If the Bears really are heading toward Thomas Brown calling plays this week against Green Bay, based on last year they may have just found a secret weapon for ending a 10-game losing streak against their rivals.
Or at least it might help them score more than three points and reach the end zone to snap a streak of no touchdowns in 23 possession.
Then again, maybe not.
Nothing has been announced about changing play-calling duties for anyone as coach Matt Eberflus keeps his big secret about replacing offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
In that regard, perhaps it's a good idea because it's "gamesmanship." Opponents wouldn't know what to expect from someone else deciding the plays for quarterback Caleb Williams.
The Packers might, though.
Last year, Brown was the offensive coordinator who very nearly kept Green Bay out of the playoffs. He was Carolina's play caller in Week 16 when the Panthers scored a season-high 30 points, rallying from a 30-16 deficit in the fourth quarter to tie it with 4:05 to play. But the Packers escaped with an Anders Carlson 32-yard field goal to win 33-30.
That game actually impacted the Bears because a Packers loss that day would have left the Bears in position for Week 18 to still make the playoffs. Instead, they limped into Green Bay with heads down after their postseason chances ended in Week 17. The offense vanished like it usually does against the Packers in a 17-9 defeat. It was a game when they gave much the same kind of effort on offense as they have had the past three games.
So perhaps they have the "silver bullet" for this Packers curse, so to speak?
Or, maybe not.
In fact, the Panthers really didn't do very well with Brown calling plays. They didn't do very well last year with anyone calling plays.
It's why Frank Reich got fired after a 33-10 loss to the Cowboys in Week 12.
Brown's play calling started in Week 8 after the bye. Reich's team had started out 0-6 and defense had been their real problem, as they were giving up 31 points a game.
Carolina stunned playpff-bound Houston in Brown's first game calling plays, a 15-13 victory. Then they lost to the Colts 27-13 and came to Chicago for a night game against Matt Eberflus and the Tyson Bagent-led Bears. The Bears won 16-13.
