Broncos' Nalen will be staying put

Three-year contract may let center finish his career in Denver

Jeff Legwold And Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News

Thursday, February 2, 2006

DETROIT - Denver Broncos center Tom Nalen, who said after the season he felt "better than ever," has agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension.

The 34-year-old said during training camp in July that 2005 might be his last season.

"But at the end of the year, Tom felt great, the team felt great and it was a mutual agreement to come back," Nalen's agent, Brad Blank, said. "He'll be 37 when this one runs out. It's highly unlikely there will be any more."

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said the 12-year veteran, who started all 18 games this season, played "as well as he ever has. He's a Hall of Fame player."

LIFER: For 44 years, Dick Hoak has been with the Pittsburgh Steelers, 10 as a player and the past 34 as running backs coach.

And Hoak, who has seen Franco Harris go to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his watch, along with 1,000-yard seasons for Rocky Bleier, Barry Foster, Jerome Bettis and Willie Parker, has a simple approach.

Coach, guide and help. But don't do it all the time.

"During Franco's rookie year, coach (Chuck) Noll came over to me and said, 'Hey, you don't overcoach him,' " Hoak said. "So that's what I do with Jerome. All I do is make sure when we get the game plan he knows the pass protections, knows the fronts, knows what he's supposed to do. I don't tell him, 'You should have cut here, you should have cut there.' I'm not going to tell him that."

Hoak said he believes backs have to be able to react to what they see, how the play takes shape in front of them. And with more than four decades of experience in the same city, that's a lot of plays.

"I can sit there as a coach and run that (video) machine back and forth four times and say, 'You (messed) up, you should have cut over here, cut over there,' " Hoak said.

"You start second-guessing a running back, now you're turning him into a robot. You've got a mechanical player that's not worth (anything). He's thinking so much, he doesn't know what he wants to do."

No coach in the league has a tenure such as Hoak's.

The Steelers drafted him in the seventh round of the 1961 draft. He played 10 seasons with the team - he is Pittsburgh's fifth all-time leading rusher - coached high school football for one year, then coached 20 years with Noll and 14 with Cowher.

OFFICIALLY HIRED: Bill Leavy will referee his first Super Bowl, heading a crew that has 58 years of experience and has worked a combined 40 postseason games.

Also picked to work Sunday's game between Pittsburgh and Seattle were umpire Garth DeFelice, head linesman Mark Hittner, line judge Mark Perlman, field judge Steve Zimmer, side judge Tom Hill and back judge Bob Waggoner.

Officials for the Super Bowl are the highest-rated at their positions, provided they have worked at least five years in the NFL.

Leavy worked the 2000 Super Bowl as a back judge and is in his 11th season as an official.

NICE TO CU: D.J. Hackett is in the midst of quite a run.

In the past year, the former University of Colorado athlete married his high school sweetheart, got his first significant playing time as a pro football player and reached the Super Bowl.

"Just coming out of college, getting new experiences and learning how to play at this level has been a great thing," Hackett said. "And to make it this far in my second year, that's just awesome."

Hackett is the Seahawks' No. 4 receiver but started three games when injuries knocked out Darrell Jackson and Bobby Engram.

He caught 28 passes for 400 yards after missing most of his rookie season because of a hip injury.

"I thought I had a good camp, so I figured they'd give me some play some kind of way," Hackett said. "The injuries just made it happen sooner."

Hackett, who set a CU record with 78 catches for 1,013 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior, was picked by Seattle in the fifth round of the 2004 draft. He has not been back to Boulder since leaving the school but plans to return this year.

He has kept up with coach Gary Barnett's controversial departure and the events surrounding the Buffaloes program.

"You can't help it," he said. "It was all over the news sometimes."

ETC.: Cornerback Andre Dyson (thigh) was the only Seahawks player who did not participate in practice. The Seahawks, who expect a decidedly Steelers crowd, are not pumping in noise to their practices, but coach Mike Holmgren said the team will go through its plays as if it cannot hear . . . The Steelers held defensive end Travis Kirschke (groin) and fullback Dan Kreider (knee) out of team drills. Both are listed as questionable.

legwoldj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2359 The Associated Press contributed to this report.