thomas Brown for permanent head coaching position despite challenging stretch late in the season
Leading up to the Chicago Bears Week 18 matchup against the Green Bay Packers, interim head coach Thomas Brown only seemed to be worried about what was in front of him, not what was coming in the future.Sunday's game will be the final game Brown will coach with the interim head coach title for the […]
Leading up to the Chicago Bears Week 18 matchup against the Green Bay Packers, interim head coach Thomas Brown only seemed to be worried about what was in front of him, not what was coming in the future.
Sunday's game will be the final game Brown will coach with the interim head coach title for the Bears. After that, the organization will begin the search for the team's next head coach as soon as this coming week. And for Brown, the future is unknown.
However, as with any coach who takes on the interim title after a team moves on from their head coach during a season, the expectation is that Brown will be given the opportunity to present his case to be named the full-time head coach after Week 18.
During the Bears' pregame show, Bears' general manager Ryan Poles confirmed that expectation saying Brown will get an interview for the permanent job.
"I've been so impressed with Thomas and his leadership," Poles said. "I know the results haven't come. That was a very difficult situation he was put in… He’s been here. He’s seen and reflected just like we have on the past and how we got to this and why the results were the results. I’m excited to hear from his side on how we got here and how he would fix it.”
Since deciding to part ways with former head coach Matt Eberflus following the team's Week 13 loss on Thanksgiving, the Bears have gone 0-4 under Brown with one game left to be played. Just 16 days before being named interim head coach, Brown was promoted from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator after the team fired Shane Waldron. That kind of jump in responsibility is uncommon in such a short amount of time, but Brown always handled everything as a true professional.
With his coaching future uncertain in Chicago, Brown is looking to go out in Week 18 with a victory, but no matter what the outcome is, his experience with the Bears is something he will always be able to reflect on for better or worse.
“When it comes to difficult moments through adversity, you have an opportunity where you see where you are and how you measure but also how everybody else stacks up to it,” Brown explained on Wednesday. “I think people always talk about courage, adversity, overcoming stuff but then to actually have to go through it and endure. So, more confidence with that. I’ve always been a pretty confident person before…
"Even through this I’ve become more confident when it comes to being in a worst-possible scenario in certain ways and still being able to power through it.
The 2024 season has been a difficult and challenging season for everyone in Chicago and the recent results should never be seen as a knock to Brown's coaching ability. From Day 1 as interim head coach, Brown's goal was to reunify the locker room and he immediately commanded the respect of his players.
For a team searching for a "leader of men" and someone who can create a culture within an organization, the Bears at the very least should sit down and give Brown a real shot after what he's helped create over the last month of the season, even if the results weren't there on paper.
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