The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page 20

1 4- Akron Beacon Journal Sunday, May 6, 1984 in draft Bengals get lion share of talen Ed I'VI Meyer AVjOp iss" pure, drop-back passer who was highly productive as a collegian, Nugent might beat out either Rick Trocano or Tom Flick for one of the two backup jobs behind Paul McDonald. With the retirement of Lynn Swann and the loss of Jim Smith to the USFL, there was no mystery behind the Steeler strategy. They had to improve their receiving game, and they did. Pittsburgh's first three picks, Southern Mississippi wide receiver Louis Lipps in the first round, Wyoming tight end Chris Kolod-ziejski in the second round and Florida State wide receiver Wee-gie Thompson in the third round, combined for 116 receptions for 13 touchdowns and more than yards in their senior seasons. Interestingly, the fact that Chuck Noll did not take a quarterback with one of his first three picks could mean that he knows something nobody else knows about Terry Bradshaw's ailing See All The New 1934 picked Furman running back Stanford Jennings, who could turn out to be the sleeper of the draft.

Jennings, the Southern Conference Player of the Year in 1981, '82 and '83, is a skilled receiver and could fill a need the Bengals have had for years a dangerous halfback. Finally, in the fifth round, the Bengals picked South Carolina State defensive back Barney Bus-sey, a 5-11, 195-pounder. Bussey, a skilled punt returner, is a big-play man who could challenge for a starting job at strong safety. Provided "Cleveland can sign No. 1 pick Don Rogers, the skeletal-shattering safety from UCLA, the Browns had the next best draft in the AFC Central.

Rogers, an immediate starter at free safety, is the key player if the Browns are to rebuild their secondary with impact players. Browns coach Sam Rutigliano admitted that the next pick, Oklahoma State safety Chris Rockins, was made to complement the selection of Rogers. Rockins will challenge Clinton Burrell for a starting position at strong safety. With both Rogers and Rockins in the lineup, receivers will not be able to roam at will in the Browns' secondary as has been the case for so many years. But, if the Browns lose Rogers to the USFL's Arizona Wranglers, it would be similar to the Mafia losing its No.

1 hit man. The immediate feeling of fear would be gone. The Browns also have helped their receiving game with the selection of Olympic-caliber sprint- Hanley Lipps er Bruce Davis in the second round and Brian Brennan in the fourth round. Unlike last year's top pick, Arizona State wide, receiver Ron Brown, whom the Browns lost, Davis and Brennan are polished receivers. Brown played receiver only in his senior season at Arizona State, whereas both Davis and Brennan were highly productive collegians.

Davis, who has qualified for the Olympic trials in the 100-meter dash, is virtually assured of making the team. With the presence of Brennan, veterans Willis Adams and Ricky Feacher are standing on thin ice. Tight end Ricky Bolden, a fourth-round pick from Southern Methodist, also should make the team and improve the blocking power at tight end. Bolden's pre-sense may lead to increased use of the 2-tight end formation with Harry Holt. The sleeper of the Browns' draft could be Colorado State quarterback Terry Nugent, who was chosen in the sixth round.

A If the 1983 NFL season had continued for another two weeks, the Cincinnati Bengals might have made the playoffs instead of the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the No. 1-rated defense in the NFL last year, the Bengals were undeniably the strongest team in the AFC Central Division during the latter stages of the season when they won six of nine games. The Steelers, who qualified for the playoffs, lost four of their last five, and the Cleveland Browns lost two of their last three. One of the Browns' losses came at the unsteady hands of the Houston Oilers, who finished in a tie with Tampa Bay for the worst record (2-14) in the NFL.

Looking ahead to 1984, how did last Tuesday's draft affect the balance of the AFC Central? With three first-round picks (Arizona linebacker Ricky Hun-ley, Maryland defensive end Pete Koch and North Carolina offensive tackle Brian Blados, as well as Maryland quarterback Boomer Esiason, taken in the second round), the Bengals may have had the best draft and would appear to be the front-runner for the divisional championship. Yes, the Bengals' losses to the USFL were heavy. They lost four players tight end Dan Ross, guard Dave Lapham and linebackers Jim LeClair and Tom Dinkel. Ross, Lapham and LeClair were starters. However, with Paul Brown's willingness to use rookies, as he did in 1981 when wide receiver Cris Collinsworth had immediate and consistent impact during the team's Super Bowl season, the Bengals have minimized their losses.

Hunley (6-foot-l, 235 pounds) was considered by many scouts to be the best inside linebacker in the draft. He will be much more than a suitable replacement for LeClair. Koch, who at 6-6, 260 can bench press 470 pounds, is a superb physical specimen and should make an already excellent 7 FrL: 9-6 9-5 1-5 "Visit Year Nearest Dealer This Weekend' Door Prises Sale Prices "Test Rides Free Refreshments Al Mar Trailer Sales, Ashtabula Aralon BV Center. Camper. RV.

