Yardbarker: Tom Nalen

Nalen Done for the Year; Center Place on IR

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:45:34 -0500

The Broncos have lost their center, as the team today placed Tom Nalen on IR today, which could also mean the end of his career in Denver. The 37-year-old is in the final year of his deal. He underwent two surgeries on his knee this past summer, and missed the Broncos run to [...]

Nalen Done for the Year; Center Place on IR

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:45:34 -0500

[Broncos] Broncos C Tom Nalen's Career In Jeopardy

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:10:06 -0500

Broncos C Tom NalenA's career is in doubt now that heA's been placed on injured reserve. The 15th-year veteran, who will become a free agent this...

[Broncos] Broncos C Tom Nalen's Career In Jeopardy

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 20:08:32 -0500

Broncos C Tom NalenA's career is in doubt now that heA's been placed on injured reserve. The 15th-year veteran, who will become a free agent this...

Nalen Done for the Year; Center Place on IR

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:31:32 -0500

Nalen Done for the Year; Center Place on IR

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:31:32 -0500

NFL Punchlines: Shawne Merriman to Visit Dr. Andrews in Birmingham

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:47:39 -0500

We agree: Now that his holdout is over Steven Jackson needs to let his game on the field do the talking from now on. (Post-Dispatch)

Shawn Merriman is going to Birmingham to see (dun, dun, dun) Dr. James Andrews because of lingering pain in his knee. (Union Tribune)

How much money would you say the trio of 49ers QB's is worth? How does $11.6 million sound? (SacBee)

Don't worry that possibly your best receiver was hurt yesterday Eagles fans. Andy Reid says the fill-ins are adequate. (Philly Inquirer)

Toomer, Manningham, and Steve Smith all returned to Giants practice yesterday. (Newsday)

With a revamped offensive line and a better QB around him there is pressure on Thomas Jones to perform this season. (NY Daily News)

Giants and Jets fans now have a common enemy to rise up against: personal seat licenses. (NY Daily News)

Some good 'ol fashioned NFL rookie hazing. (Tennessean)

Five areas of concern for the Titans heading into the regular season opener and beyond. (Tennessean)

John David Booty is having a tough time adjusting to the NFL. Good thing he is on the Vikings. (Star Tribune)

The Dolphins traded Travis Daniels to the Browns for an undisclosed pick yesterday. (Miami Herald)

The Chiefs are looking for ways to replace the sacks that left when Jared Allen went to Minnesota. (KC Star)

With Tyjuan Hagler out with an injury until October the Colts hope Clint Session can step up and hold the fort down until he returns. (Indy Star)

Keep an eye on Lions RB Kevin Smith heading up to your fantasy draft. He could be the starter in Detroit or at least take some carries. (Detroit Free Press)

Has Tom Nalen reached the end of the road with the Broncos? (Denver Post)

The trio of RB's in Denver is confident they can keep the tradition of the Broncos solid running game going. (Denver Post)

After being injured for his first two seasons Dusty Dvoracek is ready to contribute this season in Chicago. (Chicago Trib)

Trent Edwards sat out practice yesterday with a leg injury and his status for Saturday's preseason game is still uncertain. (Buffalo News)

Switching from linebacker to tight end is not easy. (Baltimore Sun)

Broncos: Nalen Recovery Slow

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:04:45 -0500

Broncos center Tom Nalen probably won't play in Friday night's home preseason game against Green Bay. Head coach Mike Shanahan says he might get in a few snaps in the last tuneup a week later at Arizona. Nalen had his knee scoped in June, and yesterday was just his second day back on the field [...]

