Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington will call plays Sunday in San Francisco for the first time since he handled those responsibilities during the preseason.
"There is no easy part of calling the game," Washington said. "But the gotta-have-it situations, the fourth-down plays, the calls that you need to make in the red zone are critical because those things can lead to points. You have to make sure you have a really decisive plan, you get the guys the best call that really accentuates what we can do and manages that situation and let them go play."
Washington boasts 17 years of NFL coaching experience, beginning with the Bears as a defensive assistant (2008-09) and defensive line coach (2010). He spent the past four seasons with the Bills as a defensive line coach, also serving as a senior defensive assistant (2022) and assistant head coach (2023). Between his stints with the Bears and Bills, he worked with the Panthers as defensive line coach (2011-17) and defensive coordinator (2018-19).
Washington told reporters Thursday that his coaching philosophy begins with creating clarity.
"There can't be any ambiguity on defense. And then go out and make the kind of plays and play with the assertiveness that we want to play with," he said. "And so I want to start with that. And I also want to make sure that we know who we are. The No. 1 reason that people fail is that you don't know who you are. I want to make sure that from front to back, every single person in that room including the coaches, we know exactly what our identity consists of. And that whatever we decide to do, it's in the best interest of the talent that we have on the football field."
Other key requirements in Washington's defense involve speed, precision, details and execution.
"We're going to understand the strengths of the guys that we have on defense and we're going to make sure we put forth a plan that accentuates that and puts that forth," he said. "We have to be smart. We have to make sure that our assignments are clean. We've got to do our jobs. And then we've got to have a lot of fun together and make sure that the confidence is right and that we're connected to every situation.
"That's what I want to see. That's what I intend to see. We've seen that at different points throughout the entire season. But we've got to make sure that there's consistency in a manner that will allow you to win the football game."
Injury update
Receiver Keenan Allen (ankle) was a full participant in practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday's workout. Right tackle Darnell Wright (knee) also practiced without restrictions after being limited Wednesday.
Five Bears were sidelined Thursday for the second straight day: Receiver DJ Moore (quad), running backs D'Andre Swift (quad) and Roschon Johnson (concussion), guard Ryan Bates (concussion) and safety Elijah Hicks (ankle).
Center Coleman Shelton (knee) and safety Kevin Byard III (shoulder) were limited Thursday for the second consecutive day.
The Bears were inside the Walter Payton Center Wednesday to continue their preparation for Sunday's matchup with the San Francisco 49ers.
McVay checks in
Brown spent three seasons as an offensive position coach on Sean McVay's staff with the Rams from 2020-22, doubling as assistant head coach in 2021-22.
"I think Sean is one of the best in the business," Brown said. "Had an opportunity to talk to him a couple nights ago. Appreciate him reaching out to me. I learned a ton from him as far as not just offensively but the really good stuff about being consistent, owning the room with your own personality, because I'm going to be myself in every room I walk in, but obviously leaning on the guys around me as far as what's best for our football team."
Weight loss plan
Brown gave reporters an interesting answer when asked about the biggest change that's come with him becoming interim head coach.
"I was trying to go on a weight loss journey about 20 days ago, and I couldn't lose weight, at all," he said. "I was about 225 the morning of the announcement of being the OC (Nov. 12). This morning, I was 203."
Brown revealed that he's been too busy to eat at times.
"I wouldn't even say [it was] stress," he said. "I'm not really stressed. What I realized is if you increase tasks to your day, you forget about food. I went a couple days and just really didn't eat. Didn't really think about it. Wasn't hungry. I was thinking about the next moment, what to say to this player, doing game planning and I look up and I'm almost 30 pounds down."
Brown joked with reporters that he would write a weight loss book if coaching doesn't work out, adding: "I hope you guys buy it. I'll probably be pretty [ticked] if you don't buy it."
