Scott Zolak

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Scott Zolak
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:Ringgold (Monongahela, Pennsylvania)
College:Maryland
NFL draft:1991 / Round: 4 / Pick: 84
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
TD–INT:8–7
Passing yards:1,314
Passer rating:64.8
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Scott David Zolak (born December 13, 1967) is an American broadcaster and former professional football player. He played quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. Over the course of his career, he played in 55 games, with 7 starts, for the Patriots and Miami Dolphins, completed 124 of 248 passes for 1,314 yards, threw eight touchdowns and seven interceptions, and finished his career with a passer rating of 64.8.

A graduate of

1991 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He did not play in 1991, but started four games in 1992 and had his most productive season statistically. When Drew Bledsoe
was drafted in 1993, Zolak became his backup for the next six seasons. He appeared as a replacement for Bledsoe when he was hurt, but only started three games during this time. He was released at the end of the 1998 season, and signed with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins in 1999, playing in one game for Miami before retiring. After his retirement, he became a sportscaster and football analyst in the New England area.

Early life

High school

Zolak was born on December 13, 1967, in

forward, and was a four-time letterman in that sport as well.[2] As a result of his football performance, he was invited to participate in the Big 33 Football Classic, which featured the top high school football players in Pennsylvania.[4]

College

After graduating from high school, Zolak played college football at the University of Maryland. He sat out his freshman year, and became the third-string quarterback behind Dan Henning and Neil O'Donnell after two quarterbacks transferred.[5] By the end of his sophomore season, Zolak was challenging O'Donnell for the starting job after Henning graduated.[6] As his junior year began, in the summer of 1988, offensive coordinator Bob Valesente said that Zolak was making tremendous strides as a quarterback, but O'Donnell was the starting quarterback that year.[7] Zolak's first collegiate appearance came against West Virginia. He completed four of six passes for 28 yards, but had an interception returned for a touchdown by Bo Orlando in a 55–24 loss.[8] He appeared in four games for Maryland that season.[2]

Zolak was again the backup behind O'Donnell in 1989. He played in eight games, completing 33 of 69 passes for 407 yards and two touchdowns.

starter for Maryland, and head coach Joe Krivak had high hopes for him heading into the season.[9] In his first start as a senior, Zolak completed a school record 28 passes in 46 attempts for 303 yards and two touchdowns, including a 51-yard pass to Gene Thomas with 61 seconds left that gave Maryland the win against Virginia Tech, 20–13.[10] The following week, he once more featured in a dramatic conclusion, throwing a 59-yard touchdown pass to Gene Thomas with 2:27 left to beat 25th ranked West Virginia, 14–10.[11] However, he was struggling in other aspects of his game. In an October game against Georgia Tech, Zolak was sacked 10 times. In four games, he had been sacked 23 times and had a pass intercepted 12 times.[12] By the end of the season, as Maryland was preparing to face Louisiana Tech in the 1990 Independence Bowl, he had thrown 225 completed passes in 418 attempts for 2,589 yards and 10 touchdowns.[13] The teams tied, 34–34, in Zolak's final collegiate appearance. At the time of his graduation, he ranked fifth in school history with 270 pass completions, seventh with 3,124 career passing yards, and second with 2,589 passing yards in a season. He was also named Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Week four times.[2]
Zolak remains the most recent quarterback drafted from Maryland.

Statistics

Year Team Passing Rushing
Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
1988 Maryland 12 22 54.5 128 5.8 0 1 94.3 3 -17 -5.7 0
1989 Maryland 33 69 47.8 407 5.9 2 3 98.2 12 -35 -2.9 0
1990 Maryland 225 418 53.8 2,589 6.2 10 19 104.7 64 -197 -3.1 1
Career 270 509 53.0 3,124 6.1 12 23 103.3 79 -249 -3.2 1

Source:[14]

