Lindsay, Ross Sign Free Agent Contracts
April 27, 2010 | Football
April 27, 2010
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Former East Carolina all-conference performers Dominique Lindsay and Jay Ross have signed undrafted free agent contracts with the Tennessee Titans and New Orleans Saints, respectively, according to confirmatory releases from the National Football League organizations late Monday.
Lindsay, a running back who bounced back from a knee injury to run for a team-leading 1,180 yards in 2009, has been invited to participate in the team's orientation session Friday to vie for an opportunity to join former Pirate teammate Chris Johnson - a two-time All-Pro selection and single-season 2,000-yard rusher - in the Titans' backfield.
After missing the entire 2008 campaign because of the injury, Lindsay returned to ECU's lineup to earn selection to the All-Conference USA squad after averaging nearly five yards per attempt that helped produce five 100-yard rushing efforts and a top 30 national rank among all FBS ball-carriers. After running for a career-high 172 yards at Tulsa, the Charlotte (N.C.) Independence product picked up AutoZone Liberty Bowl Offensive MVP honors with a 151-yard, one-touchdown effort against Arkansas.
Lindsay finished his career with 1,787 yards and 12 touchdowns, scoring twice in pivotal program wins over No. 24 Boise State ('07 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl) and No. 18 Houston (2009 C-USA Championship Game). He also was charged with only one fumble in 385 rushing attempts covering the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009 seasons.
Ross, a defensive tackle who prepped at New Hanover (N.C.) High School, earned All-Conference USA honors as a senior in 2009 after recording 47 tackles, 4.5 resulting in lost yardage, and helping ECU capture its second consecutive league title. He matched a career-high with eight stops against UAB Nov. 21 after contributing seven tackles against No. 22 Virginia Tech two weeks earlier. Ross posted at least one stop in all 14 games and had multiple-tackle outings in 11 contests as a senior.
A three-year starter, Ross was also a charter member of East Carolina's honors-producing defensive line that played a key role for a senior class that made a quartet of bowl appearances and tallied 33 wins between 2006 and 2009 - ECU's second-highest win total in a four-year span.
In 52 career games and 42 starts, which included a run of 38 straight that ranked as the longest active streak among all players in the Pirate program, Ross was credited with 140 tackles, 18.5 TFLs, 8.5 sacks and 19 quarterback pressures.
Ross, 13 other undrafted players and six draft picks will participate in the Super Bowl champions' rookie mini-camp scheduled for May 7-9 in New Orleans.
