FOXBORO, Mass. - The New England Patriots announced the signing of former New York Giants free agent center/guard Lance Scott today. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. In a subsequent transaction, the Patriots announced the termination of the contract of long snapper and reserve tight end Mike Bartrum.
Scott, 28, missed the entire 1999 season after being placed on injured reserve with a right knee injury on Sept. 5, prior to the start of the season. In 1998, Scott started every game at center for the Giants and handled all of the team's long snapping responsibilities. That year, running back Gary Brown rushed for a career-high 1,063 yards on 247 carries, a 4.3-yard average per carry.
The 6-foot-3-inch, 295-pound center was originally drafted in the fifth round (165th overall) of the 1995 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals. The Utah product spent much of his rookie season on the Cardinals' practice squad before being signed to the active roster on Nov. 17, 1995 for the final six games of the regular season. He was active, but did not play, in the final three games of the 1995 season. After two seasons with the Cardinals, he was waived on Aug. 19, 1997. The New York Giants signed him a week later, where he assumed the team's long snapping responsibilities to begin the '97 season. He replaced the injured Derek Engler at center in the fifth game of the season and started the next 11 games en route to the first playoff start of his career, a wild-card game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Bartrum, 29, handled the long snapping responsibilities for the Patriots for the last four years. He was acquired by the Patriots in a preseason trade with the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 25, 1996. In four seasons with the Patriots, he played in 57 games, almost exclusively on special teams. As a reserve tight end, he made two receptions, both for 1-yard touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens, once in 1996 and again in the 1999 regular season finale.
The 6-foot-4-inch, 245-pound tight end was originally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as a rookie free agent in 1993. He was released by the Chiefs prior to the start of the 1994 season and was out of football for a year. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers in 1995 and played in four games before suffering a broken arm, which sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
