Elway’s Status Is in Question

DENVER — John Elway limped through the Denver Broncos’ locker room Monday unsure if his strained right hamstring would prevent him from playing against the Oakland Raiders.

His teammates weren’t betting against him playing.

“He went through his workout today, and he’s feeling pretty good,” backup quarterback Bubby Brister said. “We’ll see how it goes. Everybody expects John to play. You never expect him to get hurt to start with.”

“I saw him in there riding the bike,” wide receiver Rod Smith said. “I’m not a doctor, but it looks pretty good. If he can go, you know he’ll definitely go.”

Elway, 38, strained the hamstring last Sunday during the fourth quarter of Denver’s 42-23 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Bronco Coach Mike Shanahan said Elway’s status for Sunday’s game probably won’t be determined until late this week.

“We’re not going to risk John playing if we think it’s going to set him back,” Shanahan said. “He’s been in the NFL a long time and he knows his body as well as anybody. He knows what he can handle and what he can’t handle.”