Bear Digest

New Bears Offensive Coordinator Thomas Brown a Hands-On Kind of Coach

The new Bears offensive coordinatonce once tore his Achilles trying to work with players in drills with the Rams, and is known for an energetic style.
Gene Chamberlain|
Bears new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown always had a hands-on approach with the Rams, as he shows here as tight ends coach working with Brandon Powell.
Bears new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown always had a hands-on approach with the Rams, as he shows here as tight ends coach working with Brandon Powell. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Will changing offensive coordinators do anything for the stagnant Bears offense?

It would be difficult to imagine it hurting their cause more than the play calling of Shane Waldron did over the past three games, and a few other games.

According to a Washingon Post study done last year on all teams who fired offensive coordinators during the season, about half benefited but the benefits were more short-term and marginal.

Thomas Brown will be the offensive coordinator going forward as he relaces Waldron, after he had been one of the candidates last year for the job Waldron eventually got.

"After evaluating our entire operation, I decided that it is in the best interest of our team to move in a different direction with the leadership of our offense," coach Matt Eberflus said Tuesday in a statement released by the team. "This decision was well-thought-out, one that was conducted deliberately and respectfully. I would like to thank Shane for his efforts and wish him the best moving forward."

Brown was play caller three games and then offensive coordinator/play caller seven games with Carolina last year after he  had been running backs and tight ends coach under Sean McVay with the Rams for three years. He had been an offensive coordinator at University of Miami from 2016-18.

"Thomas is a bright offensive mind who has experience calling plays with a collaborative mindset," Eberflus said in the statement. "I look forward to his leadership over our offensive coaching staff and his plan for our players."

The former Panthers offensive coordinator and Rams assistant knows the offense well from his days with originator McVay. Last year he was running Frank Reich's offense in Carolina with little success.

During Brown's games as Panthers offensive play caller, they averaged 11.4 points. They averaged 17.4 points in the games Frank Reich called. He kept them in games more than Reich did, with an average loss by 8.3 points under Brown and 13.8 under Reich. They averaged 107.1 yards rushing with Brown and 99.7 with Reich while averaging 148.4 yards passing a game for Brown and 179.6 for Reich.

In the 38-year-old Brown, there's little doubt the Bears will be getting an energetic offensive coordinator willing to get involved on an up close and personal basis. He is the fifth-leading rusher all time in Hurricanes history as a former back for them.

Brown was the third black offensive coordinator to call plays in the NFL after Eric Bieniemy and Philadelphia's Brian Johnson, when he took over Carolina play calling from Frank Reich last year. He spent three years as Rams running backs or tight ends coach and during that time earned respect from head coach Sean McVay for his "hands-on" and energetic approach.

While Brown was an assistant with the L.A. Rams, he tore his Achilles giving good practice looks to the running backs.

"He tears his Achilles and then you flash forward and you know just a couple months later this guy's on the sideline chasing (former Rams RB) Cam Akers on a long run he breaks down the sideline, you know, when he still should be in a walking boot," McVay told Carolina reporters.

It wasn't a direct route to offensive coordinator from Rams assistant for Brown, but he became the play caller at two different occasions last year for Carolina and had both a few big moments and many tough times in the games he worked.

McVay said he always thought Brown would get the chance.

BEARS PLAYERS SEARCH FOR THEIR OWN ANSWERS IN THREE-GAME SLIDE

Brown was a running back in high school and college who played in high school against McVay, and was not a quarterback.

"But Thomas has always been preparing himself for that opportunity, seeing the game through the quarterback's lens,

what are the reads, what is the timing and rhythm with how you want to play with your feet, what are the different things in terms of how do you want to read certain coverage contours based on the concept?

"He's always just trying to perfect his craft, whether that was when he was playing or that was when he was a coach and he did such a great job of owning whatever role it was, whether it was a running back or the tight end coach but there was always an interest in continuing to absorb a bunch of different material where, hey, I want to be able to make sure that, hey, I'm doing my job right now but I'm also getting myself (ready) for the opportunity that I think he knew was ahead."

Brown's success last year in a difficult year for the Panthers was beating Houston in his first game, 15-13, and being awarded the game ball.

The other was calling plays when the Panthers put up a season-high 30 points against Green Bay in rallying from a 30-16 deficit before losing 33-30 on a late field goal.

He was play caller for two wins. The second win was over Atlanta, 9-7.

As the University of Miami offensive coordinator, his attacks finished 37 in scoring out of 128 Division 1 offenses, 59th of 130 and 66th of 130.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.