Broncos: Nalen Recovery Slow

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:04:45 -0500

Leave The Broncos Cup Please

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:12:56 -0500

News from Broncos Country: - Brandon Marshall was suspended for three games this season by commissioner Roger Goodell for violating the league's conduct policy. His suspension could be reduced to two games if he attends counseling. After numerous encounters with the law, Marshall vows to become a better man on and off the field. - More bad news: Rookie fullback Ryan Torain was competing for the #1 spot alongside Selvin Young and Andre Hall (Micheal Pittman was moved to tailback), until his fractured his elbow in camp today. Torain is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. - On a lighter note (pun intended): I spotted Montrae Holland (with fellow offensive lineman Ryan Harris) in a Wendy's commercial this morning. Remember, Holland has been trying to slim down to 325 lbs. in order to practice with his team. I haven't seen him pushing a sled in front of Colorado's State Capitol Building, and I sure as hell hope I don't see him at a Wendy's drive-thru. Here's the commercial: - Jay Cutler has replaced John Lynch. No, not on the field. Only on television. Cutler will host a weekly football wrap-up show on Ch. 4 Monday evenings. - Center Tom Nalen has missed 7 consecutive practices. - The rookies are doing a nice job adjusting to the demanding schedule of playing for professional football. It hasn't been an easy ride. - There's no doubt that kicker Matt Prater has a lot to prove especially as Jason Elam's predecessor. He seems to be doing very well so far.

THE JERSEY DINER MORNING NEWS

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:42:21 -0500

THE MORNING NEWS...FROM THE MORNING PAPERS

1. "I want to score some touchdowns," Willie Parker said after he scored on the first play of the goal-line drill that ended practice last night. "Thirty-nine is a guy who could potentially be a guy in that area. We'll see. He had a nice run." Tomlin said Sunday that Mendenhall had to run harder, and he gave him a better grade yesterday." I thought he was better. He was downhill. He went in standing up one time." This battle for the Short Yardage back in the Pittsburgh offense is critical for fantasy football players. And it appears to me that there is no clear winner...YET.

2. He's one of those guys you've got to pull back or they're not going to pull back themselves." -- Saints Coach Sean Payton, explaining why he has scaled back the workload for Jon Vilma, who has been practicing once per day this week and won't play in Thursday's game. Vilma hasn't experienced any setbacks with his surgically repaired knee, however. Vilma will have a much better year now that he can go back and play in a defense that is more familiar to him. The 3/4 defense forces linebackers to deal with blockers coming at them all the time. In the 4/3, Vilma can use his speed and quickness to run to the ball and not have to work so hard at shedding so many blocks.

3. In Miami, LB Junior Glymph was all over the field, creating havoc for RBs and notching 2 1/2 sacks. The 6-foot-5, 278-pounder nearly intercepted a hand-off between RB Jalen Parmele and Beck. Glymph has been working his tail off to be a player. He has been in Atlanta and in Dallas with the old staff. He is finally in the right place. If he is ever going to make a statement as a pro player, now is the time.

4. Like Max Jean-Gilles? "Max has taken advantage of his opportunity, and he has done an excellent job," Marty Mornhinweg said. "You win with guys like Max. Max is a fighter. He's big and strong and gives big effort. He loves to play the game, and when you love to play the game you're going to work hard...and you're going to get better every day." I think if they like Jean-Gilles as much as these quotes seem to indicate, then the Birds might want to move Shawn Andrews to right tackle and provide themselves with the eventual replacement for Jon Runyan. Andrews could be an awesome right tackle and dominating run blocker.

5. According to a team official reached Tuesday night, Jackson remained a no-show. As a result, Jackson's 2008 season will not count as an "accrued" year in terms of eligibility for free agency. Players under contract must report at least 30 days before the overall NFL opener for the season to count as an accrued year. That 30-day deadline came and went Tuesday. I don't think Jackson sees this deadline as a problem. He knows he is going to get a new contract from the Rams, so why would be concerned with this date? He is not worried about being a free agent. He is worried about getting paid.

6. If I was the GM of the Buffalo Bills I would get on an airplane and fly to wherever Jason Peter is living. He is too important to the team for no contact to occur. I would find Peters and get this done.

7. Kyle Orton gets the first start for the Bears, which is good for him. Like the Ravens, the Bears don't have much depth in the offensive line and the quarterback that plays with a good line will look much better. Orton needs to know his role and not try to do too much in his first start. Playing against the Chiefs is a good start. KC will not run very complicated schemes and will play vanilla-like coverages this early in the preseason.

8. I wonder how Steven Baker, Jeff Garcia's agent, is handling the Brett Favre news in Tampa. And let's hope Chris Simms gets his freedom very soon. It would not surprise me to see Simms in Green Bay.

