Subscribe
Follow Us
When the Chicago Bears broke the news that Thomas Brown was going to replace Matt Eberflus as the team's new head coach, no one was happier about the decision than Sean McVay.
Signing the Atlanta Flacons/Cleveland Browns running back to his first NFL coaching job all the way back in 2020, when he was brought on to coach RBs after successful stints coaching the position at Wisconsin, Georgia, Miami, and South Carolina, Brown rapidly rose up the ranks in LA. By 2021, he was elevated to assistant head coach; in 2022, he added tight ends to his workload; and in 2023, Brown jumped to Carolina, where he served one season as the Panthers' offensive coordinator before joining Chicago at the beginning of this season.
Discussing how quickly Brown moved up the ranks, going from passing game coordinator to interim offensive coordinator to interim head coach, McVay celebrated his former assistant, again, for being a true talent, as you don't rise up the ranks that quickly without being a great strategist and an even better leader of men.
“Well, I know that he's always been a guy that's had an incredible command. He's been a great competitor. He kind of demands respect from people that he's around just by the way that he carries himself. Anytime these things come up… and I think even Thomas did a great job of handling it when he got the opportunity to be the ‘OC' [offensive coordinator]. He's done a great job, obviously, but it's unique in which the circumstances have come about but he's going to attack it. I think guys will follow his lead,” McVay told reporters.
“In this profession, you just have such an appreciation for how challenging it is, how difficult, how volatile, and I think he's going to do a great job. I would imagine if he hasn't already done a press conference, the way that he would… in such a classy way. handle it. These aren't necessarily the circumstances that you wanted to occur. I know how much respect he has for [Former Bears Head Coach] Coach [Matt] Eberflus, but he is a guy that… you guys have heard me talk about him. We had a chance to work together for a few years, but I had a chance to compete against him, and there are just certain people when you watch, you're like, man, they're a little different in terms of the competitiveness, the spirit, and the never-say-die attitude.
“And then just his overall presence in general is impressive. I think a good way to articulate it is he commands respect by the way he handles himself and he gives it back. I've always thought he was a guy that would be a head coach at some point. I think you guys will be impressed… not necessarily impressed…you know how good of a coach he is and how good of a leader [he is]. Happy for him for the opportunity. It's unfortunate the circumstances at which you're getting at.”
Interesting stuff, right? Well, wait, it gets even better, as McVay had even more to say on the matter, including how challenging it will be to learn the head coaching ropes on the job.
Sean McVay believes Thomas Brown will figure it out for the Bears
Asked about how Brown will transition from offensive play-caller to head coach on a little over a week's notice, McVay noted that it will be unique, but he knows that his former assistant head coach will adjust to the role well.
“I think it's ongoing and ever-evolving. What I do know about Thomas is there are good processes and procedures in place there. He’s always been a guy, when he was the assistant head coach here, that was so thoughtful about being totally present in the role that you have while also having an eye on, how would I do this if the opportunity arose whether it's call plays? Or how would I be a head coach or different things? I think one of the things that we've tried to do is take pride in here is you open the doors up so that you can see exactly how we want to handle it and you're accountable for when there are mistakes on my end. You also say, ‘Alright, here are some things that have worked out in our favor. Here are the processes and procedures and the organizational structure at which we get to these decisions.’ The handling game day I think is something that you decide as a head coach which responsibilities do you want to have? And where is that threshold of making sure that you use the surrounding parts around you? That's always evolving, but I think he'll do a great job with that.”
Welp, there you go, folks; if the youngest head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl believes Brown can be a great head coach, maybe these next few games could serve as something of an audition instead of just running out the clock until 2025.
