Are Bears fans already out on Thomas Brown as head coach?

Chicago Bears fans are a tortured bunch. It used to be because of the quarterback, but that curse was broken with the selection of Caleb Williams in the 2024 NFL Draft. Instead, Bears fans are now tortured because of incompetent coaching, or so it seems.

You know the brutal list of failed Chicago Bears coaches by now. The dismissal of Lovie Smith in 2012 set off a series of unfortunate hires, including Marc Trestman, John Fox, Matt Nagy, and the recently departed Matt Eberflus. Unlike the four coaches who preceded him, Eberflus became the first Bears coach ever to be dismissed during the season, which gave the fanbase a unique and curiously fun feeling: hope that an interim head coach provides.

Enter Thomas Brown, the passing game coordinator turned offensive coordinator turned Bears interim head coach in less than three weeks. It was an incredible meteoric rise up the coaching totem pole for Brown, who is universally regarded as an NFL coach in waiting. Perhaps he could be the one to break the wheel of coaching misfortune in Chicago! At least, that’s what Bears fans were hoping for.

Then came Sunday’s thrashing by the San Francisco 49ers in Brown’s first exposure as a head coach. The Bears lost 38-13 in a game that didn’t even feel that close. Chicago was outcoached and outclassed in the first half, and except for a strong drive to begin the second half, it didn’t look like they belonged on the same field.

READ: Should Caleb Williams be involved in Bears’ head coaching search?

You know what happens next, right? Brown’s reign as the hopeful savior looks like it’s ended faster than his journey to the top of Halas Hall. Yes, Bears fans are already out on him as the potential next full-time head coach. Check out the results of this poll I ran on X that generated nearly 1,000 votes:

#DaBears fans: Are you already “out” on Thomas Brown?

— Bears Talk (@TheBearsTalk) December 9, 2024

Sixty-seven percent of Bears fans are “out” on Brown. And, look, I get it. What’s the old saying about first impressions? Yeah, they last.

There’s no doubt Brown has elevated Caleb Williams’ performance over the last month, Williams threw two more touchdowns and was interception-free (again!) in Week 14. But if he doesn’t rip off a few wins in the five-game audition that he’s getting to end the 2024 season, the odds he’ll be the head coach in Chicago in 2025 aren’t great.