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Sources: Tom Nalen To Retire

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The final link to the Super Bowl era for the Denver Broncos is reportedly going to hang up his cleats.  Tom Nalen, the 218th players selected in the 1994 NFL Draft will reportedly call it quits, with the official announcment due any day.

Nalen, who was originally drafted when Wade Phillips was Head Coach of the Broncos, was the corner-stone of an offensive line that helped the Broncos win two World Championships and lead several offensive categories during his tenure.

With Nalen snapping the ball, the Broncos posted the most rushing yards (29,131) and most individual 100-yard rushing games (93) in the NFL since 1995 while tying for the most individual 1,000-yard rushing seasons (11) in the league during that period.  Nalen's 5 Pro Bowls are the most ever for a Broncos lineman.

Nalen's lines also allowed the 3rd fewest sacks since 1995.

Nalen will retire ranked 3rd third all-time among Broncos players with 194 games played. He also ranks second all-time among Broncos players with 188 career games started.

While Nalen has yet to file his paperwork with the League, he has reportedly started the process.  Just like Nalen, who rarely spoke in public, no formal annoucement from the future Ring of Famer is expected.  Nails wouldn't have it any other way.

Poll
Is Tom Nalen Worth of the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Yes
316 votes
Not Quite
36 votes

352 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 24 comments | Share on Facebook Digg!

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Comments

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Fitting End to the Shanahan Era

I knew this was coming when he went on IR this year, but it is still sad. At the same time, can you imagine Nails playing for anyone else?

by SlowWhiteGuy on Jan 6, 2009 8:31 PM MST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Nalen always said he wouldn't go into the hall until Zimmerman was in...well now they can see their busts together!

Was it hard? "It hurts. But tough times don’t last — tough people do. That’s life." - Mike Shanahan

by Steve O' on Jan 6, 2009 8:37 PM MST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I hope he gets in...but

we have a hard enough time getting other deserving Broncos in…. HT to Nails and best wishes in retirement.

I wish Woody Paige was our coach!

by bcfunk on Jan 6, 2009 8:38 PM MST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Well, this is no surprise.

He was the rock to the offensive line and I wish him all the best.

Worthy of the Hall of Fame? Uhhhhh, Yeah. Boy that is a no brainer. Well, it is for us, the committe is a whole other issue.

Thanks for all your hard work Nalen and one final salute to you.

"It doesn't dissipate" ~ Mike Shanahan

Cutler's 4th qtr/OT game winning drives: 9

by weazel on Jan 6, 2009 8:42 PM MST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

From one Era to the next

I see said the Blind man to the Deaf man who was near.
What is it you hear when I speak in your ear.

by UB3 on Jan 6, 2009 8:45 PM MST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

That just about raps up all Shanahan related personel.

Last one left is Bates, really.

My 2009 cuts/trades/etc: Prater, Hall, Young, McCree, Maneul, T. Bell, B. Bailey, C. Bailey, Slowik, Englenberger, Winborn, Pittman, Ramsey, Webster. (Subject to Update)

by broncodude793 on Jan 6, 2009 9:05 PM MST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

hof'er tom nalen

no doubt in my mind. slam dunk, despite the conspiracy. may take a little while, but he dominated his position for how long? pro bowls. team captain. the machinery of the zone-blocking scheme, protector of elway, and loudmouth. sadly, i knew he was done in the preseason when he couldn’t even practice, prompting shanny to respond it really must be serious. for now, wiegmann will do fine, until k-lich or someone steps in. i’m concerned with hamilton, too, we should probably draft a guard/c in the mid-rounds. for nails, it was one hell of a ride, and he led this successful line for a very long time. i wonder how many linemen he played with during his tenure? gotta be a lot. tom nalen for ol coach? hey, where’s rod smith? can he unretire and be our 3rd wr? can’t let go of these guys! seriously, another hall-of-famer/ring-of-famer retiring from the broncos. there has been quite a few, lately. i think we’re out of ’98 sb winners on the team, is it official? mike leach? wow. gonna miss nails.

taste my blintzkrieg!
2009-year of the defense.

by davecheffy on Jan 6, 2009 9:17 PM MST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Mike Leach

Joined the Broncos in ’02 (see http://www.nfl.com/players/mikeleach/profile?id=LEA091822). Yep, Nails was the last remaining player from the SB rosters. I think Elam was the second-to-last as well.

by appleshampoo on Jan 6, 2009 11:15 PM MST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Wiegmann was a Great fill in, infact I think He should'ev gone to Probowl but can't fully replace NAILS!

Thanks Tom for being the Rock of Jabralter for The Broncos.

Tactics without Strategy is the noise you hear before Defeat!

by monodono on Jan 6, 2009 11:57 PM MST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Sad but not unexpected

Nails will be missed. First time I heard his name was a glowing review by Mel Kiper (I think) in a fantasy football magazine after the 94 draft, talking about what a perfect fit Nalen was for Denver and what a steal he was gonna be. I am a packrat so I think that magazine is in a box on a shelf in storage somewhere. I am gonna have to dig it out tomorrow to get the exact quote about Nalen.

by MattR on Jan 6, 2009 10:11 PM MST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Anyone know where I could get a Tom Nalen 66 jersey?

He has been my favorite bronco since forever, mostly because I was an O-Lineman in high school.

Did anyone else see the 3 broncos O-Lineman appear on Conan O’Brien after SB XXXII? I know Mark Schlereth was there, but I don’t remember the other 2. I think one of them was Nalen.

by appleshampoo on Jan 6, 2009 11:11 PM MST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

OK, Nalen for Pres...