Professional career

New England Patriots

The

1991 NFL Draft.[15] Scouting reports noted that his size and arm strength were great for the NFL, though there were concerns about his accuracy.[16] Upon drafting him, Patriots Vice President of Player Operations Joe Mendes agreed that his size and arm would translate to the NFL, and he was not worried about any accuracy issues.[17] His drafting led to a shakeup with the Patriots' current quarterbacks, as Marc Wilson announced his retirement and longtime starting quarterback Steve Grogan was released.[18] Zolak agreed on a contract with the Patriots in July, and was the second-to-last person to hold out after Leonard Russell.[19] Zolak spent the 1991 season as the third-string quarterback, behind Hugh Millen and Tommy Hodson, and did not take the field.[2]

"It's a heck of an honor considering the other quarterbacks in the league and the other AFC offensive players that are in the AFC. I'm wowed by it right now. I couldn't have done it without the other 10 guys."

Scott Zolak upon winning AFC player of the week honors,

The Hartford Courant, November 19, 1992.[20]

At the start of the

quarterback rating of 58.8.[27]
He had a 2–2 record as starter, which were the Patriots only two wins of the season as they finished 2–14.

In 1993, the Patriots and new head coach

field goal attempts. Over the course of the season, he completed five of eight passes for 28 yards in the two games in which he saw time at quarterback.[27] The 1995 season was similar, with Bledsoe starting and Zolak backing him up. In September, Bledsoe separated his left shoulder in a game and sat out a week to heal, allowing Zolak to make his first start since 1992.[32] On October 1, 1995, Zolak took the field against the Atlanta Falcons, and completed 24 of 45 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown, though the Patriots lost the game, 30–17.[33] Although Bledsoe's doctors wanted him to sit out another week, he refused and played the next week's game against the Denver Broncos.[34] This again relegated Zolak to the backup position, where he remained for the rest of the season. He finished the season with 28 completed passes in 49 attempts for 282 yards, a touchdown, and a quarterback rating of 80.5.[27]

The 1996 season began well for Zolak, whose contract was extended through 1998.[35] However, to remain with the Patriots, Zolak took a $250,000 pay cut to work around the salary cap.[36] While he appeared set to keep his backup job heading into training camp, he faced tough competition from Jay Barker. While Zolak welcomed the challenge, his status as the backup quarterback began to seem uncertain a few weeks into training camp.[37] By the end of training camp, Barker had been cut, and Zolak's quarterback job was safe. He took the role of emergency quarterback throughout the 1996 season, with Bledsoe taking nearly all the snaps and Tom Tupa serving as the backup upon his signing. Zolak played in three games, completing one pass for five yards.[27] He saw some playing time in the playoffs against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but did not play in Super Bowl XXXI. Parcells ordered Zolak to lose weight, which Zolak did throughout much of the season.[38] The 1997 season was more of the same for Zolak, backing up Bledsoe, though the Patriots did have a new coach in Pete Carroll. As training camp ended, Zolak gained significantly more playing time during drills and the preseason matchups than he had under Parcells.[39] As the regular season came and went, however, he had minimal playing time. Zolak saw action in four games, completing six of nine passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns, giving him a quarterback rating of 128.2.[27]

With Zolak coming to the final year of his contract in

unrestricted free agent after the season ended, but was not asked back by the Patriots, ending his tenure there.[46]

