Tim Rattay

Infobox NFLactive


currentteam=Free Agent
currentnumber=
currentposition=Quarterback
birthdate=birth date and age|1977|3|15
birthplace=Elyria, Ohio
heightft=6
heightin=0
weight=200
debutyear=2000
debutteam=San Francisco 49ers
college=Louisiana Tech
draftyear=2000
draftround=7
draftpick=212
pastteams=
* San Francisco 49ers (2000-2005)
* Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2005-2006)
* Tennessee Titans (2007) *
* Arizona Cardinals (2007):*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
statweek=17
statseason=2007
statlabel1=TD-INT
statvalue1=31-23
statlabel2=Passing yards
statvalue2=4,853
statlabel3=QB Rating
statvalue3=81.9
nfl=RAT659964

Timothy F. Rattay (pronEng|Rah-TAY) (born March 15, 1977 in Elyria, Ohio) is a professional football player, a quarterback who is a free agent of the NFL. He was originally drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round (212th overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana Tech.

NFL career

Tim Rattay entered the league as the seventh-round pick (212th overall) of the San Francisco 49ers in the 2000 NFL Draft. Rattay was a backup to longtime San Francisco quarterback Jeff Garcia. When Garcia was released from the team, largely due to salary cap constraints [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1748872 ESPN.com March 2nd, 2004] ] , Rattay was given the starting job. On October 18, 2005, Rattay was acquired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 6th round 2006 NFL Draft pick from the San Francisco 49ers. This trade has been criticized by many, including former NFL quarterback Terry Bradshaw [ [http://www.thenewsstar.com/news/blogs/blog5/labels/Louisiana%20Tech%20football.html News-Star Sports blog April 2nd, 2007] ]

Late in the 2006 season, Rattay stepped in as the starting quarterback for the Buccaneers due to the poor play of Bruce Gradkowski. In the week 15 game against the Chicago Bears, he entered the game with Tampa Bay losing 14-3. Due to his strong performance, Tampa Bay tied the game at 31, but they eventually lost in overtime 34-31. This performance led coach Jon Gruden to name Rattay as the team's third starting quarterback in the 2006 season.

On May 9, 2007, Tim signed as a free agent with the Tennessee Titans. The following month Gruden would name Jeff Garcia Rattay's successor as the Buccaneers' starting quarterback. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20070626022144/http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/TB/10231042 NFL.com - Tampa Bay Buccaneers Team News ] ] On September 1, 2007 the Titans released him.

On October 9, 2007, Rattay signed a one year contract with the Arizona Cardinals as a backup to Kurt Warner, following a season-ending collarbone injury to starting quarterback Matt Leinart. Rattay would replace Warner in goal-line situations, where he went 3 for 3 with all 3 being touchdowns.

As of September 7, 2008, there are rumors that the New England Patriots may be considering signing Rattay after announcing that an injury sustained by quarterback Tom Brady will cause Brady to be lost for the entire 2008 season [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/09/sports/football/09brady.html nytimes.com "Brady Done for Season, Patriots Announce" September 8, 2008] ] . In the 2000 NFL draft, the Patriots considered drafting Rattay but opted for Brady instead.

To date, in 37 games, including 18 starts, Rattay has completed 429-of-711 passes in his career for 4,848 yards with 31 touchdowns and 23 interceptions for a passer rating of 80.4.

Career Achievements

A career highlight for Rattay was a victory on a "Monday Night Football" game in 2003 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Another notable achievement was Rattay's San Francisco team record for the most completions in a game, breaking Joe Montana's record of 37.

Rattay is the only 7th-round or undrafted quarterback since 1995 (out of a pool of 30 such players) to pass for more than 400 yards in a game. Tom Brady, who also accomplished this feat, was a 6th round pick in 2000, [ [http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061219/SPORTS/612190542/1006 HeraldTribune.com "Bucs seek fresh start" December 16, 2006] ]

He was responsible for the biggest comeback in Buccaneers history when he led the team to four touchdowns, throwing for 3 in the 4th quarter and sending the game against the NFC Champions Chicago Bears into overtime.

References

External links

* [http://www.nfl.com/players/timrattay/profile?id=RAT659964 Tim Rattay profile at NFL.com]
* [http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=RATTATIM01 Database Football]
* [http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070408/SPORTS02/704080308/1001/SPORTS Terry Bradshaw on Tim Rattay]