Griese Is Expected to Start

Denver Coach Mike Shanahan expects quarterback Brian Griese to start Sunday against New England.

Griese, the NFL’s top-rated passer, tore cartilage in his throwing shoulder against Oakland on Sept. 17 and missed the Broncos’ 23-22 loss to Kansas City on Sunday.

Shanahan said Griese will eventually require surgery.

Griese had a similar injury early last season. He missed two games, then had surgery after the season.

Shanahan said he has been assured by doctors that Griese cannot further damage the shoulder by throwing.

“I asked them if there was a chance he could tear it more and ruin the shoulder, and the doctors said not at all,” he said. “They thought if he could handle the pain, he could go.”

If Griese develops complications and surgery is required during the season, he likely will be sidelined four to eight weeks.

Terrell Davis, who sprained his left ankle and played sparingly Sunday, will continue to be used in a spot role.

Jason Elam, the kicker who broke two bones in his lower back against Atlanta on Sept. 10, has resumed kicking. There is no timetable for his return.

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San Diego quarterback Ryan Leaf will not play Sunday against St. Louis because of a wrist injury. Jim Harbaugh will start in his place.

Leaf sprained his right wrist when he was blocked head-over-heels as he chased Willie Williams on a 69-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Chargers’ 20-12 loss to Seattle.

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Chicago Bear quarterback Cade McNown apologized for saying that hostile fans should stay home and “save their boos for the TV.”

“After a lot of thinking in regards to what I said about our fans, I felt bad,” McNown said Monday, a day after making the comments following the Bears’ fourth consecutive loss.

It was the second time in as many weeks McNown, a former UCLA standout, had to back off comments he made after a loss. A week ago, after overthrowing his receivers on some deep routes, he suggested the receivers might have been tired.

“He’s a straightforward guy and he’s a very competitive guy,” Bear Coach Dick Jauron said. “I think that shows up on the field, too. I certainly can see that he could rub people wrong, and that’s true of all of us. We all rub somebody the wrong way. We’re not right for everybody.”

After being escorted off the field by a security guard, McNown took a shot at the fans.

“I feel like I’ve had four road games,” he said. “I think everybody knows that we’re not a team that’s motivated by fans that come to the game and yell and boo at us.”

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San Francisco defensive lineman Junior Bryant will miss the rest of the season because of a bulging disk in his neck.

The 49ers said tests revealed Bryant suffered an “acute disk bulge” when he fell head-first on the artificial turf at St. Louis’ Trans World Dome on Sept. 17. Last week, the 49ers called the injury a sprained neck, but an MRI exam revealed further damage.

No surgery is planned for Bryant, who had played in 83 consecutive games.

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Glenn Cumbee, director of scouting for the Tennessee Titans, died of an apparent heart attack Saturday night at his home in Newberry, S.C. He was 52.