New York Jets and Miami Dolphins

After leaving the Patriots, Zolak was signed to a one-year contract by the New York Jets.[46] With Vinny Testaverde considered the starter, Zolak was competing against Ray Lucas for a backup job. He was the second-string quarterback as training camp began, but his competition increased when the Jets signed Rick Mirer and left three quarterbacks to battle for two open spots on the team.[47] Two days after acquiring Mirer from the Green Bay Packers, the Jets released Zolak.[48] In October, Zolak was signed to a one-year deal by the Miami Dolphins to serve as the backup quarterback behind Damon Huard and Jim Druckenmiller.[49] He was later made the backup behind Huard, and made his only appearance of the season on November 21, failing to complete a pass in four attempts against the Patriots.[27] As the 1999 season wrapped up, the Dolphins signed Zolak to a contract extension, keeping him on the team for another year.[50] Despite the retirement of Dan Marino, the Dolphins cut Zolak in May 2000.[51] Zolak trained for the Detroit Lions during the summer after they lost Mike Tomczak for the season, but instead he signed on as a host for Patriots Gameday alongside Bob Lobel in August, ending his professional football career.[52]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Year Team Games Passing Rushing
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
1991 NE 0 0 — DNP
1992 NE 6 4 2–2 52 100 52.0 561 5.6 2 4 58.8 18 71 3.9 0
1993 NE 3 0 — 0 2 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 39.6 1 0 0.0 0
1994 NE 16 0 — 5 8 62.5 28 3.5 0 0 68.8 1 -1 -1.0 0
1995 NE 16 1 0–1 28 49 57.1 282 5.8 1 0 80.5 4 19 4.8 0
1996 NE 3 0 — 1 1 100.0 5 5.0 0 0 87.5 4 -3 -0.8 0
1997 NE 4 0 — 6 9 66.7 67 7.4 2 0 128.2 3 -3 -1.0 0
1998 NE 6 2 1–1 32 75 42.7 371 4.9 3 3 54.9 5 0 0.0 0
1999 MIA 1 0 — 0 4 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 39.6 2 -2 -1.0 0
Career[53] 55 7 3–4 124 248 50.0 1,314 5.3 8 7 64.8 38 81 2.1 0

Playoffs

Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacks Fumbles
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD Sck SckY Fum Lost
1994
 NE 1 0 – 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
1996 NE 1 0 – 1 2 50.0 3 1.5 0 0 56.2 3 -4 -1.3 0 0 0 0 0
1998 NE 1 1 0–1 21 44 47.7 190 4.3 0 1 50.4 0 0 0.0 0 2 19 1 0
Career 3 1 0–1 22 46 47.8 193 4.2 0 1 50.4 3 -4 -1.3 0 2 19 1 0

Post NFL career

After retirement, Zolak became a co-host of a morning sports radio talk show on

Gary Tanguay for the midday slot on "The Sports Hub" 98.5FM WBZ-FM, which covers the Boston area.[55]

For the

New England Sports Network.[57] Zolak also contributes to "Patriots All Access", part of the New England Patriots' website.[58] On August 8, 2012, Zolak was named the new color analyst for Patriots radio broadcasts joining Gil Santos and replacing Gino Cappelletti.[59] Prior to the 2013 NFL season, Santos retired and was replaced by Bob Socci.[60]

During a game versus the New Orleans Saints on October 13, 2013, Zolak's unbridled reaction to a comeback game-winning Patriots touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Kenbrell Thompkins alongside play-by-play announcer and broadcast partner Socci went viral.[61][62][63] He and Socci were the Patriots' radio broadcasting team for the team's fourth, fifth, and sixth Super Bowl wins in Super Bowl XLIX, Super Bowl LI and Super Bowl LIII.[64][65]

Zolak and Bertrand

98.5 The Sports Hub (WBZ-FM) announced on Thursday, February 12, 2015, that Zolak would team with Marc Bertrand as the co-host of a new show, "Zolak and Bertrand" with a premiere scheduled for Tuesday, February 17. Bertrand had joined the station in 2009 and had previously worked as the sports headline anchor for the Felger & Mazz show. "I'm beyond thrilled to be moving to middays to work with Scott Zolak," said Bertrand.[66] As of December 2023, the show airs weekdays from 10:00AM to 2:00PM on 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Prior to the announcement, Zolak had shared the midday time slot with Andy Gresh since 2010. Gresh's contract had recently expired and despite rumors that he would be moving to a new company, the station said that Gresh would remain at 98.5 in a variety of roles. The new lineup came despite the Gresh and Zo program having exceptional ratings driven by the Patriots’ run to the Super Bowl XLIX title. Prior to the announcement, the program had earned a 17.4 share.[67][68]

