Never one to toot his own horn, center Tom Nalen – nasty and reliable on the field, leery and under the radar off it – is heading into what he said could be his final season.
Doom and gloom is as big a part of Nalen’s bag of goods as his media silence, his untamed mane and unrelenting, knock- you-on-your-south-side playing style. Nalen, 34, has thought every season year could be his last since he rose from the the Broncos’ practice squad in 1994.
But this year actually might be.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I didn’t think about it,” Nalen said. “I don’t have a contract for next year. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The five-time Pro Bowl selection will make his decision at season’s end, a choice based strictly on health. He said he feels fine in training camp and finished last season feeling as strong as he had in years.
“It could be that I just retire and disappear for good,” Nalen said. “I want to be healthy for my family. My wife’s biggest fear is that I’m not healthy. I want to raise my family.”
If Nalen does play after this season, he would like it to be with the Broncos, who made him a seventh-round draft choice in 1994. After being waived that September, he was brought back four days later and put on the practice squad with receiver Rod Smith. Both became key figures on the Broncos’ two Super Bowl championship teams.
Nalen said he would play only on the East Coast near his Massachusetts home if he went elsewhere.
Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist said it’s premature to talk about this being Nalen’s final year with the team.
“Tom was the anchor to our championship teams,” Sundquist said. “We all know what he has meant to the success of the running game in the Mike Shanahan era.”
Still, Nalen knows in the age of the salary cap, a veteran player in his free-agency year has no guarantees. He was one of a core group of veterans who restructured their contracts this season to enable the Broncos to sign players in the offseason.
Nalen said he continues to love the game. He just doesn’t like showing it.
Sarcastic and with a dry wit that would make Dennis Miller jealous, Nalen can be an engaging character. He fell right in line with then-offensive line coach Alex Gibbs’ mandate that his players not talk to the media. It’s a tradition Nalen and his linemates uphold during the season.
Nalen granted interviews Wednesday. He said during the season it’s easier for him to concentrate on football and not risk saying something the opponent can use. He vows to “disappear” when his playing days are over.
His lone after-football aspiration is to play with his kids and live in Massachusetts, in a town he won’t reveal. His post-football life will more closely resemble that of friend Gary Zimmerman, who is living a quiet life in Oregon, than former linemate Mark Schlereth, a high-profile TV and radio analyst.
“You won’t be able to find me,” said Nalen, who’ll occasionally venture to Fenway Park to watch his beloved Red Sox.
Nalen’s linemates, who were surprised their anchor spoke on the record, believe what he says. Left tackle Matt Lepsis considers himself a good friend of Nalen’s, but doesn’t expect to hear from him in retirement.
“I believe him when he said he’d go away,” Lepsis said with a chuckle. “When he leaves, I’ll probably never talk to him again.”
Agent Brad Blank said Nalen is a low-maintenance client who he’ll likely next hear from in September when Nalen tells him he made the Broncos’ final roster – and will sound surprised when he does.
Whether Nalen is entering his final season, one thing is certain. Sometime in the future he’ll be back when he goes into the team’s Ring of Fame. What will Nalen do about that fuss?
“I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,” he said after a long pause. “I don’t know if I’ll be worthy of it.”
