Brown wants Bears to "play with no fear" |
CHICAGO - This week marks the first full week with Thomas Brown as the head coach of the Chicago Bears. Even in his first Monday press conference, Brown brings a different energy that former head coach Matt Eberflus never provided.
Going into this Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers (3:25 p.m. / FOX), Brown is focused on increasing communication and collaboration with the players and coaching staff and believes this unit can win. “I try to bring energy every single day. I’m (a) very direct person. I’m (going to) try to be engaging in front of the group, not entertaining. I don’t care about entertaining them. But, delivering the message, being clear and concise, but also collaborating with the entire staff (and) with our players as well. I think this always has been (and) always will be a players’ game. So, it’s about us understanding those guys in a really good job (in the) locker room of manning it, owning it and taking it further than that,” Brown said. “I think we have a very talented football team and it’s about just putting the work in every single day. They give us an opportunity to win.” The move to make Brown the interim head coach for the rest of the season comes out of concern for the development of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. With the chaos and division under Eberflus, particularly during Chicago’s six-game losing streak, making the change was necessary to ensure Williams could still develop. Another aspect of Brown’s coaching that is different from Eberflus' is his approach to ensuring Williams's proper development. Brown takes a more team-oriented approach. While he acknowledges he is an important player in Williams’ growth, he also knows Williams has a large role in that and allows him to be creative on the field in certain conditions. “I am not the sole person responsible for Caleb’s development. He has a big part in that. Obviously, I’ve been charged with leading the way with him and the team now as well,” Brown said. “But, I think his response has been awesome. My job is to be an effective communicator, be honest and be direct about what he’s doing well (and) what he’s not doing well.” Chicago’s final five games of the season will also test whether Brown should permanently become the head coach for the Bears. Discipline has been an issue for the Bears, such as with the amount of explosive plays they have given up defensively. A lack of physicality in the run game has also been an issue. One of D’Andre Swift’s best attributes as a running back is breaking tackles. Every season of his career except 2022, Swift has broken at least nine tackles. Through the first 12 weeks of his first season with the Bears, he only has five broken tackles. Brown seeks to tackle problems like those by creating a “no-fear” mentality and emphasizing the importance of discipline and physicality. “Football’s a violent game and I have more of a (defensive) mentality (even) as an offensive guy … I think just being able to understand the physicality that comes with this role, the discipline. It comes to how we apply ourselves and trying to maximize every opportunity we have,” Brown said. “Life isn’t guaranteed. This game isn’t guaranteed. It’s a privilege to be here. So, I want us to maximize it every single day in the building and we have an opportunity to excel on game day. Go cut it loose. Play with no fear.”