Rob "Hardy" Poole held the third microphone position on the Zolak and Bertrand show for a number of years. Poole had been with The Sports Hub since the station's inception in 2009. In December 2023, the station announced that Hardy would join The Toucher and Rich Show on January 4, 2024, replacing Rich Shertenleib who had left the program in October 2023.[69][70]

Following the announcement of Poole's departure, Zolak expressed his appreciation of "Hardy's" work on the program. The show had recently received 14.6 ratings share, according to data from Nielsen Media Research.[70]

Personal life

Zolak resides in

Type 1 diabetes, and Zolak has since been investigating causes of the disease.[71]

References

  1. ^
    The Miami Herald
    . November 15, 1992. p. 6D.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Scott Zolak – Official New England Patriots Biography". Patriots.com. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
  3. ^ Eskenazi, Gerald (November 21, 1992). "Football; Zolak the Unfathomable To Lead Pats Against Jets". The New York Times. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
  4. ^ White, Mike (August 4, 1986). "Harris, Owens: Big 33's potent pair". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 14.
  5. ^ Jenkins, Sally (February 10, 1987). "Maryland's Komlo to Transfer; Backup Quarterback Wants More Playing Time". The Washington Post. p. e1.
  6. ^ Sell, Dave (March 23, 1988). "Maryland Starts Practicing". The Washington Post. p. f9.
  7. ^ Sell, Dave (August 12, 1988). "O'Donnell Wants Fun From Start; He and Terrapins Seek Early Success". The Washington Post. p. f3.
  8. ^ Sell, Dave (September 18, 1988). "Miami Rallies, 31-30; Terrapins Routed; Mountaineers Pull Away in 2nd Half, 55-24". The Washington Post. p. d1.
  9. ^ Cotton, Anthony (August 29, 1990). "Terrapins Have Two Players Fail to Make Grade; Offensive Starter Falls Just Short". The Washington Post. p. c2.
  10. ^ "Tech Victory Just Out Of Reach Terps Win Opener 20-13 On Late TD". The Roanoke Times. September 2, 1990. p. C1.
  11. ^ "Maryland Rallies, Stuns West Virginia". The Charlotte Observer. September 9, 1990. p. 10D.
  12. ^ "Georgia Tech Has 11 Sacks, Bags Maryland, 31-3". Los Angeles Times. October 7, 1990. p. 10.
  13. ^ "Maryland's Defense Will Get Tested". Los Angeles Times. December 15, 1990. p. 18.
  14. ^ "Scott Zolak". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  15. ^ "1991 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  16. ^ Mitchell, Fred (April 18, 1991). "Quarterback not among Bears' priorities". Chicago Tribune. p. 3.
  17. ^ Tallarico, Sam (June 2, 1991). "'Lucky' Zolak set to battle for Patriots job". The Pittsburgh Press. p. W11.
  18. St. Petersburg Times
    . April 30, 1991. p. 6c.
  19. ^ Borges, Ron (July 19, 1991). "Russell Is Last Rookie Holdout". The Boston Globe. p. 41.
  20. ^ a b Price, Terry (November 19, 1992). "Zolak named AFC player of the week". The Hartford Courant. p. D2.
  21. The Hartford Courant
    . p. E1.
  22. ^ "Spotlight; A Glance At This Week In The NFL Not Super". Los Angeles Times. November 16, 1992. p. 4.
  23. ^ Price, Terry (November 23, 1992). "Patience rewarded for Zolak, Vaughn". Hartford Courant. p. D5.
  24. ^ Price, Terry (November 30, 1992). "Zolak's confidence unshaken". The Hartford Courant. p. D5.
  25. ^ Cunningham, Joe (December 13, 1992). "Surprising Chargers Next Test For Klingler". Dayton Daily News. p. 11D.
  26. ^ Caesar, Dan (December 14, 1992). "Farewell Finale". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 3C.
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  28. ^ Price, Terry (March 25, 1993). "Patriots give up on Millen". The Hartford Courant. p. C2.
  29. ^ "Cowboys obtain Millen to fill quarterback void". The Victoria Advocate. April 27, 1993. p. 1B.
  30. Sun Journal
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  31. ^ Borges, Ron (April 2, 1994). "Patriots Re-sign Coates Harlow In The Fold, Too". The Boston Globe. p. 61.
  32. ^ "Patriots' Bledsoe To Miss Falcons". Chicago Tribune. September 27, 1995. p. 6.
