John Harbaugh Ranked 4th Best Coach In The NFL

Aug 29, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh looks on as his team plays the St. Louis Rams during the second half at Edward Jones Dome. St. Louis defeated Baltimore 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

A recent NFL.com article revealed the latest NFL coach power rankings, and the Raven’s very own John Harbaugh came in at number 4. Harbs finishes directly behind his brother Jim at number 3, Sean Payton at number 2, and Bill Belichick who is bestowed with the title of best coach in the NFL.

We get Belichick, who has three Super Bowl rings as a head coach and two as a coordinator. Heck, the Patriots have made the playoffs 11 out of 14 years with the hooded one leading the ship. Payton is a brilliant head coach in his own right and led the Saints to their only Super Bowl victory in team history. The absence of his leadership was on vivid display during his suspension in 2012.

Choosing one Harbaugh brother over the other is a daunting task and any NFL team would be fortunate to have a coach of their caliber.

Ranking Jim above John is tough, especially when John has accomplished something that Jim has not – winning a Super Bowl. No doubt both are among the very best coaches in the NFL, but we would almost have to give the nod to John even though Jim has led the 49ers to three straight NFC championship games.

Jim does deserve a lot of credit for immediately turning around a team that was in the gutter when he took over in 2011. That season was the first year the team had finished above .500 since 2002, and they were within a field goal in overtime of going to the Super Bowl that year. Jim hasn’t lost more than four games in a season since taking over, with an overall record of 36-11 in three seasons (.766) with a 5-3 record in the playoffs (.525).