Bears Week 13 at Lions on Thanksgiving morning, 11:30 on CBS

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I'm worried that the players are now in charge and they will want Thomas brown 

[BigbadB]

Has Brown been named interim? Maybe it was mentioned in some of those imbedded tweets, but I didn't click on them to read....more.

[Irrelevant Dude]

Passing Game Coordinator to Offensive Coordinator to (Interim) Head Coach, all in less than three weeks.  Thomas Brown is going to own the team by the end of the season.

[Wilson A2000]

Thomas Brown might be team president by the end of the season if his ascent continues 

[UMFan83]

9 minutes ago, Hairyducked Idiot said:

I'm worried that the players are now in charge and they will want Thomas brown 

Yep, this feels very similar to Antonio Pierce with the Raiders last year. Players got the coach fired, loved the interim and demanded him. They hired him and the Raiders suck this year. Of course the Bears don’t have Minshew lined up at starting QB but still. I think there’s a higher chance than you hope that Brown is the HC next year. 

[SpongeWorthy]

3 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

Yep, this feels very similar to Antonio Pierce with the Raiders last year. Players got the coach fired, loved the interim and demanded him. They hired him and the Raiders suck this year. Of course the Bears don’t have Minshew lined up at starting QB but still. I think there’s a higher chance than you hope that Brown is the HC next year. 

i don't want brown as the head coach either but his pedigree and depth of experience seems a lot better than pierce's was at the time they were named interim HC

[Wilson A2000]

3 minutes ago, SpongeWorthy said:

i don't want brown as the head coach either but his pedigree and depth of experience seems a lot better than pierce's was at the time they were named interim HC

Depending on how the rest of the season goes, I wouldn’t mind keeping Thomas Brown as OC, but I’m just not sure he’s ready to step in as head coach yet. Get Vrabel and convince him to keep Thomas Brown as offensive coordinator. Or you really hope that the Browns get rid of Kevin Stefanski because he would be the person I would really like to see as head coach.

[BigSlick]

As nice a job as Brown has done (and let’s be honest, he’s raised the quality of the offense from “dreadful” to “average” and just stopped sabotaging Caleb) - I can’t see a way the last 5 games go where I can be convinced he should be a HC candidate over someone like Ben Johnson. 

[SpongeWorthy]

1 minute ago, Wilson A2000 said:

Depending on how the rest of the season goes, I wouldn’t mind keeping Thomas Brown as OC, but I’m just not sure he’s ready to step in as head coach yet. Get Vrabel and convince him to keep Thomas Brown as offensive coordinator. Or you really hope that the Browns get rid of Kevin Stefanski because he would be the person I would really like to see as head coach.

yes, i think (hope) brown is auditioning to be next year's OC, not next year's HC. i assume that if we hire an OC to be HC they will want to call their own plays but i don't think it's beyond the realm of possibility that they are impressed with what brown does the rest of the way and keeps him as the play caller. i also think if the offense looks competent the rest of the way it does expand the pool to defensive guys.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

For the love of God don't stick your new head coach with a legacy coordinator

[gflore34]

23 minutes ago, BigSlick said:

As nice a job as Brown has done (and let’s be honest, he’s raised the quality of the offense from “dreadful” to “average” and just stopped sabotaging Caleb) - I can’t see a way the last 5 games go where I can be convinced he should be a HC candidate over someone like Ben Johnson. 

I don't believe it'll be so, Poles had to convince McCaskey to fire Eberflus and he did, I believe Poles knows Brown is a possible candidate and nothing else.  True, Poles deserves heat for the obvious roster decencies and giving Eberflus another shot, he also deserves credit for knowing Eberflus had to go.  I think he's got an idea of the right moves to make.

[WrigleyField 22]

2 hours ago, UMFan83 said:

My only concern here is that Thomas Brown goes like 3-2 and the Bears hire him without even having a coaching search.  Nothing against Thomas Brown and I'm open to him as a candidate but they have a very attractive situation for a top HC to come into.  They should have their pick of the litter.

*technically* I think they have to go through a formal search process. Would have to hold at least one other minority candidate interview to meet Rooney Rule.  Of course they could sham the whole thing.  But hopefully Poles isn't dumb enough to let a brief HC audition turn into a sure thing.

It's not like Brown would be coming out of nowhere as a HC candidate. 

It could also very well be a situation where he likes Brown and isn't sure we're Johnson will stand or waiting to see if a vet like Stefanski becomes available or not.

Edited November 29, 2024 by WrigleyField 22

[WrigleyField 22]

9 minutes ago, Hairyducked Idiot said:

For the love of God don't stick your new head coach with a legacy coordinator

Absolutely agreed.