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After a sophisticated conditioning program, Blados could press right tackle Mike Wilson for a starting job. If he does, the Bengals would have the NFL's most imposing set of tackles with Blados and 6-6, 278-pound Anthony Munoz. Cincinnati's first three picks are impressive enough, but the Bengals didn't stop there. They may have further improved themselves with interesting picks after the first round. In Esiason, the top-rated quarterback in the draft, the Bengals have found a fine backup in the event that the aging Ken Anderson continues to have physical problems.

With Anderson, Esiason and Turk Schonert, the Bengals have more depth at the most important position than either the Browns or the Steelers. In the third round, the Bengals Zips' Black, Heckman University of Akron seniors 'James Black and Dennis Heckman have signed free-agent contract with National Football League teams. Black, the Zips' all-time leading rusher, signed Saturday with the Cleveland Browns. Heckman, who owns five Akron place-kick 11 USFL intentional safety with 1:45 remaining when Los Angeles punter Jeff Partridge stepped out of the end zone. The Maulers then trimmed the def ict to eight points as reserve quarterback Tom Roz-antz threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Greg Anderson with 51 seconds left.

The Maulers got one final chance when Mickey Sutton came up with the ball at midfield on the following onside kickoff. But the Express' Tyrone Justin then intercepted a Rozantz pass to snuff the threat In the contest, played before a crowd of 15,442 at the Coliseum, Tony Zendejas kicked a 36-yard field goal to give the Express a 3-0 lead with four seconds left in the first half. Los Angeles led the rest of the way. The Express scored on its first VCWIUK Alts EFEiEE wooayear I Goodyear as Express defeats Wow faking Reservations For. FALL LEAGUES ToarIIid arm.

If Noll were seriously concerned about whether Bradshaw will return for 1984, he almost assuredly would have taken a quarterback with one of his early picks. The fact that he didn't (the Steelers took Purdue's Scott Campbell in the seventh round as insurance) probably means that Bradshaw is healthy, which makes the Steelers an entirely different team. Lipps is the key to the Steelers' draft. A great jumper with superb body control and outstanding running instincts after the catch, he should dramatically improve the Steelers' receiving and kick-return games. If Lipps becomes a star, as many scouts believe, one thing is certain.

The Browns will look like bums for passing him up in favor of Rogers. And if the Browns lose Rogers to the USFL? The clamor in Northeast Ohio could be deafening. Recreational Vehicles! Canal Fulton Beggs Motor Homes. Unionlown Willoughby Center Serrlce, Oberlin PainesriUe Moons Travel Trailer. N.

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Inc. 3828 Brecksville Rd SMITHVILLE Smrthville Lawn Garden 5842 Akron Rd TALLMADGE Leppo. Inc. 176 West Ave. A II Sr BE LEFT ry OUT! I 'xNnra i) LUJL3 1 1 I Openings Still Available FOR 9PM WEEKDAYS CALL 753-9490 Associated Press Steve Young completed 12 of 24 passes for 185 yards and one touchdown Saturday night as the Los Angeles Express held off a late rally by the Pittsburgh Maulers to take a 20-12 United States Football League victory in Los Angeles.

Young, the former Brigham Young University standout who finished second in the 1983 Heis-man Trophy balloting to Mike Ro-zier of Nebraska, overshadowed Rozier in their first pro meeting. Rozier, a running back for the Maulers, gained 55 yards on 16 carries. The loss, Pittsburgh's fifth in a row, spoiled the pro head coaching debut of the Maulers' Ellis Rainsberger, who was elevated to the post on an interim basis last Monday after Joe Pendry was fired. Pittsburgh, which trailed all the way, got two points on an 928-5308 sign NFL contracts ing records, signed Friday with the Kansas City Chiefs. Black last year gained 1,568 in 351 attempts and set eight Akron records.

Heckman was successful on 17 of 24 field-goal attempts last season and made 35 of 57 for his career. The Zips were 8-3 last season. Maulers series of the third quarter, as Young found wide receiver Jojo Townsell in the right corner of the end zone for a 10-0 lead. Pittsburgh scored on a 41-yard field goal by Tony Lee with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. But the Express built its advantage to 17-3 when Kevin Nelson scored on a 2-yard run with 40 seconds left in the third quarter.

Zendejas then capped the Los Angeles scoring with an 18-yard field goal early in the final period. The Express now has won three of its last four games to improve its record to 5-6. Pittsburgh is 2-9. In another game: Tampa Bay 31, Jacksonville 13 John Reaves passed for 205 yards, including touchdowns to Larry Brodsky and Eric Truvillion, to lead the Tampa Bandits (8-3) to victory over the Bulls (4-7) in Jacksonville. A crowd of 71, 174 was on hand in the Gator Bowl, surpassing the USFL record for a night game.

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