Jed York, don't be a fool. You either, Trent Baalke.

York, the San Francisco 49ers' CEO, is an intelligent man, as is Baalke, the team's general manager. Each needs to subjugate his ego.

Today.

They shouldn't persuade themselves -- or each other -- that the 49ers are so talented that any coach can get them to the NFC Championship Game or to the Super Bowl.

Once upon a time, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believed his team could win with any one of 500 coaches.

Combustible? Yes. But replaceable? Not 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh. AP Photo/Mike Roemer

It was dumb then. It's dumb now.

Sure, Jones won Super Bowl XXX with Barry Switzer as his coach, but the Cowboys might've won four consecutive Super Bowls if Jones or Jimmy Johnson hadn't let their respective egos run amok.

The Cowboys could've been the NFL's greatest dynasty. Instead, we're stuck with a bunch of woulda, coulda, shoulda. Johnson's departure started the downfall that's left the Cowboys stuck in an abyss of mediocrity for nearly two decades.

The Cleveland Browns reportedly offered San Francisco draft picks in trade for Harbaugh during their lengthy coaching search. York initially denied the report -- then said the Browns broached the topic but were quickly rebuffed.

Harbaugh, who has led San Francisco to the NFL's second-best winning percentage (.760) over the past three seasons, has two years left on a deal that reportedly pays him $5 million a year.

Eight NFL coaches make more than $6 million a year. New Orleans' Sean Payton ($8 million) and New England's Bill Belichick ($7.5 million) are at the top of the list.

York should pay Harbaugh. If he needs to overpay the occasionally combative and petulant coach to make him happy, then overpay him.

Winning is more important than ego. Whether Jones admits it or not, letting Johnson leave is easily the dumbest move he's made in 25 years as owner.

Nothing else is even close.

Not passing on Randy Moss. Not firing Tom Landry. Not giving Roy Williams a $54 million contract or trading a pair of No. 1 draft picks for Joey Galloway.

Every coach is not replaceable.

Harbaugh knows how to win. He did it at the University of San Diego, going 29-6 in three seasons. He did it at Stanford, going 29-21, including a 12-1 record in his final season with the Cardinal.

And he's done it with the 49ers, compiling a 36-11-1 record for a team that had not been over .500 in eight seasons prior to his arrival. The 49ers went 13-3 in 2011, advancing to the NFC Championship Game before losing in overtime in Harbaugh's first season.

The next season, San Francisco lost to Baltimore in the Super Bowl; this past season, the 49ers lost in the NFC title game to Seattle. Each game was decided in the final five minutes.