Elway Says He’s No Jordan

Bronco quarterback John Elway downplayed a reporter’s attempt to compare his likely retirement to the retirement of Michael Jordan.

“I don’t look at myself as being in the same situation as Michael. He won six championships and had nothing left to prove,” Elway said. “For me, it’s nice to be back in this situation. It would be nice to go out on top if you’re going to walk away from the game.

“Last year, I found the thrill of winning is hard to walk away from. It could be a problem again this year. Hopefully I’ll have to cross that bridge.”

Elway is not making this a sentimental journey. “Have I gone and said, ‘Is this going to be my last practice?’ No,” he said. “After last year, this is so much easier. The atmosphere is so much more positive, not having to answer questions about never having won and why the AFC can’t beat the NFC. All those questions are so negative.”

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In the interest of saving reams of newsprint, Falcon Coach Dan Reeves distilled the keys to an Atlanta victory to three areas:

* “We’ve got to control the running game.”

* “We’ve got to be able to have a running game.”

* “We can’t turn the football over.”

Bronco Coach Mike Shanahan’s three keys:

* “The first thing that comes to anyone’s mind is turnovers. You want to win the turnover battle.”

* “What happens when you get in the red zone. When you get in there you’ve got to score. You don’t want to settle for a field goal.”

* “In these games, special teams play big roles.”

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Falcon linebacker Cornelius Bennett, a four-time Super Bowl loser with the Buffalo Bills, said his old teammates have been very much on his mind this week, and he’d like to win Sunday more for them than for himself.

“Personal gratification will be the last thing on the list,” he said. “It would mean more for my family, friends, and my ex-teammates in Buffalo. My buddies would share part of it because my buddies helped me mature.”

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If it were up to Shanahan, trash-talking would be silenced in the NFL. And the “Dirty Bird” and other post-touchdown dances would be extinct.

“We ask our players to handle themselves in a first-class manner,” he said. “Sometimes you see trash talk get to players. I have been in situations where players lost focus because someone else has been trash-talking to them. That’s a tactic a lot of people use, and a lot of time it works.”

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When Bronco safety Tyrone Braxton packed for the trip to Miami, he took plenty of shorts, lightweight shirts and his 1998 Super Bowl ring.

“I don’t wear it all the time. Only on special occasions, like going out to dinner,” he said. “I wore it this week so I can look at it and remind myself what’s at stake.”

The ring, which he said contained five carats of diamonds, is on his right hand. That’s where a second ring would go too, not on his left hand.

“I can’t upset my wedding ring and take my wedding ring off,” he said. “My wife wouldn’t like that. I’d have to put it on the same hand.”

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Falcon cornerback Ray Buchanan, who caused a stir by wearing a black leather dog collar to Tuesday’s media day events, has removed the collar from his wardrobe.

“My wife said, ‘Please, don’t wear the dog collar anymore,’ ” he said. “People still see us underdogs. We don’t feel we’re seven-point underdogs, but I wore it because everybody else thinks we are.”

Buchanan also said he’s not intimidated by Bronco receivers Shannon Sharpe and Ed McCaffrey.

“No receiver gives me the heebie-jeebies,” he said. “I look at it as, ‘You’re supposed to be Pro Bowlers, one of the fastest in the league, this is your time to do it.’ I never talk bad about a receiver.”

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Buchanan on how well he will rest Saturday night: “I’m going to put a diaper on because I’m going to sleep like a baby. I’m not going to lose any sleep.”

Denver vs Atlanta

Sunday, 3:15 p.m.

TV: Channel 11