If you want to know what to expect as a play-caller from new Bears offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, just remember his past.

The man was a running back.

While everyone wants to see Caleb Williams get a chance to open up the offense and get the ball downfield, the way he will do that is through the running game. Running more means a successful play-action pass and the ball goes down.

Brown seems to have figured that out.

Although his playing experience is limited, what he was last year with Carolina showed that he understands the importance of rushing attempts. It doesn’t have to be as much as rush attempts.

It wasn’t just that the Panthers averaged 27.8 rushing attempts, Brown called 23.8 plays when Frank Reich did. Rather, it was the number of plays when Brown reached 30 yards per carry, and also the trend in his play, that shows he realizes the need to run it to support the passing game and his own defense.

The Panthers reached 30 carries twice, Reich called games and had a couple of games under 20 carries.

When Brown played for three games and the Panthers knocked off Houston last year, he didn’t have a significant increase in rushing attempts. Then again, it was still Reich’s offense, and he had only been given play-by-play assignments with his offensive head coach looking over his shoulder. They ran just 22.7 times the average through three games.

However, once Brown had full control of the offense after firing Reich, with only former Bears special teams coordinator Chris Tabor above him as head coach, Brown was free to take the offense where he wanted.

First game, 32 points. They have not put 32 wickets since the opening. Next three games: 34, 39 and 36 rushing attempts. They never had more than 32 transports under the Reich.

The Panthers have struggled late in the season and have been shut out in the last two games as their rushing attempts have declined.

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In six of the 10 games Brown called, they had at least 28 rushing attempts.

Brown’s description of his past provided another clue.

“I had a chance to be around (former offensive coordinator) Andy Ludwig a couple of years ago when I was at Wisconsin,” Brown said of the 2014 season. running and passing.”

Some would be surprised to realize that the Badgers actually passed, but when they did, they executed the play action well and the screen play as well.

It’s not that Waldron hasn’t been able to run the ball enough. The Bears were in the middle of the pack in rushing attempts, but they flew high on offense when they had 28 points against the Rams, 39 against Carolina, 29 against Jacksonville and should have beaten Washington when they ran 33 times , but they lost. on Hail Mary.

Then they went back to 23 and 20 carries in the last two games, a trend they had earlier in the year when the offense was struggling mightily. They had 22 wickets in both their first two games.

Brown made it abundantly clear for everyone during Wednesday’s press conference. He danced around the subject a bit and mentioned that he wanted to “marry” the run and pass well, then delivered the key.

“For me, it all starts up front, it starts with the running game, how we attack, the mentality of throwing it forward,” he said. “We build from it.”

Brown won’t be all about running the ball.

That should be exactly what Bears fans, running back D’Andre Swift and Williams want to hear, as it will mean more time to throw, more open receivers and a better chance to reach the red zone.

Twitter: BearsOnSI