Football, by nature, is a macho game, from the players who play it, to the guys watching on their couches every weekend.

When it comes to players and fans, we know emotions are part of the game and we’ve come to expect it.

But the testosterone level seems to be rising higher than normal and getting the best of a few coaches.

You’ve probably seen video of former Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz chase down San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh after Harbaugh’s overzealous slap on the back and “see ya later handshake” following the Niners’ victory on Sunday.

As exciting as the game was to watch, it was even more entertaining to see Schwartz get in Harbaugh’s face, screaming at the taller Harbaugh in a manner reminiscent of the way Sgt. Carter would chew out an unfazed Gomer Pyle back in the golden age of sitcoms.

Schwartz was right in that Harbaugh exhibited just a little bit too much college rah-rah after his club had handed Schwartz’s Lions their first loss of the season. Frankly, Harbaugh looked like he was still at Stanford and had just upset Southern Cal to go to the Rose Bowl instead of an NFL sideline. He totally forgot the “professional” part of professional football coach.

But Schwartz himself went over the top as well, sprinting nearly 50 yards just give Harbaugh back a big “what for” and a few choice words that can’t be printed here.

When it was over, the NFL simply stuck its head in the sand as it attempted to bury the incident.

While everyone not directly involved got a good laugh, both Harbaugh and Schwartz should be ashamed that their emotions got the better of them since I’m sure both men spend a great deal of time telling their players not to get baited into doing something stupid and hurting the team during a game.

And while the two Jims have corralled all the headlines for Coaches Week in the MMA, let’s not forget the undercard that happened Saturday night at Vanderbilt between Commodore head coach James Franklin and Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham.

Franklin was supposedly trying to find Georgia head coach Mark Richt to tell him something that a Georgia player had done in the game that he was unhappy about, only to be intercepted by Grantham. The situation escalated from there.

Grantham, of course, has a history of such things, having made a “choke” sign in a game against Florida last year.

And Franklin certainly made a point that the longtime ‘Dore-mats’ would be a pushover no longer. His remarks in his postgame press conference were telling, saying the days of Vanderbilt being pushed around were “long gone” and “never coming back” as long as he is running the ship.

“I feel like the Vanderbilt community is starting to understand things have changed,” Franklin said on the Georgia 247sports website. “So we are going to represent Vanderbilt the right way, and we’re going to do it with class and dignity, but we’re not going to be pushed around. We’re not going to be intimidated. That’s the one thing I’ll make sure that everybody is clear on. ... We are going to be competitive and we are going to be aggressive with everything we do.

“If some people don’t like that, I’m sorry. Things are changing here.”

Point taken with Franklin, who is making it his mission to lift one of college football’s most downtrodden programs. Schwartz is fighting the same fight with the Lions – and succeeding.

But there is a time and a place to play the disrespect card, and it is probably better not played out in front of thousands of fans and TV cameras.

Despite the short-term entertainment value both incidents provided, I think all four coaches would agree it would have been better for each to show more restraint and resolve.

Terry McCormick covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com and is the AFC blogger for National Football Post.