Scott Tolzien

College career

Tolzien was a two-star recruit out of William Fremd High School, located in Palatine, Illinois, a suburb northwest of Chicago. He made official visits to the University of Kentucky and the University of Toledo, but he did not attract many offers from major universities. He chose to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

2006 season

As a true freshman at Wisconsin in 2006, Tolzien was redshirted and did not play.

2007 season

Tolzien did not play in any games for Wisconsin in 2007, as Wisconsin had Tyler Donovan, Allan Evridge, and Dustin Sherer at quarterback.

2008 season

After Allan Evridge was benched following his performances against Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State, Tolzien saw his first major action for Wisconsin against Iowa in Kinnick Stadium. He completed 5 passes on 8 attempts, but threw an interception in the red zone. Dustin Sherer eventually took charge of the Badgers, who finished the season 7–6.

2009 season

The winner of a spring quarterback competition, Tolzien beat out starter Sherer in 2009. He set the Wisconsin record for completions in a single season, with 211, and passed for 2,705 yards. Under Tolzien's leadership, Wisconsin finished the season at 9–3. He threw a pair of interceptions that were returned for touchdowns in a loss at Ohio State and threw three interceptions against Iowa the following week. Despite this, Tolzien was at the top of his game in games against Michigan, Minnesota, and Michigan State, and was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts against Michigan State.

Tolzien finished the 2009 season in a 20–14 win over Miami in the Champs Sports Bowl, completing 19 passes on 26 attempts as the Badgers knocked off the higher-ranked Hurricanes.

2010 season

After a disappointing effort against Michigan State in which the Badger receiving corps dropped several passes, Tolzien improved week after week as the Badgers won their next 7 games, to finish the year 11–1. Against a top 5 Ohio State defense, Tolzien completed 13 of 16 passes. His efforts led the Badgers to an eventual upset of then top-ranked Ohio State. The next week against Iowa, Tolzien again had a solid game, completing 20 passes on 26 attempts for 205 yards and a touchdown. Most impressively, Tolzien led the Badgers down the field for the game-winning touchdown with Wisconsin's running game stifled by Iowa's defense. In his final home start, against the Northwestern Wildcats, Tolzien was nearly flawless, completing 15 passes on 19 attempts for 230 yards with four touchdown passes.

Tolzien made his final collegiate start at Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl against one of the top defenses in the nation, TCU. He finished the game with 12 completions out of 21 attempts for 159 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions and a rating of 120.7 for the game, and the Horned Frogs won, 21–19. Tolzein completed his college career at the East-West Shrine Game on January 22, 2011.

Tolzien won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award in 2010, edging out finalists Andy Dalton of TCU, Colin Kaepernick of Nevada, Christian Ponder of Florida State, and Ricky Stanzi of Iowa, He smashed the Wisconsin record for completion percentage in a season in his remarkable 2010 season, completing 74.3% of his passes in 12 regular season games. Tolzien ranked 4th nationally in passer rating, and led the nation in completion percentage.

Statistics

The following statistics were retrieved from Sports-Reference.com.

San Diego Chargers

After going undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft, Tolzien signed with the San Diego Chargers on July 26, 2011. He threw for 302 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the preseason. On September 3, 2011, Tolzien was released by the Chargers during final team cuts.

San Francisco 49ers

On September 4, 2011, Tolzien was claimed off waivers by the San Francisco 49ers. He became the 49ers third-string quarterback behind starter Alex Smith and backup Colin Kaepernick. He remained with San Francisco after the conclusion of the 2012 preseason, still slotted as the team's third-string quarterback. He was on the roster for the 49ers appearance in Super Bowl XLVII. On August 26, 2013, Tolzien was waived by the 49ers.

Green Bay Packers

Tolzien was signed to the Green Bay Packers practice squad on September 1, 2013. After Aaron Rodgers suffered a clavicle injury, the Packers brought him up from the practice squad to the active roster. On November 10, 2013, Tolzien entered a game after an early injury to Rodgers's backup Seneca Wallace.

In his regular season debut, Tolzien completed 24 passes in 39 attempts for 280 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in a 27–13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, earning him the start in the Packers' next game against the New York Giants. Against the Giants, Tolzien was 24 of 34 and threw for 339 yards, but also threw 3 interceptions in a 27–13 loss. After the game, head coach Mike McCarthy remarked that he had never seen anyone hit every shot he took down field, having been five for five on plays of 25 yards or longer. The next week against the Vikings, Tolzien performed a spin move during a touchdown run before being relieved by quarterback Matt Flynn who led the Packers to a tie against their rival.

Indianapolis Colts

On March 11, 2016, Tolzien signed a 2-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts worth $3.50 million with $500,000 guaranteed. Due to a concussion to Andrew Luck, Tolzien made his first start for the Colts on November 24, 2016, throwing for 205 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in a 28–7 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

With Luck being inactive due to a shoulder injury, Tolzien was named the starting quarterback to begin the 2017 season. On September 10, 2017, he started the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Tolzien had 128 passing yards with two interceptions returned for touchdowns, until being benched in favor for Jacoby Brissett. The Colts lost 46–9.