LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown will be part of the player exit interview process next Monday at Halas Hall, though he hasn’t yet been scheduled for an interview for the team’s head coaching search.
Brown said Wednesday that his focus remains on the Bears’ season finale against the Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field. By Monday morning, players and coaches will return to Halas Hall to conduct end-of-season protocols. Beyond that, Brown remains unsure whether he'll interview for the team's full-time coaching job.
The 38-year-old Brown took over as Bears interim head coach on Nov. 29, the day in which now-former head coach Matt Eberflus was fired. Brown was promoted from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator on Nov. 12.
The Bears (4-12) have lost 10 straight games and Brown is 0-4 leading them.
“When it comes to difficult moments through adversity, you have an opportunity where you see where you are and how you measure but also how everybody else stacks up to it,” Brown said Wednesday when asked what he takes from this experience. “I think people always talk about courage, adversity, overcoming stuff but then to actually have to go through it and endure. So, more confidence with that. I’ve always been a pretty confident person before. Even through this I’ve become more confident when it comes to being in … somewhat of a worst-possible scenario in certain ways and still being able to power through it and just thinking about the opportunities that present themselves down the road when it’s not this adverse situation at the beginning, you can start from fresh ground zero, build the right way whether it be offensively or the entire team in general.”
Brown interviewed for the Titans’ head coach position last January and has been considered a prominent candidate in coaching searches. He holds aspirations to become an NFL head coach, though it’s unclear whether he'll be coveted by the Bears.
“There are only 32 head jobs in this league, so it's obviously a huge deal, it's highly coveted, everybody wants one,” Brown said. “They may or may not be prepared for the opportunity when they get the opportunity. I think there's also different looks when it comes to the outside perspective of who is ready for an opportunity and who isn't. And also I think about the amount of people who have been in spots and been highly successful that were at the beginning were underwhelming hires and also highly criticized for a number of reasons because of the perception.
“Being able to have the opportunity at some point to have a true belief, have the backing and also just from an accomplishment standpoint, it's going to be a goal of mine like it's a goal of many guys. But all I can do is control the controllables and that's what I do every single day — prepare myself and maximize the opportunities and when I get an opportunity, go swing for the fence.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on X @CEmma670.