FanHouse RodHood

Franchise tags and salary-cap concerns play a very important role in real-world wheelings and dealings, but what if the biggest-named free agents were matched with the teams that gave them the best chance to make a Super Bowl run? What would that list look like? Glad you asked.

Yes, this is a strictly fictional account, one that requires you to suspend reality for the next few minutes. But, hey, it's the NFL offseason, which means that there won't be any meaningful football for another seven months. What else do you have to do?

I realize this news is a little old already but it has not yet been posted. The Arizona Cardinals and free agent cornerback Roderick Hood (Philadelphia) have agreed to a five-year contract worth $15 million. Considering the amount of money being dumped into players this off-season, an average of $3 million per year is an excellent deal for a player of Hood's caliber.

Hood hasn't seen much starting action in his short NFL career but is on the verge of becoming a household name. He's very athletic and has very good speed. Most importantly he has good coverage skills and moves fluidly. The only knock on Hood is that he isn't strong enough to truly "punish" his opponents. As far as I'm concerned that's irrelevant. The Cardinals have some heavy hitters and all they need now is a solid cover corner. He'll be effective in his first year and a complete shutdown corner in his second.

Side Note:

For those that are familiar with me, it's great to be back. For those are you that aren't allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dan Benton (obviously) and I've been with NFL Fanhouse since last August. I had previously blogged the Cardinals before being reassigned. Thanks to an e-mail from a Cardinals fan I was able to return to covering Arizona and it's great to be back. I really wanted to be around for what I think is going to be a very special season.