DENVER -- Hold those obituaries about Terrell Davis' playing career.

	Davis

	“	I'm going to do everything I can possibly do to see if I can return to the field again. ”
		— Terrell Davis

Because of chronic knee injuries, the Denver Broncos running back was placed on the injured-reserve list Tuesday, which ends his season and more than likely will signal the end of his career.

But Davis insisted he was not retiring -- not yet, anyway.

Both Davis and Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said the festivities of the past few days -- including Davis' introduction in uniform prior to Monday night's San Francisco-Denver game and his mile-high salute to the fans -- should not be construed as a retirement announcement.

"As Mr. Bowlen said, this is not a retirement party,'' Davis said Tuesday at a news conference. "I'm going to do everything I can possibly do to see if I can return to the field again.''

He admitted, however, that "barring a miracle, from what I'm hearing, this is it.''

Since rushing for 2,008 yards and winning the league's MVP award in 1998, Davis has played in only 17 games the last three seasons. A succession of knee surgeries -- along with a diagnosis of degenerative arthritis in both knees _ clouded his future.

After the latest flareup in his left knee -- which he calls his "good'' knee -- Davis asked the Broncos to put him on injured reserve.

He kept the door open to a possible return, however.

"Unfortunately I'm in the situation that I'm in right now, but I'm at peace with it,'' he said. "I've had time to think about it. I've had time to think about what my options are. This didn't come as a total surprise to me because of the situation I was going through for the past three years.

"I have pretty much been a bystander and watching the games. And so it's sort of crept into my mind about the possibilities of never playing this game again. You don't want to think about it, you never think it's going to come true, but it's always a possibility. You have to prepare yourself for that in life, and I think I have.

"Obviously I would love to play, and I think I still have a lot of football in me, not just regular football but great football. So if there is a miracle out there, I am here, so please find me.''

Davis, who helped lead the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl titles, has rushed for 7,607 yards and 60 TDs in his career, adding 1,140 and 12 TDs in the postseason. He had seven straight 100-yard rushing performances in the playoffs, an NFL record, and his 142.5-yard average in the postseason also is a league mark. He holds or shares 56 franchise records.

Now the debate has begun over whether Davis, 29, belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, for which he will be eligible in five years after his retirement. Critics say he didn't play long enough -- only four full seasons, seven in all.

"I've always said that if it happens, I would be excited about it,'' he said. "But I don't put that high an emphasis on it. I have no control over it.''

If his career is indeed over, Davis said he was most proud of the fact that he was an unselfish player who ``tried to do the small things that people don't look at. To me, it was never about the stats. When I left the field, I wanted to know if I did everything right -- running, blocking, catching the ball, moving the chains.''

Asked if any one run was his greatest moment, he said, ``It wouldn't be a run. It would probably be the entire San Diego (Super Bowl) event. It was my first time playing in a game of that magnitude. And then playing as well as I played and having a little drama in between (a migraine headache in the first half), that really capped it for me.''

With time on his hands, Davis said he will ponder other pursuits, including broadcasting and acting.

Bowlen was sensitive to remarks from some Broncos' players that the Monday night events were not appropriate for a player of Davis' caliber.

"I would like to remind everyone that Terrell is on injured reserve,'' Bowlen said, "and I am No. 1 on the list in praying for a miracle that he will come back and play. I think we all understand that's a remote possibility. "When he retires, we will treat him in a first-class manner.''