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JOANNE KORTHScott Frost says no matter his role, he is happy to be with the Bucs, his fifth team in six seasons.
TAMPA - Scott Frost awoke early Tuesday morning and was just about to plan his day.
Then the phone rang.
Frost packed a couple of bags, said goodbye to his dog, Bogey, and headed for the airport in Lincoln, Neb., and a flight to Tampa. He could not think of a better way to spend the day - as part of an NFL team.
A former national-champion quarterback at Nebraska, Frost signed with the Bucs this week to play special teams and provide depth at safety. He had been waiting nearly four months for a call.
For the call.
"It's tough because when you're in that situation, you don't know whether to go get a job," Frost said. "You have a lot of time on your hands, and all you really have to do is stay in shape and be ready. I did a few odds and ends things but mostly just worked on staying in shape with the hope of getting a phone call. Luckily, something worked out."
Frost, 28, is in his sixth NFL season but has not played a game in nearly two years. His career as a converted safety got off to a good start as a third-round draft choice of the Jets in 1998 but was derailed the past two seasons by injury.
The Bucs are his fifth NFL team.
"You just miss the game," Frost said. "Once that's such a big part of your life, you want to be doing it. To sit at home and watch other guys doing it is tough."
At Nebraska, Frost set school rushing records for a quarterback with 176 carries, 1,095 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior, leading the Cornhuskers to the 1997 co-national championship. But playing quarterback in an option-oriented offense did not exactly prepare Frost for the NFL. To be a professional, he had to learn a new position.
He never looked back.
"In order to do it, you have to be completely committed to it," said Frost, 6 feet 3, 218 pounds. "If you have in the back of your mind that you want to do something else, you're not going to be successful at it. Basically, my first two years were purely a learning experience with all the techniques and everything."
At first, Frost earned his keep as a special teams player. By his third season, he was skilled enough at safety to play 16 games and make his only start, recording 29 tackles, one interception and one sack in 2000. But in 2001, former Bucs assistant Herm Edwards became coach of the Jets and Frost was released at the end of training camp.
He signed with the Browns, but his season was marred by an ankle injury and broken ribs sustained in a car accident. In 2002, Frost signed with the Packers but sustained a season-ending shoulder injury during training camp. This season, Frost went to training camp with the 49ers but failed to make the team.
"He's six years out," Bucs defensive backs coach Mike Tomlin said. "He's been through the process a couple times, been in different cities. You always love guys whose careers haven't gone the way they expected. Maybe they've been a couple places. Maybe they've been cut a few times. The urgency level is there for them."
The Bucs are urgent, too.
At 5-7, the playoffs are slipping away for the defending Super Bowl champions. Special teams have been a repeated source of frustration, and Frost is back in the familiar position of trying to jump-start his career as a reliable return blocker and coverage tackler.
"He could be ready on special teams," coach Jon Gruden said. "Obviously, he's got a lot to learn in terms of this defense. He is a good-looking athlete, a great kid. If he can be brought up to speed in terms of what to do, we might use him as a safety man also. I might even play him at quarterback in goal-line and short-yardage. I remember him well at Nebraska."
Frost said the Bucs offense is in good hands, but he gladly will play any role. Since being released by the 49ers, he has worked out for three teams, including the Bucs a few weeks ago, while wondering if it was time to break down and get a real job.
"I did a little part-time work for a company I used to work for in college in finance," Frost said. "I've been on three workouts. So every other Tuesday, you're in a different city working out for somebody. It's tough. It's not a fun life."
Until the phone rings.