PRO FOOTBALL REPORT / WEEKDAY UPDATE : CHARGERS : Elway Probably Will Start Sunday

Denver quarterback John Elway practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, which means he probably will start Sunday against the Chargers at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

Elway, who suffered a strained arch and an injured big toe in Sunday’s 27-22 loss to Minnesota, is listed as questionable on the Bronco injury report. In a conference call Wednesday with San Diego writers, Elway said he thought he would be ready by Sunday.

“Yeah, I think so,” he said. “I’ll probably know Friday or Saturday whether or not I’ll be able to go.”

Denver Coach Dan Reeves has a policy that if an offensive player doesn’t practice on the offensive practice day he won’t start. Wednesday was offensive practice day.

After practice, Reeves said: “I don’t know whether we can tell anything until he starts taking handoffs, moving around. We didn’t do that today because we wanted to give him another day’s rest. I’m certainly encouraged by the way he looked today.”

Charger running back Marion Butts was held out of practice Wednesday to rest a thigh injury. Butts is questionable for Sunday’s game, and Charger Coach Dan Henning said Butts probably will miss today’s practice but may be ready by Friday.

Safety Vencie Glenn reaggravated his thigh injury in practice but said he’ll be fit to play Sunday. Glenn, listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, has had an assortment of injuries this season, including a concussion, a sprained ankle and the hamstring pull.

“This has been a nightmare year so far for me,” he said. “I ain’t never going to get used to this.”

Injuries have forced him to alter his style. “There are certain plays that you might make that you gotta make sure you make the tackle instead of going for the ball because you don’t have that full ability,” he said.

Other Chargers who are questionable: Safety Martin Bayless (calf), cornerback Gill Byrd (ankle), tackle Leo Goeas (knee) defensive end Burt Grossman (fingernail). For the Broncos, running back Sammy Winder (foot) is doubtful.

Elway hurt the Chargers more with his vocal chords than with his arm last season when the Broncos defeated the Chargers 16-10 in Denver.

The Chargers were assessed six offside penalties. Each time, Elway drew them off by changing the cadence on his snap count.

What bothers Henning is the not the volume control but the head movement that goes with it.

“Some of the shotgun quarterbacks move around back there and they’re moving before the snap,” he said. “It’s a distraction that should be eliminated.”

Said quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver: “John is the master at it. Everything is legal as long as you don’t get caught. When I can get to the point where I can do it and feel comfortable you can bet I’ll do it until I get caught.”

Said linebacker Billy Ray Smith: “It’s really pitiful. I’m not even talking as far as hurting the defense. I mean, for the fans it’s a drag. You’re watching a team making yards by getting a guy to jump offsides.”

The Chargers had issued more than 56,000 tickets by midafternoon Wednesday, said Jack Teele, the Chargers’ assistant to the president.

Teele said he expects the game to be a sellout by kickoff, but not by 1 p.m. today, which is the deadline that has to be met to allow a local telecast.