LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Thomas Brown said on Monday morning that he’ll formally interview to be the Bears full-time head coach.

He has held the interim head coach title since Matt Eberflus was fired on Nov. 29, compiling a 1-4 record in that span. He would like to stay on and lead this team not as a stand-in but in his own way, building a foundation from the ground up.

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Brown discussed what that might look like Monday, albeit in less detail than what will be expressed to general manager Ryan Poles and (likely) president Kevin Warren during an as-of-yet unscheduled interview.

“Having a chance to lay out my whole vision, the plan I have for this football team moving forward is going to be a part of it,” Brown said in a press conference. “But I think them having a chance to see me in the building is something that to me should be more impressive than everything else.”

Brown’s game results are a strike against but also put them in context. They came after a disappointing run and major upheaval, where offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and then head coach Matt Eberflus got fired. Brown filled both of those jobs in succession, over the course of roughly three weeks. That’s, you know, fast.

Brown hopes Poles saw the daily grind, leadership style and approach to the job as something the Bears need when setting a new foundation and building a new culture based on people.

“The approach I have had every single day in the building or the mentality I brought to the group and I understand the results that were all hung up, I understand the expectation as far as everybody assumes stuff gets changed because you snap your fingers,” Brown said. “That is not how change happens. Change happens over time. I think, oftentimes, when you’re making radical changes things get worse before they get better.

“But, I think, just being able to have (Poles) be in my meetings, see how I conduct myself in the team meetings, see myself at practice with as far as I am with the group, should be more beneficial than anything else. But this is going to be more about myself, my personality, but also the plan for this organization.”

While he didn’t get into great detail, Brown said his plan for the organization will be different and more comprehensive than what he executed as interim head coach. He was trying to triage and correct what he could in real time and while game planning, without the benefit of an offseason to establish a solid foundation. He would be able to install his offense over making tweaks to Waldron’s scheme.

Brown said he has communicated issues identified with Poles on a regular basis since taking over as interim head coach, another reason why his entire evaluation won’t be contained in the interview.

“I’ve challenged every guy in the locker room to have a different perspective, to have a different mentality,” Brown said. “The best teams are player-led. The more they control the locker room – of course the head coach is important, scheme is important – but in-between those lines, players play. Having an opportunity for them to address issues in the offseason, to command and get the respect from the locker room is going to be important. We’ve already had those dialogues to some degree, but I’ll go to deeper detail in my interview.”

Brown said he felt there were some issues with the Bears culture, which prevented them from righting the ship after significant adversity hit around midseason.

“I think it’s all a foundational issue,” Brown said. “from the very beginning of the mentality you have and expecting to win and also not shying away from the adverse moments and the understanding of every guy in that locker room, every guy on that field in every single phase expecting and being demanding and held accountable to be at his best because most games in this league boil down to one score games, so that’s not like it’s a big shock or surprise. You’d rather just have multiple blowouts in back-to-back games.

“That’s kind of an understanding. But just a mentality of how not to fall apart in critical moments has got to be taught from the very beginning.”