  33. ^ Potash, Mark (October 2, 1995). "First-Rate Play by Second-String Quarterbacks". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 83.
  34. ^ Borges, Ron (October 5, 1995). "Bledsoe Wants In Sunday Against Doctor's Advice, He Says He's Ready To Go". The Boston Globe. p. 90.
  35. ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. June 3, 1996. p. C8.
  36. ^ Price, Terry (August 28, 1996). "Zolak Knows From Start With Patriots, He's Second To Bledsoe And Accepts It". The Hartford Courant. p. C3.
  37. ^ Madden, Michael (August 16, 1996). "Zolak Won't Dwell On Idle Thoughts". The Boston Globe. p. E2.
  38. ^ Cafardo, Nick (January 5, 1997). "If Need Be, Martin Ready To Carry Day". The Boston Globe. p. E9.
  39. ^ Solloway, Steve (August 29, 1997). "Pats' Zolak Not Itchy After Seven Years". Portland Press Herald. p. 1D.
  40. ^ "Mathis Impresses Reeves, Falcon Does Great Job Of Blocking". Worcester Telegram & Gazette. November 9, 1998.
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  42. ^ "NFL Notebook: Pro Bowl; White Is Picked For the 13th Time". The New York Times. December 17, 1998. p. D6.
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  44. ^ Cafardo, Nick (December 29, 1998). "Zolak's motto remains the same: Be prepared". The Boston Globe. p. E2.
  45. ^ "Jaguars 25, Patriots 10". United Press International. January 3, 1999.
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  50. ^ "Zolak Signs Extension". Orlando Sentinel. December 18, 1999. p. D3.
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  52. ^ Greenidge, Jim (August 25, 2000). "Sign Him Up For One More Year; Santos is Not Ready to Retire – Just Yet". The Boston Globe. p. E15.
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  55. ^ Finn, Chad (August 7, 2009). "WEEI, Sports Hub expand their rosters". Boston Globe. p. C10.
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  57. New England Sports Network
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  61. ^ "Tom Brady TD inspires 'unicorns' and 'showponies' radio call". CBS Sports. October 13, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  62. ^ "Scott Zolak, Bob Socci Go Bonkers Following Tom Brady's Game-Winning Touchdown Pass to Kenbrell Thompkins (Audio)". NESN. October 13, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  63. ^ "Patriots Broadcaster Scott Zolak Shouts About Show Ponies And Unicorns For Game Winner". Awful Announcing. October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  64. ^ "Audio – The Patriots radio booth was in disbelief over the Seahawks' awful play call". Awful Announcing. February 2, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  65. ^ Bird, Hayden (February 6, 2017). "Listen to Scott Zolak and Bob Socci's radio call of the Patriots' Super Bowl-winning touchdown". Boston.com. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  66. ^ "Marc Bertrand To Join Scott Zolak As Midday Co-Host On 98.5 The Sports Hub". CBS Sports Boston. February 12, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  67. ^ Finn, Chad. "Sports Hub Confirms Midday Change: Marc Bertrand Joins Scott Zolak, Replaces Andy Gresh". Boston.com. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  68. ^ O'Malley, Nick (February 13, 2015). "Marc Bertrand to join Scott Zolak on 98.5 The Sports Hub's new midday show 'Zolak and Bertrand'". MassLive.com. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  69. ^ Fortier, Marc (December 19, 2023). "Fred Toucher announces new co-host for 98.5 The Sports Hub's morning show". NBC 10 Boston. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  70. ^ a b Bondurant, Jordan (February 2, 2023). "Marc Bertrand Signs Contract Extension at 98.5 The Sports Hub". Barret Sports Media. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  71. The Boston Channel. March 27, 2009. Archived from the original
    on April 3, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2011.

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