Wait a minute… there is a head coaching job available in Denver,,,

Didn’t Tom anchor the O line for YEARS?

Well, I beleive that all we need for the Broncos right NOW is a really good anchor man!

Thank You Tom, for the many games with so many sore muscles, and increadible leadership that you silently supplied to our O line for so many years.

You are a leader that we will not soon forget.

It is better to keep silent, and appear to be wise, then to ramble on and remove all doubt! The Wisest Man.

by metalman5050 on Jan 6, 2009 11:59 PM MST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Not onlydid Nalen do a good job at playing Center for so many years

he also had the ability to implement a new style of blocking. He helped build the plane called zone blocking as it was being flown, quite a feat. Thanks for the memories!

I agree, Larsen shouldn’t get any bigger. I am getting tired of his bone crushing hits knocking the pixels off my TV, once they fall to the floor they are very hard to find.

by Arctic Bronco on Jan 7, 2009 3:18 AM MST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Great Center

Couldn’t have asked for anything more. Best of luck to you in your future endeavors, Nails.

I voted yes by the way, but I doubt he will make it because of the ECB.

Thanks to Mike Shanahan, a great coach who will be dearly missed.

Since we have to hire someone, please get a defensive coach Mr. Bowlen.
Hillis for starter next year. He wears special thigh pads so his solid brass balls don't give him repeated thigh contusions.

by 53guys on Jan 7, 2009 6:31 AM MST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Hail to the Nails

He was a great one. Better fill that hole with solid depth – Weigmann isn’t going to play forever.

by TheMastermind on Jan 7, 2009 7:34 AM MST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Guard and Center prospects in the draft

will deserve serious attention.

Concision in style, precision in thought, decision in life.

by styg50 on Jan 7, 2009 8:07 AM MST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Thanks Nails

It’s sad to see you go out this way. Wish you could have had one more trip to the promised land (SB)!

Here’s hoping you can overcome the bias of the hof voters and get in!

"It's all over Fat Man" - Tom Jackson to John Madden 1977 AFC Championship Game

"tough times don't last, tough people do" - Mike "The Mastermind" Shanahan

by DesertBroncoFan on Jan 7, 2009 9:36 AM MST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I think Nalen is deserving but he won't get in

Here’s why, as much as we all know Nalen is one of the best centers to have played, and arguably the best true Bronco offensive lineman, the preception of Nalen by most of the press is a guy who wouldn’t talk to the media and a dirty player because of the cut-blocking. When you have media listening to D-lineman whine about how Denver offensive line is “dirty” then that is going to be a tough stigma to overcome from a national media who votes on this, especially since very few of them have ever spoken to or interviewed Nalen. I hope that they can actually do some research and look back at Nalen instead of just listening to someone else, but I give them little credit for ever doing their homework.

"Me fail english, that unpossible" - Ralph Wiggum
"Duffman is thrusting in the direction of the problem" - Duffman

by Broncoman on Jan 7, 2009 12:02 PM MST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Speaking of "dirty"

what about Deacon Jones? True, at the time he was just playing hard, but most of the things he did would be considered “dirty” nowadays!

"It's all over Fat Man" - Tom Jackson to John Madden 1977 AFC Championship Game

"tough times don't last, tough people do" - Mike "The Mastermind" Shanahan

by DesertBroncoFan on Jan 7, 2009 4:07 PM MST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Will TD make it into the HoF eventually?

I know he was a “finalist” in 2007, but I can’t remember if he was on the list this year before the cut down to 17 or whatever.

If TD does make it, it would be an outright travesty for Nalen not to make it in. So far Zimmerman is the only OL from TD’s glory years to be in the hall, and those guys up front paved the way for his success.

But I wonder what the ratio of RB:OL is in the HoF, I should crunch the numbers on that…I bet it’s close to 1:1, when every one of those RBs probably played with more than 1 OL for the majority of their career who deserve a lot of the credit.

But hey, former offensive lineman here speaking, so I guess I’m biased :-).

by appleshampoo on Jan 7, 2009 1:54 PM MST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

34 O-liners and 30 RB/HB's + 11 FB's

if you don’t trust my counting (wise)

Random quotes about the raiders:
They really shouldn’t play — Chris Collinsworth (12/5/08)
This is an utter disaster — Chris Collinsworth (12/5/08)
/The great Dane - formerly known as Claaaaas!

by Claus Vestergaard on Jan 7, 2009 3:24 PM MST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Nice work, you are clearly less lazy than me.

It gets dicy when looking at the pre-modern era though, given that most players were labeled either HB or FB, and which of those really translates into the “tailback”/primary ball-carrier of modern times?

But if you just restrict it to modern era (here’s a good list that separates them), then there are 33 O-Lineman and 25 total HB/FB/RB. So I have to say I’m surprised by that result, but surprised in a good way.

by appleshampoo on Jan 7, 2009 7:37 PM MST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

HoF?

Yes I think so. But he won’t get in.

Anchored a consistently dominating line for 14 years. A pioneer of zone-blocking. 7th round choice. 5 pro bowls. 2 rings.

East-Bias, lack of linemen in the Hall and his rep. as a cheap-shooter will keep him out.

Random quotes about the raiders:
They really shouldn’t play — Chris Collinsworth (12/5/08)
This is an utter disaster — Chris Collinsworth (12/5/08)
/The great Dane - formerly known as Claaaaas!

by Claus Vestergaard on Jan 7, 2009 3:14 PM MST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

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