One of the NFL's great coaching rivalries will resume in Week 2.

And what better atmosphere for Chapter 3 of the Jim Harbaugh-Pete Carroll saga to pick back up than on *Monday Night Football*.

Harbaugh quipped this week that the two are usually "trying to gouge each other's eyes out … in the competitive spirit of that."

Carroll added: "Great games. There's been a bunch of them."

In another life or dimension, perhaps Harbaugh and Carroll would have been buddies.

But this is reality, which means the pair of star head coaches will be front and center in the battle of wits and intensity.

Harbaugh was asked about his longstanding rivalry with Carroll earlier this week and delivered a lengthy, respectful and insightful answer.

"He's a great coach, one of the best. A lot of respect," Harbaugh said. "I always thought that if I had ever played for him or on one of his teams — because he was coaching when I was playing — or was on his staff once I got into coaching, I bet we would have been really good friends.

"I learned a lot from him just watching him. But he's just always been on the other side," continued the 61-year-old Harbaugh. "As a player, he was a defensive coordinator or head coach somewhere."

He later added: "It's competition at the highest level and that's what it's all about."

Carroll, who turns 74 on Monday, was then asked about Harbaugh's comments on Thursday afternoon.

"I appreciate him saying that because I'd like to play with him, too," Carroll said.

While Monday night's matchup between the Chargers and Raiders will mark the 13^th coaching battle between the two, their paths actually crossed before Harbaugh became a coach.

In fact, Harbaugh was the Bears starting quarterback in 1991 when Carroll was the defensive coordinator for the Jets.

Harbaugh threw for 303 yards — the first 300-yard game of his career — and a touchdown in a 19-13 Chicago win.

But the rivalry really didn't kick off until 2007, Harbaugh's first season at Stanford, when he led the Cardinal to a massive road upset as historic 42-point underdogs.

Carroll got Harbaugh back the next season in Palo Alto before Stanford responded with a 55-point showing in 2009 in Southern California.

If you're scoring at home, that's a 2-1 advantage for Harbaugh in college.

Carroll, however, has the slight upper hand in the NFL after the two engaged in one of the best rivalries in modern NFL history last decade.

Harbaugh's 49ers and Carroll's Seahawks were simply the class of the NFC for multiple seasons, with each routinely making deep playoffs runs and sometimes finding one another in the way on the path to get to a Super Bowl.

The coaches split their NFC West games from 2011 to 2014, with each side taking four games apiece.

Seattle topped San Francisco by the score of 23-17 in an instant classic in the 2013 NFC Championship that sent Seahawks to the Super Bowl, which they won.

Harbaugh's squad had been in the big game the season before but fell just short.

The current tally stands at six wins apiece between the two as the pick up back in the AFC West.

Chargers Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman has had a front-row seat to nearly every coaching matchup between the two.

Roman joined Stanford's staff in 2009 before following Harbaugh to the 49ers the next season.

"It's been something," said Roman, who has been around for 11 of the 13 matchups. "Jim was at Stanford, then I came in at Stanford, Pete was at USC down the street and doing a great job there, did an amazing job there, put a dynasty together.

"We came in, and then we get into the NFC West and they were a young, young team. We were kind of ahead of them and all of a sudden those young guys started getting older, they got really good, they had some great teams there," Roman continued.

"Tons of respect for Pete, tons of respect obviously for Jim," Roman added. "Two great coaches and you always know a Pete Carroll coached team, you better be at your best. They're going to bring the best out of you. That's really college, pro, wherever the paths have crossed."

Entering Monday night, Harbaugh has a .689 career win percentage in the NFL. Carroll, meanwhile, is at .587.

Both have helped define this recent era of football, with their teams often leading the pack in terms of success and dominant play style.

And while the two may not send each other a Christmas card each year, both coaches made it clear this week that they have a healthy amount of respect for the other.

"One thing we would certainly see eye to eye on is about competing," Carroll said. "He's always been a great competitor and has battled, even in his playing days and then in his coaching days."

Harbaugh concurred with his longtime rival.

"It's the thing I enjoy the most … the competition," Harbaugh said. "If you ask me, 'Why do I do this? Why do most of us do it?' Speaking for myself, No. 1 on that list is competition. Love to compete.

"You find others who are like that, too, and you have respect for that," Harbaugh added. "Respect for a guy — another player or coach — and it's like looking in the mirror. There's a great mutual respect there."