Roughnecks add to receiving corps
March 8, 2006 - Intense Football League (Intense)
West Texas Roughnecks News Release
The Odessa Roughnecks professional football franchise announced Wednesday that it has added two premiere players to its already stout corps of receivers.
Carrollton native and former West Texas A&M Buffalo Anthony Armstrong and former Virginia Tech receiver Richard Johnson are the 12th and 13th players signed to the squad since the introduction of new head coach Mike Esposito.
They join Ricky Gehres, Shaun Couch, Keemer Jordan, Frankie Berlanga, Benjamin and Clinton Witcher and Laurence Lovelace as receivers signed by the Roughnecks this year.
Armstrong, a graduate of Carrollton's Newman-Smith High School, scored 26 touchdowns as a two-year starter for the Buffaloes. 65 percent of his 2,310 career receiving yards came after the catch as he earned Lone Star Conference Receiver of the Year honors in 2003 and 2004.
Esposito said the race for Armstrong's services was a hard one to win. Esposito and staff called the receiver more than 130 times before getting his commitment.
"We think he could in a very short time be one of our go-to guys," Esposito said.
Armstrong went to mini camp and training camp with the Atlanta Falcons in 2005 before being cut due to a wrist injury.
"Basically, when you're invited to an NFL mini camp and make it to regular camp that's a stud in my book," Esposito said.
Johnson, a speedy, 6-foot-1 product of Frank Beamer's vaunted special teams unit, set a Virginia Tech bowl record with 118 return yards in the 2002 Gator Bowl. Johnson played in every game after his redshirt season, amassing 2,180 all-purpose yards as a Hokie.
"Richard's another one I'm real high on," Esposito said.
Johnson worked out for several NFL and CFL teams prior to last season. He averaged 12 yards for Virginia Tech every time he touched the ball.
"He's a return man," Esposito said. "If you can return for Virginia Tech, you can return (kicks) just about anywhere."
The Roughnecks kick off their 2006 training camp on April 8. Esposito says they will take between six and eight receivers to camp before cutting three or four.
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