Fightin' Till the End
July 11, 2007 - Intense Football League (Intense)
West Texas Roughnecks News Release
ODESSA, TX. : The Odessa Roughnecks are in 4th place with a 6-6 record and still vying for a play-off berth. There is certainly room for improvements in the line-up and Head Coach Chris Williams looks to make those adjustments. "After reviewing the ups and downs of the season, we began developing a plan to become playoff contenders once again. You can bet that we are going to fight until the end!" stated Williams in a press conference today at Carino's Italian Grill in Odessa. The Roughnecks unleashed the beast by announcing the signing of two former IFL All-Stars and members of the 2006 championship Roughnecks team in quarterback Tommy Jones and OL/DL Jermaine Blakely to the roster.
Tommy Jones- QB, 6'4'' 240 lb Indiana University. Jones comes from the Mississippi Mudcats where he holds the American Indoor Football Association records for most touchdowns in a season with 101 and yards passing with 3,800. This was to follow an IFL record in 2006 with 100 touchdown passes in a single season. Jones earned all-star honors both in 2006 with the IFL and in 2007 with the AIFA. Coached by former Roughnecks assistant, Brian Brents, Jones lead Mississippi to the AIFA semi-finals only to loose to another former Roughnecks assistant coach, Teddrick Keaton of the Lakeland Thunderbolts. Jones traveled to Odessa last season after finishing a successful college career under center and spending time with teams in the Arena Football League, the Canadian Football League, and most notably, with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League.
Jermaine Blakely- OL/DE, 6'4" 302 lbs Stillman College. Jermaine returns to Odessa from the Lakeland Thunder Bolts where he played a crucial role in helping the team win the AIFA Championship. Blakely accrued 302 yds rushing with 17 touchdowns and 3 passing TD's. He is in his 4th year of playing and looks to make this year with the Roughnecks his 3rd championship in the course of just 12 months. Jermaine has been a fan favorite in Odessa since the team's inception in 2004 and is likely to be greeted with a tremendous welcome on July 28th when the team returns to the Ector County Coliseum to finish out the regular season.
The Roughnecks face the San Angelo Stampede Express in San Angelo and with a win, the Roughnecks could potentially solidify the fourth and final play-off spot with a game over the Katy Ruff Riders. Visit the Roughnecks website at www.RoughnecksIFL.com and for all you My Spacers visit the team's My Space page at http://www.myspace.com/roughnecksifl.
Intense Football League Stories from July 11, 2007
- Fightin' Till the End - West Texas Roughnecks
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