Bears interim coach Thomas Brown didn't expect his weight loss journey to be as dramatic as it was.
At a press conference Wednesday, Brown said he has lost 225 pounds to 203 pounds since taking over for head coach Matt Eberflus, who was fired Friday after Chicago lost its sixth straight game against the Lions last Thursday. He explained that he had lost more than 20 pounds.
It's been a busy three weeks for Brown, who was promoted from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator following the firing of Shane Waldron on Nov. 12, before being promoted to head coach on Nov. 29.
Brown said she began her weight loss journey in early November, but was unable to do so until she felt the weight of her new role.
“The major change is that [players] “You probably don't know… I was about to embark on a weight loss journey about 20 days ago and I couldn't lose any weight,” Brown said. “I was about 225 years old. [pounds] (Offensive Coordinator) The morning of the appointment announcement.
“This morning I was 203 years old.” [pounds],”
Brown and the reporters laughed.
“I can’t say it was stressful.” [induced]” he continued. “I think stress can be helpful. Not too much stress. But what I've noticed is that when you increase your daily tasks, you forget about eating.
“So I went for a couple of days and I really didn't eat anything. I didn't even think about it. I wasn't hungry. The next moment I was like, what am I supposed to say to this player? I was thinking while I was planning and I looked up and I had lost almost 30 pounds, so I'm going to keep going — let's see how long it lasts.”
“If things don't work out,” Brown quipped, “someday I'll write a book” on coaching.
He said he sent a separate message to the team when he became head coach, saying he understands and respects that people's jobs are up to the head coach.
Eberflus was fired a day after Chicago messed up time management in a 23-20 road loss to the Lions on Thanksgiving.
Trailing by three points and with a chance to tie the game in the final minute, the Bears called a timeout before quarterback Caleb Williams threw an incomplete pass to a wideout at the Lions' own 41-yard line. With one race left, he reduced his time from 32 seconds to 6 seconds. Roma Odunze running out of time.
With a 59-yard field goal on the line, the Bears instead of taking a timeout with a quick play call, Williams appeared panicked and threw a deep incomplete pass to end the game.
In his postgame press conference, Eberflus said he “liked” his team's response in the final seconds, which drew backlash from many.
The Bears allowed Eberflus to hold a press conference the next morning, in which he expressed confidence that his job was secure.
He was fired shortly thereafter.
According to Diana Russini of The Athletic, tensions were high behind the scenes as players became frustrated with Eberflus' lack of accountability for various matters.
Eberflus finished 14-32 as the Bears' head coach.
Brown is currently coaching a Bears team that fell to 4-8 heading into a Week 14 road matchup with the 49ers (5-7).