9. From the Denver Post, "Tom Nalen isn't going to like this, but people are starting to become concerned about him. These people include his coach, Mike Shanahan. 'Anytime Tom sits out of practice, it is not just another injury, because it is tough to keep him out of practice,' Shanahan said." I was around Nalen last year and he is really a great warrior who is fighting something he cannot beat, father time. He was amazing last year with his quickness and athletic ability, but with injuries it's hard to keep coming back. On the other hand, if the Broncos think Casey Wiegmann can do the job at 35, they will be in for a shock. Playing center in the AFC West means blocking Jamal Williams of SD. And that is VERY hard to do.

10. Mike Holmgren talked about Leonard Weaver in the Seattle Times this morning. " 'He is as talented a fullback as I've ever had,' Holmgren said. So Holmgren sat his backup fullback down and laid out the situation with all the subtlety of an uppercut. 'Look, if you don't fix this, you're not going to be here,' Holmgren said. No misinterpretations there. No room for mistakes in the final exhibition game, and no backing down from Weaver, who carried 16 times for 74 yards against the Raiders to run his way onto the roster. 'Pretty self-explanatory,' Weaver said. 'He let me know where I stand, and I performed, and look at me now.' " I LOVE this. All it takes is being honest with players, good or bad. Tell them where they stand and don't try to be a politician. I use to hate when we would cut a player and the guy walking the player around for his exit procedures would tell the player, "I think you got screwed." Players want honesty, they want the truth, we all do.

Injuries Force Abdullah, Bailey to Miss Time

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:43:39 -0500

Denver Broncos starting strong safety Hamza Abdullah and strong side linebacker Boss Bailey both missed practice time this morning, the team's official blog reports. Bailey was held out the entire practice with knee inflammation, and Abdullah missed the final portion of practice with a slight groin injury. Peyton Hillis, Chad Mustard, and Tom Nalen, whose MRI came back negative, were also held out of practice once again. Michael Pittman dressed in jersey and pads but never saw the field, and Montrae Holland continued to try and remove his TFTP status on the sled. The biggest concern with Boss has always been that troublesome knee of his. No word yet on how serious Boss' knee is, but let me be the first to overreact and say "DAMMIT THIS SUCKS." Hopefully it's just end-of-the-week soreness and nothing too major.

Casey Goes To Smack

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:17:17 -0500

Looks like another former Chief wants to run his mouth about taking it to the Chiefs this season. This time it comes from Casey Wiegmann, who will be playing second fiddle to Tom Nalen. "It's strange, and it isn't. When I first signed here, the first thing I thought of was ...

Hours Of Boredom Surrounded By A Few Seconds Of Panic

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:48:26 -0500

That's how former Bronco Jason Elam describes a kicker's life in the NFL. At least that's what Elam told reporter turned kicker Stefan Fatsis when Fatsis packed his bags to attend training camp in 2006. Fatsis, 43, was given permission by Broncos owner, Pat Bowlen, to lace em' up and attend camp despite his size (5?8", 170lbs), and lack of football playing experience. Fatsis chronicles his summer camp experience in his new book, "A Few Second of Panic." Mike Shanahan tells Fatsis to attempt his first field goal in front of the entire camp. As if Fatsis doen't feel enough pressure, Shanahan tells everyone that if he makes it then meetings will end at 9:00 instead of 9:30. Fatsis misses, and in an excerpt from his book he says, "Amid a pulsing dance beat, I do a perp walk through the locker room. The reviews are not good. Linebacker Keith Burns: 'I was thoroughly disgusted.' Center Tom Nalen: 'Thanks for f—ing us.' Tight end Chad Mustard: 'S— the bed! Call housecleaning! We need new sheets!' Quarterback Jake Plummer: 'Don't … come near me. Get out of here." (The Wall Street Journal). Here's a quick video of Fatsis discussing his book:

Denver Broncos Offensive Line Analysis

Thu, 15 May 2008 16:43:30 -0500

This in depth analysis of the offensive line includes the projected starters for the upcoming season, statistics and injuries from the past season, an overview of players on the line and an outlook for the 2008 season.