[Rex Buckingham]

Seems clear at this point that Poles will be making the next hire and won't be canned. Which is ok i guess, as long as he fixes the DL and IOL 

[Rex Buckingham]

1 minute ago, WrigleyField 22 said:

*technically* I think they have to go through a formal search process. Would have to hold at least one other minority candidate interview to meet Rooney Rule.  Of course they could sham the whole thing.  But hopefully Poles isn't dumb enough to let a brief HC audition turn into a sure thing.

It's not like Brown would be coming out of nowhere as a HC candidate. 

It could also very well be a situation where he likes Brown and isn't sure we're Johnsfon will stand or waiting to see if avet like Stefan ski becomes available or not.

I think Stefanski might be my preferred guy. Saw something where the Browns have had a 300 yard passer every game the last 2 years that Watson didn't start, except the game they started Jeff Driskel with a playoff spot locked up already

[UMFan83]

Fwiw Brown had head coaching interviews with Houston in 2023 and Tennessee in 2024 so his name isn’t coming out of nowhere, though I get the feeling that at least 1 was Rooney Rule. 

I am NOT advocating for him by any means. Just saying he’s not completely off the radar as a candidate

[BigSlick]

Imagine Thomas Brown's chances of being HC if they decided to fire Eberflus like 4 weeks ago and the team managed to win a couple of the games they blew. He'd probably be a lock on beating the Packers alone, lol 

So in a sense, we may be lucky 

(Not that I think Thomas Brown is necessarily a bad coach, but that I think we need a fresh start, clean house completely, and set the table for the next coach) 

Edited November 29, 2024 by BigSlick

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I'm not wildly opposed to Brown as the head coach. He's not a completely unqualified candidate, but the idea definitely makes me nervous.

[cwood218]

Assuming some the names that have been mentioned would say yes then any thought of Brown getting the job for next year is flat out crazy talk.

Unless the last five games are some kind of an epic level magic I wouldn't even consider it. Even then It would be borderline.

[Outshined_One]

28 minutes ago, Hairyducked Idiot said:

I'm not wildly opposed to Brown as the head coach. He's not a completely unqualified candidate, but the idea definitely makes me nervous.

If you were a non-Bears fan of a team with a HC vacancy, Brown would be the sort of dark horse candidate you could talk yourself into liking, but you'd be rooting for someone else the entire time.

[jersey cubs fan]

18 minutes ago, cwood218 said:

Unless the last five games are some kind of an epic level magic I wouldn't even consider it. Even then It would be borderline.

A 5-0 finish to end 9-8 and Williams rolling along would be epic level magic and imo not a borderline decision to bring him back. 
 

But we can rest assured that won’t happen. 

[Wilson A2000]

[SpongeWorthy]

the jobs that are definitely going to be open:

raiders

saints

jets

giants

jaguars

cowboys

bears

you figure cam ward and shadeur are going to end up on the raiders and giants and neither will be nearly as highly regarded as caleb. we shouldn't lose a beauty contest to anyone here right?

[gflore34]

5 minutes ago, SpongeWorthy said:

the jobs that are definitely going to be open:

raiders

saints

jets

giants

jaguars

cowboys

bears

you figure cam ward and shadeur are going to end up on the raiders and giants and neither will be nearly as highly regarded as caleb. we shouldn't lose a beauty contest to anyone here right?

Other than perhaps, the Cowboys, Bears is the most desirable, Bears roster + Caleb Williams is the closest to a playoff team.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

So now that that's done we can talk about the long term vision for the Bears, which I think is interesting.

The immediate needs for next off-season are safety, edge and iOL, and I would strongly prefer to fill those in free agency and let our draft picks take a longer-term outlook.

What long-term vision do I want? To give Caleb Williams every single tool he could possibly need to be the most productive offensive player in the league.

My dream scenario would be that we stumble to a top-10 pick and there's a franchise LT sitting there, although I don't think this draft is well regarded at tackle.  You can move Jones to guard, keep him as a swing tackle, or just wish him well.  

If that doesn't happen, there's a chance we are picking in that sweet spot to take the best iOL in the draft.

I would also be fine taking other parts on offense, probably in the second round but maybe even with a mid first.  Wr? Why not, Keenan Allen is decrepit and Moore is not far behind.   TE?  I would love a strong blocking technique TE to pair with Kmet, who is a great receiving TE but a consistent liability in blocking.

God help me, I wouldn't even hate a RB.  Swift is a nice long down back and big play merchant, but it would be really nice to get Williams to 2nd and 5 instead of 2nd and 12 more often, and Roschon Johnson is not the answer.