Jim Harbaugh has the Los Angeles Chargers off to a 2-0 start and that has Colin Cowherd thinking about stuff. Like how to make an argument that the coach, who has enjoyed a lot of success at both the collegiate level and in the pros, might actually be better than everyone else who has patrolled the sidelines.

"I would make an argument today," the Fox Sports host said on his show Wednesday. "The greatest coach in the history of football is not Bill Belichick or Bill Walsh, or Vince Lombardi. It's Jim Harbaugh."

Now, a take like that deserves to be heard in its full text and not excerpted so here's the argument.

Anyone who enjoys sports discussion has to enjoy the way Cohwerd gets on the board each and every day with his well-crafted points. Few in the industry could be tasked with making a more convincing case for Harbaugh, and to deliver them with steely reserve.

On the other hand, come on now.

Harbaugh did not inherit a juggernaut at Stanford, so going 9-15 over his first two years was progress. And the 12-1 record in his final season in the Bay Area was an incredible accomplishment. It could be argued no one could have gotten more out of quarterback Andrew Luck but a lot of lesser coaches would have won a lot of games with the generational talent.

He then went to the San Francisco 49ers, an incredibly well run organization and won at least 11 games in his first three seasons, the high-water mark being a trip to the Super Bowl against his brother. The conversation about Colin Kaepernick hasn't been about his play on the field for quite a while so people forget just how incredible of a player he was. Kyle Shanahan has also done quite well there, going to three straight conference title games and a Super Bowl with Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy.

The Michigan tenure was seen as a major disappointment until the national championship, which fairly cures all. Then there's the scandal that has hung over the university even after Harbaugh bolted back to the NFL.

Yes, an 11-6 campaign last season was a huge leap forward. Yet the Chargers were dismantled in their only playoff game.

No one would deny that Harbaugh is one of the finest coaches of his generation.

Greatest of all time, though? That's a tough sell.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Colin Cowherd Makes Argument for Surprising Coach As Greatest of All Time.

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