FanPost

Jim Harbaugh as head coach of the Bears?

After reading the story linked in today's Bears Den about Jim Harbaugh it got me thinking, would he be a good fit to coach the Bears one day?

Let me preface this by saying that I am not a fan of the University of Michigan but I am a fan of Jim Harbaugh's coaching ability. I mean, like him or not, I think there's no questioning his ability to coach. He's been a success at every level and, while he has yet to win a championship as a head coach, he is as strong and proven a candidate as one could hope for. He carries a career 49-22-1 (.688) record in the NFL including 5-3 in the postseason and a Super Bowl appearance (along with two other appearances in the NFC championship game). This goes with a 78-33 (.703) record as a college head coach at San Diego, Stanford and Michigan.

There is some question as to whether Harbaugh might be difficult to deal with. This stems mostly from his relationship with his bosses in San Francisco, Trent Baalke and Jed York, but the dysfunction in Frisco may have been as much or more because of York and Baalke as it was because of Harbaugh.

Another issue is just how tightly Harbaugh is bound to his current job at the University of Michigan. He's been successful there so far but not yet at a championship level. Many people (present company included) believe that he can eventually win a championship there and wonder if he would be comfortable leaving his alma mater without first leading them to a national championship. But in today's world of sports, money talks. Make the right offer and he will consider it.

His former assistants, Vic Fangio and Ed Donatell, are already in Chicago working for John Fox. Would their presence on staff already make it easier for the Bears to get Harbaugh to listen to the Bears pitch? Maybe, but all this is dependent on whether Ryan Pace and Bears ownership will even be looking for a coach after this season, and even if they are, whether Harbaugh would even interest them.

My belief is that Harbaugh would be an ideal candidate to coach the Bears. Aside from his connections to the organization, this guy is a proven winner. He's proven to be able to take a struggling NFL franchise to a contending level in a short period of time. He may also be perfect to entrust with the development of Mitchell Trubisky. I say if the Bears are looking for a new head coach after this season that Jim Harbaugh should be the first person they contact. What do you think?

This Fanpost was written by a Windy City Gridiron member and does not necessarily reflect the ideas or opinions of its staff or community.