Over the past seven offseasons, only one team (the Raiders) has moved an interim HC to the full-time post. Antonio Pierce is 2-10 to start his stay in that role. The Bears are still high on their interim option and are planning to give him a true look.
Thomas Brown will be considered to replace Matt Eberflus on a full-time basis, ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin notes. The team has bumped Brown from pass-game coordinator to OC to interim HC over the past month, representing a significant bounce back for a staffer who had been a one-and-done Panthers OC.
The Bears moved the 38-year-old coach into this role after making their first in-season firing, booting Eberflus soon after he was allowed to speak with media the morning after a late-game breakdown in a narrow Thanksgiving loss. Eberflus’ tense postgame meeting with players has been well chronicled, with several — most notably cornerback Jaylon Johnson — speaking up about the nature of the loss to the division-leading Lions. Johnson cut off Eberflus mid-speech, Cronin adds, with a profane rant eventually leading to the three-year HC’s exit from the locker room.
Eberflus offered explanations to the press about the sequence that cost the Bears a chance to attempt a game-tying field goal in Detroit, doubling down Friday in his last comments as Bears HC. He had defended the decision not to call a timeout as the offense slowly operated while the clock ticked into single digits, and while Bears brass met about Eberflus’ future during his speech, Cronin indicates his Friday presser had “zero” impact on the firing.
Still, the optics of Eberflus speaking to the media at 9am CT and then being canned not long after did not paint a portrait of stability. Bears president Kevin Warren soon admitted the team could have handled this situation better. Warren said (via 670 The Score’s David Haugh) the team was trying to be respectful when asked why the team let its HC address reporters roughly 90 minutes before his ouster. Warren has gone on to say the Bears’ job will be the most desired on next year’s market. Unlike the Jets’ Robert Saleh firing, which went around then-GM Joe Douglas, NFL Network’s Peter Schrager confirms GM Ryan Poles was part of the Friday-morning meeting that sealed Eberflus’ fate.
The Bears are not firing Poles, who was initially hired two days before Eberflus. Poles did not have a chance to run that search, only offering late input into the process. Warren and Poles were believed to have a good relationship, and that report has preceded the president — whom the Bears hired after their Poles and Eberflus hirings — giving his GM the reins in the team’s latest HC search. The heat will certainly be on Poles if this next hire fails, but for now, his seat is fairly cool.
Chicago is expected to target an offensive-minded coach to work with Caleb Williams. Teams regularly pivot in the other direction after a firing, and the team’s offense-defense yo-yo would continue in that event. Dating back to Lovie Smith, the team has gone defense-offense-defense-offense-defense — in terms of coaching background — with its past five hires (Smith, Marc Trestman, John Fox, Matt Nagy, Eberflus). A lean toward offense will give Brown a shot, and while a source told Cronin that Brown is the “real deal,” the modern NFL rarely sees teams give interims strong consideration. Pierce’s struggles offer another warning.
In terms of outside hires, Lions OC Ben Johnson and Commanders play-caller Kliff Kingsbury, per Cronin, are indeed viewed as candidates. We heard as much Sunday, with Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman also coming up. Warren’s past as a college commissioner could certainly make him more open to such a hire.
Johnson has been connected to the team for a bit now, and the selective coordinator will again be courted by most (if not all) of the HC-needy teams. Kingsbury did coach Williams, but the Bears already passed on him for their OC gig this year to hire Shane Waldron. An eight-hour meeting — one previously viewed as somewhat of an intel-gathering session on Williams, rather than a true interview about the job — led to Kingsbury exploring other jobs.
The Bears also passed on Brown for that job initially, but he has gained considerable ground after initially signing on in a lower role. A convoluted Panthers plan impacted Brown’s first OC foray, as the Panthers attempted to blend Sean McVay‘s offense with Frank Reich‘s. Brown was in the crosshairs, being elevated to a play-calling role before being demoted before once again calling plays — during a 2-15 Panthers season — once Reich was fired. This season has brought more significant changes to Brown’s job description, but the ex-Rams position coach does appear to have more momentum now than he did coming off the Carolina one-and-done.
Hey it was the first time the Bears fired a coach in mid season ever. Give them a break for doing it wrong. I’m sure it will be much easier next time now that they’ve got the hang of it. You people, Sigh.
Bears’ coaching selections are like target shooting with a machine gun. They’re hoping to eventually hit something
That’s exactly what they’re doing. But on the flip side, someone took a chance on Andy Reid, John Harbaugh, Sean McVay, and Sean Peyton too.
People forget this
Of course, the Bears hired none of them as head coach. Interviewing the best prospects is where it all starts.
I have no idea how an organization that is so used to crisis handles it with such clumsiness.
Watch them go with pat fitzgerald
Haha, that’s good and so Bears.
I could see Brown being a coordinator candidate this offseason and eventually being a head coach candidate, but I think giving interim guys the full job is generally a mistake. It’s a very different job. Interim work doesn’t show whether or not a guy can build a scheme or a program. When an interim coaching job goes well, it often just means players are glad to be rid of the previous guy (see Antonio Pierce).
Exactly. And this article is way off. The Bears have said nothing but a brief mention of Brown possibly being in consideration for HC. For Pete’s sake, he hasn’t even got one game under his belt yet. Smh
I think it was smart letting Fluss handle the press conference. This allowed Brown some time to settle in and not get thrown to the press wolves in his first hour on the job.
He’d likely be the cheapest option, so it makes sense why the Bears would be considering it.
Of course they’re going to interview Brown. He’s a perfect Rooney Rule compliance guy to give an interview and he’s right there in the house. I just hope somebody with more of a presence gets the job. I have nothing against Brown I’m just hoping for bigger game except Belichuckles.
You can sell hope to us bears fans everyday if the week
It’ll never happen, with the likes of Ben Johnson, Belechik, and Kingsbury eyeballing that job, Brown ain’t getting it….they want to capitalize on Caleb Williams rookie contract without gambling on him being a failure under some unknown commodity of a coach….Raiders took a chance on a guy, but they don’t have the number one draft pick starting at quarterback….Bears can’t take the risk, sorry Brown, guide us this season and then we’ll say so long and good luck