By Matt Popchock

(mpopchock@kdka.com)

The Pittsburgh Power have made significant roster additions as they prepare for their second season in the Arena Football League, and they have subtracted a couple key players from their inaugural season as well.

Wide receiver Jason Willis has been assigned to the San Antonio Talons for the 2012 campaign. The Talons, also a middle-of-the-road team in 2011, have upgraded as well with the addition of ArenaBowl XXIV MVP and all-time league passing leader Aaron Garcia from the Jacksonville Sharks, and Willis should complement him nicely.

A 31-year-old NFL veteran who enjoyed brief stints in Seattle, Miami, and Washington, Willis is joining his fourth different team in a four-year AFL career. The acrobatic flanker will forever be known for scoring the first touchdown in Power history (pictured above) in a 58-52 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Soul at CONSOL Energy Center Mar. 11, and he finished the 2011 season with 1,199 yards receiving and 18 TD’s.

With the additions of P.J. Berry, one of the top receivers and return men in the league, and former Spokane Shock receiver/NFL vet Randy Hymes, this move by the Power makes sense. For the second year in a row, they will enter the season with a very promising and balanced receiving corps, so cutting ties with Willis allows them to shore up other positions with just a couple roster spots remaining.

The Power will face the Talons at San Antonio’s famous Alamodome Sat., May 12.

(Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/mpopchock)