The Chicago Bears were able to close out the 2024 season on a high note with a 24-22 victory on Sunday at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers. The win brought a ten-game losing streak.
Sunday marked the first time the Bears took down Green Bay since 2018 and in Wisconsin since 2015. Despite this being the first win of Thomas Brown’s NFL head coaching career, he had plenty to reflect on after the game in terms of the problems that the organization needs to address moving forward.
Chicago Bears interim HC Thomas Brown on the team’s problems
Upon Matt Eberflus being fired following the Thanksgiving disaster in Detroit, Brown took over as the acting head coach in the Windy City. Brown had just received a promotion from pass game coordinator to interim offensive coordinator when Shane Waldron was let go a few weeks prior, and yet again was being asked to take on a bigger role with the Chicago Bears.
When Brown became the leader of the franchise, his immediate attention shifted to each guy and how he challenged them every day.
‘‘Us being on the same page for sure is going to be a big part of that, a collaborative effort to move to a one-focus mentality,’’ Brown said at his end-of-season news conference Monday. ‘‘I’ve challenged every guy in the locker room to have a different perspective, a different mentality.”
When asked about what was truly wrong with the Bears, Brown said he didn’t have enough time to get into all of that, but the team’s “mentality” was something that he continually echoed.
‘‘I don’t have the time to go through everything I think is missing,’’ Brown said. ‘‘But from the standpoint of the culture, it’s about the people. . . . The mentality of expecting and the belief to win and approaching it that way every day as far as how you go about your business. That’s one thing that’s missing. I think it’s all a foundational issue. A mentality of how not to fall apart in critical moments has got to be taught from the very beginning.’’
The end of this quote from the offensive-minded Brown can be traced back to the collapse against Washington in week 8 which began the ten-game losing streak. It seems that things could not break the Bears’ way at all after Noah Brown came down with the tipped reception. The Commanders have 11 wins on the season and are currently getting ready for a playoff game, while the Bears are preparing for the draft where they hold the tenth overall selection in the first round.
Brown likely won’t be around to see any changes with the Bears
With the hiring cycle now in full swing with the regular season over, Brown’s future with the Chicago Bears is in question. While he is well-liked around the organization and has the respect of the key leaders in the locker room, he might not have much of a say in the matter of returning if the new head coach has an entirely new staff lined up.
Brown’s role in leading the team for the last five weeks of the campaign was crucial. While he did not have much success in the win column, he was a much-needed change of pace from Eberflus and how things were run when he was in charge. Brown showed the front office that they are fully capable of having a guy in the building who will keep the locker room and not lose the respect of their players, which is essential at the end of the day.
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