New Bears offensive coordinator Thomas Brown knows there’s only so much he can do, nine games into the season.
“At this point, you can’t reinvent the wheel,” Brown said, a day after he replaced Shane Waldron, who was fired by coach Matt Eberflus after nine games. “I’m not going to try and do that all. That would be setting us in a spiral going backward. It’s about being able to find the best way to be effective with our playmakers.”
But Brown already has one factor in his favor. His players are looking forward to a new voice, an energetic voice, and a coordinator who will hold them accountable in ways they say Waldron did not. As it turns out, a lot of those “great” practices and walk-throughs the Bears had that Eberflus was so enthused about weren’t so great after all.
“[Waldron was] probably too nice of a guy,” wide receiver Keenan Allen said. “I think OTAs, training camp, he kind of fell into a trap of letting things go, not holding people accountable. Obviously things leading to a slippery slope.”
That’s not what Brown is all about. On the contrary …
“Different personality,” Allen said. “He’s more of a don’t-take-[BS]-type of guy.”
With a scheme and playbook in place, Brown’s impact as the offensive coordinator on Sundays is limited. It sounds like the difference will happen on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
“Practice habits. Being a professional,” Allen said when asked how Brown’s approach can lead to offensive success. “Going out there, making it work in practice. And making them work.”
Brown seems well-aware of the situation he’s in — the potential of it (“I put no limitations on our success at all”) but also the reality of it.
“I’m not really looking into quick fixes,” he said. “I want long-term solutions to get us going in the right direction. The goal is to have success immediately. I’m not doing anything to be a loser or have a loser’s mentality. My players don’t either. Those guys are focused. They’re excited.”
NFL teams have been going from good cop to bad cop and vice-versa forever. Sometimes it leads to a burst of improvement, only to dissipate after the new-guy effect worse off. But for now, the power of Brown’s personality is having an immediate impact.
“Thomas comes in every day with a lot of energy. But now he’s in front of the room,” wide receiver DJ Moore said. “It’s a lot of new energy. He’s excited to be out there. He’s demanding. So, we’ve got to go out there and do the best we can.”
“It’s a fresh perspective. Thomas is a direct dude,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “He coaches in a direct manner. I think guys respect and appreciate that. I know after Thomas got done talking [at the team meeting], I know a few guys were fired up hearing what he had to say.”
When Brown shared play-calling responsibilities with head coach Frank Reich with the Panthers last year, the Panthers averaged fewer points in his nine games calling plays (11.6) than in eight games with Reich calling the plays (16.5).
With the Bears, Brown has total control of the offense and a more to work with. But these changes are often hit-and-miss.
When Allen was with the Chargers in 2019, offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt was fired after eight games and replaced by Shane Steichen. The Chargers had a season-high 442 yards in a 26-11 victory over the Packers in Steichen’s first game as coordinator. But the overall bump was minor (from 19.7 points per game to 22.5) and the Chargers lost six of their final seven games to finish 5-11.
“Sometimes it’s good. Sometimes it’s not good,” Allen said. “I’ve been around change. Not always good. The grass ain’t always greener. But hopefully in this case it works out for us.”