THE WRITING ON (AND OFF) THE WALL NFL IN L.A.: TAKE ELWAY OR THE HIGHWAY.

Byline: TOM HOFFARTH

All those years playing against the Raiders at the Coliseum in the '80s and '90s, so many critical AFC playoff battles, and former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway has one very special memory.

``There was this one time after the game was over and I'm walking all by myself back through the tunnel to the locker rooms,'' Elway said.

``I noticed none of my teammates were around me. The next thing I know, a rock comes out of the crowd at the end of the ramp and hits the wall right above my head.''

Ah, those lovable, loyal Los Angeles NFL fans.

Elway was grinnin' that Elway grin on the floor of Staples Center, a guest speaker Friday at an L.A. Avengers' ``Meet the Team' public buffet. At $65 a head, he was relatively certain no rocks were coming at him from the sea of fold-up tables and chairs.

But a stone's throw from where he was entertaining the crowd - a throw that maybe only Elway could make - they're talking about clearing some 20 acres of rubble an for NFL-ready stadium. All that's needed is a carpetbagging franchise to sell and relocate.

Casey Wasserman, who owns the Arena League's Avengers, is one of four who've volunteered to put up the bankroll for an NFL team, guaranteeing it would be locally owned.

Wasserman became friends with Elway about a year ago, when Elway was considering getting an Arena League team into Denver.

Three summers ago, Elway was courted pretty heavily by two potential L.A. NFL franchise ownership groups. led by Michael Ovitz and Eli Broad, about his interest in becoming a part owner and/or running the day-to-day operations.

See where we're going with this yet?

``It's way too premature,'' Elway admitted, speaking quietly away from the lunch rush when asked about his possible involvement in Wasserman's posse that includes developers Tim Leiweke, Ron Burke and Ed Roski, plus whomever else is in Denver-based Phil Anschutz's personal Rolodex.

``If anyone can get a team back here, it's these guys,'' Elway said. ``And if someone asked me about being involved, I'd definitely listen. I wouldn't say no.

``L.A. needs the NFL, and the NFL needs L.A.'' he said, then revealing that in his three years as a resident prep legend at Granada Hills High he might have attended one Rams' game at the Coliseum - an exhibition contest.

``Actually, the one thing my friends who still live here say to me about the NFL coming back is that it would mess up their TV schedule on Sundays.''

If it wasn't for the Raiders and Rams blowing us in '95 and freeing up the TV restrictions, we might have missed a bunch of Elway's classic comebacks.

Elway, whose family still lives in Denver, isn't sure what role he would have played with either L.A. NFL group when they were asking about his availability just months after he won his second Super Bowl in a row and then retired.

Talks with those dimwitted L.A. ownership guys, who eventually lost out on an expansion bid to Houston, ``never got that far into specifics,'' Elway said.

Whether he decides to put some cash into this new venture, ``we'll see how expensive it is to get one-tenth of a one-tenth percent ownership,'' Elway said with a laugh.

Wasserman guarantees there's room in the new clubhouse if Elway wants to know the secret handshake.

``He's a football icon, he happens to be from Los Angeles, he's a friend, and if someday we talk to him about it, it'll be up to him to decide,'' Wasserman said. ``He would bring so much value to an NFL team in any capacity, but that's getting way ahead of ourselves right now.''

Even if Elway invests in a Denver Arena League team, it wouldn't preclude him from becoming an L.A. NFL partner, Wasserman said. Of the 32 teams in the AFL family, 10 are run by groups who also have a stake in the Paul Tagliabue Country Club.

But the way Elway talks about the future of pro football, maybe the NFL isn't where he'd like to make his next comeback.

``What entertains our kids today?'' asked Elway, who has four of 'em between the ages of 11 and 16. ``The NFL is losing a generation of young fans because they think the game's too slow. They see the scoring going on in the Arena League and they're all excited.

``And as a quarterback, I'd love to pass on every down.''

Still, adding the former L.A. City star athlete to a new NFL team's roster in L.A. would make too much sense.

``Adding him to our team would be incredible,'' Wasserman agreed.

In other words, Elway in L.A. rocks.

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John Elway was back in L.A. on Friday, and he could be here a lot more often if L.A.'s possible NFL franchise is smart.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer