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Yes, it was a very demanding offense on the QB. Good thing we had two good athletes at QB during that time, Weems and Sweitzer.

I can explain....It was an option offense that was brought in by an Offensive Coordinator from California during the Faust era. Basically, it features a FB right behind the QB, and two tailbacks lines up at "wing" positions. It gives an offense the capability to hand off to the fullback, the QB run himself, have one of the wings come around behind him for an option pitchout, or send all of the receivers and the two wings out into pass patterns. Its designed as a typical option offense, with a little different alignment, and a few more options. And defenses often struggle to defend it, especially the first time they play against it. We ran it quite effectively for a number of years, when we had the personnel to do it.

Here's my observations, as a Zips fan and a Browns fan.1) Quinn completed the majority of his passes to the uncovered running back, underneath the coverage, against a 3rd team defense, that was protecting a lead. Does anyone really believe that shows us anything? Many that have been at the Browns' practices have already stated that Quinn is having trouble with accuracy downfield. He's a rookie. We have NO CLUE right how good he will be a few years down the road. 2) Quinn's performance is not good news for Frye?? It was not good news for Frye the moment Quinn got DRAFTED!! If Quinn had sucked last night, fans would have been saying "well, Quinn just needs more reps". Charlie is in a no-win situation, no matter what he does, and what Quinn does. Too many fans are already convinced that the Browns' woes will be cured instantly when a new quarterback is inserted into the lineup. It's that simple.3) Related to point #2 - Browns' fans have a recent history of worshipping the backup quarterback, much to their demise. Kelly Holcomb got this treatment, and so did Derrick Anderson (in 06) and even Charlie himself (in 05). Until the Browns make serious changes team-wide, they'll continue to stink. Some people have them rated at the worst team in football. Brady Quinn can't block, and Brady Quinn can't tackle. I just don't understand what some people are thinking. 4) Frye has now completed 68% of his passes...in PRESEASON. Does anyone know what other quarterbacks are doing right now? Look, and you'll see. This is warm-up time for most QBs. And comparatively speaking, Charlie's already HOT. In fact, one of the Beacon writers yesterday commented about how he is receiving loads of e-mails asking why Charlie is not getting the credit for showing some pretty darn good accuracy this early in the preseason.5) Want to feel sorry for somebody?? Feel sorry for Ken Dorsey. He's performing well, in real-game situations (no garbage-time 4th quarter), yet has to hear BOOs from the fans as he walks out on the field. Once again, the same fans who have already decided (until the next QB is drafted) that Quinn is the all-encompassing solution to the woes of the Cleveland Browns. 6) Ok, lets put an end to the "Make Frye feel challenged by continuing to say that Anderson has a chance to start" experiment. With this new, complex offense, Frye needs to start getting ready for the start of the season. Stop continuing to put him in situations where he can do nothing but fail, and start giving him a chance.

Good memory.The year before Sweitzer became the starter (Johnson's senior year) I was at a game where he returned two punts for touchdowns. Sweitzer became the starter the next year, and a new offensive coordinator came in and brought us the very unique pass-and-pitch option offense. Sweitzer had a lot of oppotunities to run in that offense, and throw on roll outs. It was the perfect offense for him. And Weems followed by doing a pretty good job of running it as well.

WOW...I can't believe someone else remembers the "salt and pepper" marketing campaign for Clark and Hilk. For whatever it's worth, I might have to go with Mike Johnson if I had to pick one quarterback. Although, I'm very partial to Sweitzer as well. Weems was probably the best running QB of that era, Johnson the best passer, and Sweitzer was a pretty decent combination of both. It's a tough call. At some point, maybe you can start a new thread with the revised list. Also, you might want to consider 4 LBs and 3 DLs since our talent pool was certainly better at LB. This thread is bringing back a lot of old memories. Nice work.

Yes, Reliford was the transfer from Colorado. He and Lewis played at the same time. Reliford could have been a great running back, but apparently he really needed a new TV instead.Some people considered Doug Lewis to be Faust's best recruit up to that time. He belongs on that team, and was one of the best we ever had.Hilk played for several years in the CFL, and it doesn't even mention him on our school's official website page that lists players that played in either the NFL or CFL. That's sad. When we talk about Clark and Hilk being the two best inside LBs we ever had, the funny thing is that they played together at the same time. I like the reference to Clark spending more time in an orange jumpsuit than a football uniform. But, he did play two years, was the best LB we ever had, and belongs on the team. I absolutely disagree with anyone who says that Faust took too many chances. It was necessary to grow our program. When someone didn't work out, he canned them. Nothing wrong with giving a guy a chance if you stick to your word and boot them if they don't hold up their end of the bargain. And he did stick to his word with two of the best players he ever had, unlike what many coaches will do in the same situation. Buddenburg might be the best OL we've ever had. He's a lock. Looking for more DLs? How about Eric Drakes or Chris Haskins? (I know, we've always been pretty slim at DL). More OLs? I want to make a case again for Mike O'Connor at Center. LBs? I haven't heard anyone mention Bruce Keys. And I had mentioned Phil Dunn previously. What's funny is that on this entire thread, Owens era players are not mentioned very frequently. Coincidence? I think not.

a-zip...I mentioned Ron Pasquale earlier. So, now he has at least two votes. I say that puts him on the offensive line.

Interesting comments. I know quite a few fans, who have been faithful fans over the last 30 years, and are very knowledgeable about the x's and o's of football, that feel differently than some of you about D. Smith. Seems as if the DLs are really difficult to pick. This is the dilemma of most teams at the mid major level: Not enough great DLs to even remember them.

Dr. Z. Great picture.We've had a lot of great defensive backs over the years. Dwight Smith is not on that list, but neither is Ozzie Jackson, who I believe was one of the nation's leaders in interceptions his senior year. Personally, I think Dwight Smith was an opportunistic player, and did get quite a few interceptions. But most fans from back then will say to me, and I agree, that he really wasn't all that great. I even have a poster from that year that didn't even indicate that he was one of the "players to watch" that year. I think he had a great year in terms of his interception numbers, but many fans wouldn't put him in a category with the best Zips DBs of all time.

A friend of mine, and a big Zips football fan from way back, reminded me today that Mike O'Connor needs to be on that team.For those of you who aren't old enough, he was a Center who anchored the OL in the late 80's and early 90's. I believe he was a 3-year starter too.

Bill Rudison actually got some national accolades as a punter. But if you guys recall, Alcorn was a great punter and kicker, and had interest from NFL teams for BOTH positions. If you can believe this, many NFL pundits had Alcorn rated ahead of Jason Elam as a draft prospect.

Thanks zff. I remember that he transferred to Can't, and then to Malone, but I never knew anything about the circumstances.

I'd love to see Jacquemain start. I'm a Lake County native, so I'm pulling for him. But, Jackson's been getting groomed to be the starter for 2 years. I don't think that's going to change unless he really starts displaying some real negatives to the coaching staff. Those mistakes you mention could be starting to pile up against him. Some people on here have mentioned Kasparek as an NFL prospect. No way. He's not even the best TE on this team. I'm hoping Poindexter gets the starting nod.

John Clark was so intimidating, when I'd see him walking towards me on campus, I'd start shaking and move out of his way. :blink: He could have been a great NFL football player.Try adding a guy like Ron Pasquale to that OL. How about Phil Dunn at LB.At QB, I thought Jeff Sweitzer was just as good as Weems or Johnson. Speaking of QB, I can never forget Brian Magrell from Green. Faust inserted him into a game about mid-season of his freshman year, and he broke a single-game passing mark. He had great potential. I still don't know to this day what happened between him and Owens the following year, but he ended up leaving the team.

Hmmm....I like Mackey's chances to play safety in the NFL. He's a sure tackler, and an aggressive player. Hopefully, the NFL game is not too fast for him.Nate Robinson....Not much of a chance. He thinks he is NFL talent, but has still yet to prove his worth on the field, even in the MAC.Jabari will be the sleeper. He still needs to prove that he can catch the ball, but physically has all the tools to make it at the next level.Stokes is too small.Kasparek is way too slow. Reggie Corner should get a shot. He's a really solid cover guy.

Oh Yes!! I had the inside scoop on this guy months ago, and reported it on here. And quite a few people were questioning the validity of my findings at the time I know some prominent high school sports people up in Lake County, and they told me last spring that he was going to pick Akron. He's a 3rd team All-Ohio selection in D-1 as a JUNIOR. So, he still has one more year of high school to further sharpen his skills. Although I've never seen him play myself, I'm told that he is a lightning quick PG, who is also a scoring machine. For the older Zips fans, maybe an Eric McLaughlin type player (if only he ends of being that good). I think his scoring average his Junior year was already over 25 p/game.

blueandgold...you could certainly be right. Maybe all 3 of them had moved ahead of Hakes.

Pluto was a guy that I will remember over the years for some of his very questionable viewpoints on the Zips (I recall him defending Lee Owens vehemently).And I'll never forget how he sung the praises of the resurgence of Akron Athletics about a decade ago under a former AD who he really liked, only to have the article appear next to the MAC's All Sports standings, which showed Akron darn near last in both men's and women's athletics. That was a classic. Everyone I know who is a Zips fan still talks about it to this day.

If JD was considering anyone other than Jaquemain or Jackson as the starter, Hakes would have never left. So, I don't think that's a possibility at all.

Ya, this sounds familiar. Maybe JD will flip a coin, and then alternate possessions. On the other hand, lets hope he realizes the disadvantages of doing something like that, because the Browns don't see it.

Darren Alcorn kicking the 56 yard field goal to beat Toledo as time expired in the Acme/Zip game in 1992. And if you've ever heard Steve French's call of the play, you know just how exciting of a moment it was.It's the only time I've ever ran out on the field after an Akron game.

Buckzip, yes, Ohio State is superior to us. I've already stated that. But, that's quite an exaggeration to think that Akron's players couldn't make The University of Ohio State's roster. And I got news for you, the Suckeyes recruits aren't always 4-5 star players. Sure, most of Akron's players could never start, but there's plenty of our players that the U of OS would love to have.And, you can't possibly believe that watching both team's spring games gives you much more knowledge about how the two teams match up than what we know already.

uakronkid...I like your optimism. But let's be realistic about our chances to stop The University of Ohio State's running game. Our defense, even with Kiki and Jermiane, and many of the same LBs and DBs that we have now, have struggled against lesser opponent's rushing attacks over the last couple of years. We'll be a good defense in MAC play, but you better hope that we just do enough to not get totally embarrassed by The U of OS's running game. I'll be pleased if we can just make enough plays to keep this game within 3-4 touchdowns.

If you look at that link again, you'll see that someone comments about how we played them in 1994 and lost 63-14. At least, that's what it looks like they are saying. Ummm...dude...whoever you are. We didn't play the Suckeyes in 1994. We played them in 2001 and almost beat them.I'm happy if we turn this into a running game battle with Kennedy and Allen, and give our new OL a good workout. It also will shorten the game, and is the only way we have a chance to win.

Would have been nice to catch the Suckeyes on a really bad year. But I guess, for them, #10 does indicate a bad year.