San Francisco 49ers: 5 Reasons Jim Harbaugh Will Be NFL Coach of the Year

San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh will rule the NFC West for many years to come. The other three coaches competing against Harbaugh are doing their best to re-tool their teams in order to have a minimal chance of competing in the NFC West division.

Here are five reasons why I'm predicting Coach Harbaugh will be the NFL Coach of the Year.

Reason No. 1

Harbaugh is obsessed with coaching and fixing things that other men have tried and failed. His father, Jack Harbaugh, has molded him to work hard, be very competitive and never give up.

He’s not looking to be just as good as his brother John Harbaugh, the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, he’s looking to be twice as good—and he will win that game against the Ravens on Thanksgiving Day.

Reason No. 2

He is going to compete and make his opponents collapse at the mere thought of out-working him in the business of NFL coaching. He convinced a sole Stanford private booster to build him a private bathroom (rumored to be between $50,000 and $70,000) to cut down on the drag time of going back and forth to home after practice. This means he’s not leaving the building until he’s satisfied that he’s solved the puzzle of how to win each week.

He took the 49ers job because he knew he didn’t have to skip a beat by relocating his family, meeting new neighbors or finding new schools for his children. He wants to get this business of winning the NFC West behind him so he can put his complete focus towards winning the Lombardi trophy.

Reason No. 3

Harbaugh has measured the level of coaching ability in the NFC West and knows they can’t out-work him when it comes to game preparation. He’s looked at the film and has his game plans sitting in the file cabinet, just waiting for the Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals.

Pete Carroll is sitting in Seattle right now thinking if there’s a coach he needs to get prepared to play, it’s going to be Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh beat Carroll badly when he was at USC, 55-21, and it's going to be deja vu all over again when the 49ers play the Seahawks in the opener on September 11 in San Francisco.

Reason No. 4

He knows the key to defeating opponents in the NFL is to know their every move and what schemes they’ve used over the last five years, whether coaching in or out of the NFL. He’s going to counter their coaching schemes quickly and see if they can adjust their game plans—if they can’t, he’ll get the victory.

The Oakland Raiders tried blitzing the 49ers in the preseason game and it was a waste of time; Harbaugh was prepared for the blitz and the 49ers moved the ball all over the field for an easy 17-3 victory. He kept the Raiders confused—they were guessing on every play.

Reason No. 5

Harbaugh believes football is just a game and he’s going to do the things he believes will make the team successful. He knows there’s going to be adjustments and he will think through those adjustments before making a decision.

Harbaugh's path to winning in the NFL is coming up with a game plan, making a decision and not being hesitant. He selected Alex Smith early in the process, giving him a 49ers playbook to get him to believe in himself. Smith is responding. He’s starting to open up to the coaching staff, which is allowing him to play better football, be a leader and have the confidence of the team on his back.

Harbaugh traded Taylor Mays to the Cincinnati Bengals quickly before he became a distraction; he knew he just wasn’t good enough to be a 49er. He has a feel for the 49ers players and he’s getting them to believe he’s building a team by looking to upgrade the 49ers roster at every position. He wants the original film from Bill Walsh’s library on the “West Coast offense,” and those are the signs of a working man who has a plan.

One thing is for sure: The 49ers won’t start the season 0-5. The NFC West title is very obtainable with a new general in town named Jim Harbaugh.