With the NFL season kicking off this past weekend, our sports writers discuss who they would want as their head coach if they played football.

Jason Behler: Paul Brown. He brought football to the state of Ohio. At the high school level at Massillon High School (see Go Tigers documentary for more info on them), Brown made a big enough name to catch the eye of Ohio State’s athletic department. He led the Buckeyes to a National Championship in1942. Making the leap to the NFL where he had a team named after him (Cleveland Browns) where he won numerous AAFC and NFL Championships. He then went on to co-found the Bengals (my team since birth), and they repaid him by naming the stadium after him. Paul Brown was a disciplinarian that knew how to win. As a coach, I respect coaches that are knowledgable yet not afraid to think outside of the box. As a player, I would want to win, and Brown knew how to do that. (Too bad his son, current owner and GM, Mike Brown, is clueless.)

In the modern era, I would play for someone like John Gruden or Bill Parcels for the same reasons. In the realm of fiction I would take the team of Wally Rig and Ed Gennero from the 1991 classic Necessary Roughness.

Tristan Chan: I’m gonna go the route of fictional football coaches…

My first choice, albeit not even a fictional NFL coach, was a football coach nonetheless.  I’d go with Rick Moranis’ Danny O’Shea from Little Giants.

Secondly, you’d have to go with Denzel Washington’s Coach Herman Boone from Remember the Titans

And you can’t forget Al Pacino’s Tony D’Amato from Any Given Sunday.  He was clearly part of team #NF when it came to dealing with ownership.

Mike Zoller: I always benefit from writing my answer last in these so I’ll give one real answer and one fictional answer since Tristan inspired me with his response.

Actual coach would be Mike Ditka. It’s definitely an answer you would expect from a kid who grew up watching the Bears but what do you expect. He won the team’s only Super Bowl and wore an awesome sweater vest. Don’t forget he can also act. Remember him in Kicking & Screaming?

For my fictional answer I’d have to go with Coach Klein from The Waterboy. He seems like a nice guy who wouldn’t scream at you and would want you to succeed. Yes the complete opposite from Ditka but remember Klein took the South Central Louisiana State University Mud Dogs from nothing to a bowl win. He’s one heck of a coach.