Post by TheShadow on Mar 11, 2007 9:31:20 GMT -5
www.mcall.com
From Call staff and wire reports
A day after retaining one cornerback, the Philadelphia Eagles lost another.
The Arizona Cardinals announced Saturday that they had reached agreement
on a five year deal with Ron Hood.
''Roderick is a bright-eyed guy that seemed very excited to be here,'' Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. ''He fits in very well with the organization and I was impressed with him.''
The 5-11, 196-pound Hood played in 62 regular- and postseason games over four seasons with the Eagles. Most of his playing time was as the nickel back in passing situations, but also included 14 starts.
Hood, who initially made the Eagles roster as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn in 2003, was sidelined for six games in 2006 because of injuries. His best season as an Eagle was 2005, when he had three of his five career interceptions, and returned 38 kickoffs for a 23.7-yard average.
The Eagles had re-signed veteran cornerback William James to a one-year contract on Friday. In a conference call, James said he expects to challenge incumbent starters Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown for their roles instead of merely settling into the nickel back position.
The Eagles were visited Friday by free agent St. Louis Rams wide receiver Kevin Curtis and restricted free agent Dallas Cowboys linebacker Ryan Fowler. No announcements were made of offers to either player.
Philadelphia also rumored to still be a possible point of return for wide receiver Donté Stallworth, who reportedly has had talks with Tennessee, Miami and New England.
Larry O'Rourke
Steelers sign OL Mahan to five-year contract: Offensive lineman Sean Mahan became the Pittsburgh Steelers' first free agent pickup of the offseason, agreeing to a five-year contract.
Mahan, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will compete with backup Chukky Okobi and right guard Kendall Simmons to replace former Pro Bowl center Jeff Hartings. Hartings retired after last season.
Raiders sign Griffith to be new blocking back: The Oakland Raiders added another running back to their roster, agreeing to a $3.8 million, three-year contract with free agent fullback Justin Griffith.
The deal with Griffith comes a day after Oakland signed running back Dominic Rhodes to a $7.5 million, two-year deal to team with LaMont Jordan as the team's featured runners.
Griffith had spent his four-year career as a blocking back in Atlanta, where he helped the Falcons lead the NFL in rushing the past three seasons.
Griffith has rushed for 378 yards and caught 87 passes for 621 yards in his career.
Jets re-sign OL Wade Smith: Backup offensive lineman Wade Smith re-signed with the New York Jets for one year, agent Brian Parker said.
The versatile unrestricted free agent spent most of last season with the Jets, where he was reunited with offensive line coach Tony Wise, who coached him in Miami. The Dolphins selected Smith in the third round of the 2003 draft and released him last year.
Lions reach 1-year deal with former Duckett: Free agent running back T.J. Duckett has agreed to a one-year contract with the Detroit Lions.
The 6-foot, 254-pound Duckett played last season with the Redskins after four with the Atlanta Falcons. He had 38 carries last season for Washington, finishing with 132 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
Group questions Dungy's appearance with group fighting same-sex marriage: Colts coach Tony Dungy's acceptance of an invitation to speak to a conservative Christian group should not be construed as an endorsement of the group's opposition to same-sex marriage, the head of the Indiana Family Institute said.
Some local and national gay rights groups have questioned Dungy's decision to appear at a fund-raising banquet this month for the institute, which has been a leading supporter of a proposed state constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between one man and one woman.
Institute president Curt Smith said the invitation was based on Dungy's pro-family activities.
From Call staff and wire reports
A day after retaining one cornerback, the Philadelphia Eagles lost another.
The Arizona Cardinals announced Saturday that they had reached agreement
on a five year deal with Ron Hood.
''Roderick is a bright-eyed guy that seemed very excited to be here,'' Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. ''He fits in very well with the organization and I was impressed with him.''
The 5-11, 196-pound Hood played in 62 regular- and postseason games over four seasons with the Eagles. Most of his playing time was as the nickel back in passing situations, but also included 14 starts.
Hood, who initially made the Eagles roster as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn in 2003, was sidelined for six games in 2006 because of injuries. His best season as an Eagle was 2005, when he had three of his five career interceptions, and returned 38 kickoffs for a 23.7-yard average.
The Eagles had re-signed veteran cornerback William James to a one-year contract on Friday. In a conference call, James said he expects to challenge incumbent starters Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown for their roles instead of merely settling into the nickel back position.
The Eagles were visited Friday by free agent St. Louis Rams wide receiver Kevin Curtis and restricted free agent Dallas Cowboys linebacker Ryan Fowler. No announcements were made of offers to either player.
Philadelphia also rumored to still be a possible point of return for wide receiver Donté Stallworth, who reportedly has had talks with Tennessee, Miami and New England.
Larry O'Rourke
Steelers sign OL Mahan to five-year contract: Offensive lineman Sean Mahan became the Pittsburgh Steelers' first free agent pickup of the offseason, agreeing to a five-year contract.
Mahan, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will compete with backup Chukky Okobi and right guard Kendall Simmons to replace former Pro Bowl center Jeff Hartings. Hartings retired after last season.
Raiders sign Griffith to be new blocking back: The Oakland Raiders added another running back to their roster, agreeing to a $3.8 million, three-year contract with free agent fullback Justin Griffith.
The deal with Griffith comes a day after Oakland signed running back Dominic Rhodes to a $7.5 million, two-year deal to team with LaMont Jordan as the team's featured runners.
Griffith had spent his four-year career as a blocking back in Atlanta, where he helped the Falcons lead the NFL in rushing the past three seasons.
Griffith has rushed for 378 yards and caught 87 passes for 621 yards in his career.
Jets re-sign OL Wade Smith: Backup offensive lineman Wade Smith re-signed with the New York Jets for one year, agent Brian Parker said.
The versatile unrestricted free agent spent most of last season with the Jets, where he was reunited with offensive line coach Tony Wise, who coached him in Miami. The Dolphins selected Smith in the third round of the 2003 draft and released him last year.
Lions reach 1-year deal with former Duckett: Free agent running back T.J. Duckett has agreed to a one-year contract with the Detroit Lions.
The 6-foot, 254-pound Duckett played last season with the Redskins after four with the Atlanta Falcons. He had 38 carries last season for Washington, finishing with 132 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
Group questions Dungy's appearance with group fighting same-sex marriage: Colts coach Tony Dungy's acceptance of an invitation to speak to a conservative Christian group should not be construed as an endorsement of the group's opposition to same-sex marriage, the head of the Indiana Family Institute said.
Some local and national gay rights groups have questioned Dungy's decision to appear at a fund-raising banquet this month for the institute, which has been a leading supporter of a proposed state constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between one man and one woman.
Institute president Curt Smith said the invitation was based on Dungy's pro-family activities.