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Denver • Hall of Famer John Elway is confirming his interest in working for the Denver Broncos again.

Elway said Friday on his weekly radio show that he has spoken with team owner Pat Bowlen and chief operating officer Joe Ellis about joining the front office in an official capacity, but those discussions haven't gone far.

"They've had plenty on their plate," Elway said. "We'll sit down at some point in time and have some meetings and see if everything aligns — what they'd want out of me and what they'd expect out of me and what they're looking for. There's definitely going to be some conversations."

Elway, who has served this season as a business consultant for the team he led to back-to-back Super Bowl titles in the 1990s, indicated a role as the team's top football executive might appeal to him.

"Football is what I know the best," Elway said.

"I'm not interested in being a head coach. I'm not interested in being a general manager. I don't have that kind of experience to be able to pick those players day in and day out and such."

Bowlen dined with Elway at Elway's Denver restaurant Monday night — just hours after the Broncos owner had fired coach Josh McDaniels, with his team mired in mediocrity and enshrouded in off-the-field issues, including a videotaping scandal.

His dinner with the owner spawned speculation that Elway could come back, perhaps to oversee an organizational chart that includes both a general manager and a coach. Elway said his dinner with Bowlen had been planned for a couple of weeks:

"Obviously, it became a big deal, but it was really just a dinner," he said.

Patriots' Spikes getsfour-game suspension

New England Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes was suspended four games without pay for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

The team's second-leading tackler will miss the rest of the regular season, beginning with this weekend's game against the Chicago Bears. He is eligible for all postseason games, according to a statement on the NFL's website.

Spikes, a rookie who has recorded 61 tackles and one interception in 12 games this season, said in a statement that he took medication that wasn't performance enhancing or illegal.

Favre's shouldermakes start unclear

Brett Favre threw his first passes Friday since suffering a sprained shoulder last weekend against Buffalo, but a decision on whether he will extend his NFL-record starting streak won't be made until just before Sunday's game against the Giants.

"We just wanted to see him go through the motion," interim coach Leslie Frazier said. "The fact that he felt comfortable at least releasing the football [was important]."

Around the league

Lions • Detroit placed wide receiver Derrick Williams on injured reserve with an ankle injury. The Lions signed wide receiver Brian Clark on Friday to fill the roster spot.

Eagles • Asante Samuel was listed as questionable for Sunday night's game at Dallas. Coach Andy Reid said that Samuel was "day-to-day."