Can the Bears’ Thomas Brown be the rare NFL interim coach with staying power?

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – On first-and-10 from the Chicago Bears’ 43 with 21 seconds left against the Minnesota Vikings, quarterback Caleb Williams hit a pass across the middle of the field and over two defenders to receiver DJ Moore I never did it in practice.

It was one of Williams’ best throws this season. Without them, the Bears would not have tied the game and would have had no chance of winning.

“Caleb knew the concept,” quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph said The athlete Days later. “He knew the situation. And this is one of those where there is no hesitation. He felt the cover inside close and collapse, and he let it rip.

“And that’s how you have to play the position. Arrogance is confidence under control, and that’s how he plays the game now. Just under control, playing with confidence, letting the ball run.”

The Bears didn’t win that day at Soldier Field. They haven’t won in London since October 13th. But it’s an example of how Williams has improved with Thomas Brown as his playmaker and offensive leader.

During the Bears’ 11-point comeback in the final minutes against the Vikings, Brown told Williams to “be Superman.” Brown, now the Bears’ interim head coach, later said Williams played without fear and that’s how he wanted to play .

“That’s how you could play the game — and that’s how he coaches the game,” Joseph said of Brown. “That’s how he trains the offense. Play without fear. Be free, know your tasks, have fun and let it go. And we’ve been able to do that over the last few weeks.”

If this continues over the next five weeks, the “exhaustive search” and “wide net” for the Bears’ next head coach that general manager Ryan Poles and team president/CEO Kevin Warren have promised need not happen. The Bears already have Brown in place for Williams.

Go deeper

Greenberg: Kevin Warren shows he’s in charge as the Bears try to find the latest coaching savior

History hasn’t been kind to the NFL’s interim coaches. They had little success or staying power. But Brown’s situation with the Bears and his background set him apart from previous examples.

First, Brown is coaching Williams, the first pick in this year’s draft. The Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans have interviewed Brown for previous head coaching vacancies, and he will likely be a candidate again this offseason. And Brown has the strong support of Sean McVay after serving as his assistant head coach in Los Angeles for two seasons, including the season in which the Rams won the Super Bowl.

“He’s always been a guy with incredible command,” McVay told reporters last week. “He was a great competitor. He demands respect from those around him just by the way he behaves. … There are certain people when you watch you think, ‘Man, they’re a little different in terms of competitive spirit, spirit and never-say-die attitude.’ And then just his overall presence in general is impressive.”

As interim coach of the Bears, Thomas Brown (right) will have more media obligations. (Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)

Former Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth, now an analyst for Prime Video, voiced his support for Brown during the Bears’ game against the Lions.

“Leader of men! Rare cat!” Whitworth wrote on I’m not talking about the Tomlin success. Simply the conviction of knowing exactly who he is and what he stands for. And he has just the thing!”

On Monday, Warren and Poles listed several traits for their next head coach that are typically received from front offices embarking on a head coaching search. What makes this year different for the Bears is that the team released Matt Eberflus during the season and created a quality internal replacement in Brown, who has already earned the approval of the team’s offensive players.

In Eberflus’ final days and weeks, it’s clear to see that the Bears have evolved into a player-led team. Many of them — Williams, receivers DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, tight end Cole Kmet, running back D’Andre Swift, cornerback Jaylon Johnson, defensive end Montez Sweat and more — are under contract for the next two seasons or longer.

Go deeper

The Bears ultimately fired Matt Eberflus. But he lost the locker room a long time ago

If these and other players get behind Brown in the next five games and the Bears win, would that be more than enough for Poles to make his decision? Or, more accurately and more importantly, could Warren really ignore this connection when it arises for the benefit of his own slate of candidates?

Everything Warren said Monday suggested he will have an impact on what comes next for the Bears. The Poles could be, as Warren said, the “main person” in the head coach search, but Warren also provided an unclear answer when it comes to who has the final say.

“We’ll get it done,” Warren said. “Ryan is the general manager. He’s the head of football operations, so he’ll have the final say if it ever comes to that, but I’m confident we’ll get there because the good thing is that we’re at the heart of our decisions as long as what’s in the best “It is in the interest of the Chicago Bears and our players, it will become clear as we move forward who is the person who will lead this franchise from a football perspective and from a coaching perspective.”

With that in mind, Poles is the one who put this squad together. If his team starts winning and Williams plays well, the Poles will have to look at Brown’s success differently than the unknowns on the coaching roster he and Warren put together. Brown could be the Poles’ continuity candidate as he was involved in the team’s evaluation of Williams.

“I have learned a lot in the last few years,” said Poles. “I think the most important thing is that I know from the squad that we have exactly what this team needs right now because of the core group we have here. Before, it wasn’t really important to understand who would be here. It was a really difficult situation. So it’s about knowing exactly the core of our team and what characteristics will help make this team a championship-caliber squad.”

Go deeper

This time the Bears need to hire the right head coach. 5 tips for your search

What if that’s Brown?

In his first meeting with the entire team, Brown laid out his vision for the team and the skills that are most important to him: coachability, accountability and reliability.

“This affects all of us, including me,” he said. “I’m not above coaching. I am not above responsibility. So we will get through this together. And finally, it’s about being resilient. No matter what happens, no one cares what happened before or what will happen in the future. Get over it, fight through it. It’s not about the event; it’s about the reaction. So react together correctly and attack.”

Or, like Williams did, go play without fear.

(Top photo: Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)