Cox Thumb Kind of Player

Chicago Bear linebacker Bryan Cox met with doctors, went through a series of tests and then decided Wednesday to delay surgery on his broken thumb. That way he can play Sunday against Tampa Bay.

“I’ll play as long as they allow me to stay in the game,� Cox said.

The surgery he expected to have Friday, which would have forced him out of Sunday’s game, will now take place Monday. He’ll probably then sit out the next four weeks, Coach Dave Wannstedt said.

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Washington Redskin backup center Cory Raymer will be sidelined four to six weeks because of injuries suffered in a Tuesday automobile accident. Raymer, 23, was admitted to Arlington Hospital on Wednesday with a broken vertebra in his lower back, a bruised kidney and a severely sprained shoulder.

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San Francisco quarterback Steve Young resumed practicing, and barring any setbacks from the concussion that knocked him out of the 49ers’ last game, will be in the starting lineup Sunday at New Orleans. Also expected to return this week is Young’s backup, Elvis Grbac, inactive at Houston because of a left shoulder strain.

Tight end Brent Jones, who dislocated his shoulder Sept. 26, might return.

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Carolina Panther center Curtis Whitley has been suspended for four games for an alcohol-related problem.