gus frerotte

LOUIS -- With the Rams just 1 yard from the end zone, a win slipped through Gus Frerotte's fingers.

The backup quarterback fumbled the snap on fourth-and-goal from the Seattle 1 with 27 seconds left Sunday, allowing the Seahawks to hold on for a 24-19 victory.

Frerotte picked up the loose ball but was tackled at the 5, ending the Rams' modest two-game winning streak after an 0-8 start. The Seahawks have won six straight against the Rams, who are 0-5 at the Edward Jones Dome this season after being dominant at home in recent years.

''We were fortunate today,'' Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said. ''I don't think we played our best football.''

Seattle (7-4) won its third straight by rallying for 17 unanswered points in the second half after falling behind 19-7.

St. Louis (2-9) had one last chance when Seattle's Josh Brown missed a 52-yard field goal with 2:44 to go. The Rams took over at their own 42 and drove to the 4 with just over a minute to play.

Frerotte, who was brought in after Marc Bulger left with a concussion in the first quarter, missed a wide-open Isaac Bruce on first down, then threw a 2-yard pass to Drew Bennett. On third down, Steven Jackson ran to the 1, setting up the doomed final play.

The center, Andy McCollum, was in only because starter Brett Romberg left earlier in the game with an ankle injury.

McCollum wasn't sure what happened.

''I thought he had it,'' he said. ''I blocked my guy. I didn't know it was loose.''

Frerotte (20-for-32 for 161 yards and one interception) had no explanation: ''It's pretty obvious -- it just came out. You know, it wasn't a perfect exchange.''

Bulger was hurt on a sack by linebacker Leroy Hill. He will be evaluated daily.

Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Gus Frerotte fumbled the ball at the one-yard line with under 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter and Seattle held on for the 24-19 triumph over the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome.

Facing a 3rd-and-goal from the two with 36 seconds left, Steven Jackson was stopped at the one. Then, after calling a timeout on fourth down, the Rams needed only a touchdown to take the lead. But Frerotte botched the snap and was tackled at the five-yard line.

Matt Hasselbeck completed 21-of-38 passes for 249 yards with one touchdown and an interception for Seattle (7-4), which has ripped off three straight wins. Maurice Morris rushed for 79 yards on 16 carries and Deion Branch caught five passes for 92 yards with one score. Bobby Engram had 70 yards on seven receptions.

Frerotte, who replaced Marc Bulger in the first quarter, threw for 161 yards on 20-of-32 passing with one touchdown and one pick for the Rams (2-9), who had their two-game winning streak broken. Bulger completed 3-of-5 passes for 32 yards and one interception before leaving the game with a concussion.

Jackson rushed for 90 yards on 23 carries with one touchdown, and Bruce caught six passes for 63 yards and one score.

"It was just a great win," said Morris. "Everyone came together and we kept driving and fighting. We stayed close enough to come back and get this win."

The Seahawks scored 17 unanswered points in the second half.

After St. Louis went three-and-out to open the second half, Seattle marched 51-yards before stalling at the Rams 15. Josh Brown kicked a 33-yard field goal to make it a 19-10 St. Louis lead with 9:36 left in the third.

The teams traded punts, and on the Rams' next possession, Frerotte's intended pass to Holt near the far sideline was picked off by Marcus Trufant at the Seattle 33.

On second down of the ensuing drive, Morris rushed through a gaping hole down the middle of the field for 46 yards, setting up a 1st-and-10 at the St. Louis 21. Three plays later, Hasselbeck connected with Branch on a slant route for a nine-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to two, 19-17, with 3:22 left in the third.

In the fourth quarter, Hasselbeck orchestrated a 10-play drive that began at his own 20-yard line. He completed three straight passes to Branch, Morris and Engram to move the ball to the Rams 40. After a 3-yard run by Morris, Hasselbeck hooked up with Branch for 18 yards, putting the ball at the 19.

Then, on 3rd-and-1 at the 10, Morris was stopped for no gain, but Will Witherspoon was whistled for a face mask, which moved the chains. On the next play, Leonard Weaver bulled his way into the end zone for a 5-yard score to complete the comeback and give Seattle its first lead of the game, 24-19.

Brown missed a 52-yard field goal, giving St. Louis excellent field position with 2:44 remaining in the fourth. St. Louis drove to the one-yard line before Frerotte's costly gaffe.

"I am disappointed in the fact that we didn't win the game," said Rams coach Scott Linehan. "The second half had something to do with that. There are a lot of things I can look back on, but not going out and being able to put the points on the board offensively like we needed to be able to finish the game. The effort was there, the guys were straining and fighting to put ourselves in position to win the football game, so that was disappointing for us."

On their first possession of the game, the Rams were facing a 3-and-7 from the Seattle 26, but Bulger was sacked and fumbled the football. Offensive lineman Rob Petitti pounced on the loose ball at the 43, pushing the Rams out of field goal range.

Donnie Jones' ensuing punt was downed at the two, pinning the Seahawks deep in their zone.

After a false start penalty backed Seattle up to the one, Morris was tackled in the end zone by Adam Carriker for a safety.

Dante Hall gave St. Louis excellent field position, returning the free kick to the Rams 47. Then, on the first play of the drive, Jackson busted through the line and scampered 53 yards for a score, giving the Rams a 9-0 lead with 8:30 left in the first quarter.

Seattle's Josh Wilson returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards to make it a 9-7 game.

Later in the quarter, Frerotte came in at quarterback for the Rams after Bulger left the game with a concussion.

St. Louis was forced to punt, but Nate Burleson fumbled during the return and Eric Bassey recovered the ball for the Rams at the Seattle 30-yard line.

The Rams extended their lead to 16-7 when they covered 30 yards on six plays, capped by Bruce's 15-yard touchdown reception with 28 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.

A Jeff Wilkins 23-yard field goal with 8:07 left in the second quarter made it a 19-7 game and put the finishing touch on a 12-play, 60-yard drive that ate up 6:07 of the clock.

Seattle looked to trim the deficit before the half, but Hasselbeck was intercepted in the end zone by O.J. Atogwe.

Game Notes

The Rams recorded a season-high five sacks...St. Louis remains winless at home, 0-5...Seattle improves to 4-1 against the NFC West...Seattle has won six straight against the Rams...Seattle snapped a two-game road losing streak...Seattle outgained the Rams, 302-265...St. Louis dominated the time of possession, 35:17 to 24:43...Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander missed the game with a knee injury.

Gus Frerotte
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Gus Frerotte St. Louis Rams ― No. 12
Quarterback
Date of Birth: July 31, 1971 (1971-07-31) (age 36)
Place of Birth: Kittanning, Pennsylvania
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Weight: 233 lb (106 kg)
National Football League Debut
1994 for the Washington Redskins
Career Highlights and Awards
Pro Bowl selection (1996)

Career History
College: Tulsa
NFL Draft: 1994 / Round: 7 / Pick: 197
Teams:

Washington Redskins (1994-1998)
Detroit Lions (1999)
Denver Broncos (2000-2001)
Cincinnati Bengals (2002)
Minnesota Vikings (2003-2004)
Miami Dolphins (2005)
St. Louis Rams (2006-present)

Stats at NFL.com
Gustave Joseph Frerotte (born July 31, 1971 in Kittanning, Pennsylvania) is an American football quarterback playing for the St. Louis Rams of the NFL. He attended Ford City High School in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Frerotte is 33-30-1 as an NFL starter through the 2005 season. He signed a contract with the St. Louis Rams in the 2006 offseason, where he will spend his time as the backup to Marc Bulger.


[edit] College career
At the University of Tulsa, he finished his college career as the school's 2nd-ranked all-time passer behind T.J. Rubley, a teammate from 1991-92. During his career he threw for 5,480 yards and 32 TDs on 432-of-860 passing. His 2,871 passing yards as a senior were the most by a Tulsa QB in 28 years. As a sophomore, Frerotte handled punting duties for the team and averaged 35.5 yards per punt. As a redshirt freshman, he was forced into starting role for 8 games in 1990 after Rubley was injured, starting his 1st career game at Oklahoma. During his time as an undergraduate, he joined the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.


[edit] NFL career
His pro career started with the Washington Redskins as a 7th round draft pick in the same draft where the Redskins selected Heath Shuler with the #3 overall pick. However, by the next season Frerotte was the starting quarterback due to Shuler's injuries and struggles adjusting to the pro game and would remain the Redskins' starting QB until Opening Day 1998. Frerotte was selected to one Pro Bowl team in 1996, but may be better remembered by an incident in which he injured himself by ramming his head into a padded cement wall in celebration of a touchdown in a 7-7 tie against the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football, spraining his neck.

In 1999, he played for the Detroit Lions, where he backed up Charlie Batch. Frerotte stepped in for the injured Batch and started for the Lions in the playoffs. In Frerotte's first playoff start, he was defeated by the Redskins. In 2000, he started for the Denver Broncos after Brian Griese was injured and led the Broncos to the playoffs, falling in the opening round to eventual Super Bowl Champion Ravens. He remained the Broncos' backup until the end of the 2001 NFL season. He joined the Cincinnati Bengals in 2002, winning the starting job before giving way three games in to the season to Jon Kitna and under the soon to be fired Dick LeBeau. In 2003 and 2004, Frerotte backed up Daunte Culpepper and did a great job commanding the offense when he played, earning him a chance to work for the Dolphins starting job in 2005. He guided the Dolphins to a 9-7 record, starting 15 games and throwing for 18 touchdowns against 13 interceptions, including 2 touchdowns in an upset victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 1. He completed 52% of his passes and finished the season with a 71.9 quarterback rating. He is currently the primary backup for the St. Louis Rams.

He lives with his wife Ann, and three children Gabe, Gunnar and Abby.