Novacek Done for the Season

The Dallas Cowboys put tight end Jay Novacek on the injured reserve list Friday, meaning he will not be eligible to play in the postseason.

Novacek sat out the season because of a degenerative disk problem in his back. He had been trying to get ready for the playoffs but experienced some pain trying to run on level ground and the Cowboys decided his season was over.

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San Francisco Coach George Seifert said the decision on whether to start Steve Young or backup Elvis Grbac at quarterback might not be made until right before today’s game at Green Bay.

Young, who has taken only a handful of practice snaps this week because of sore ribs, will be equipped with a heavy flak jacket and will take a series of painkilling shots before the kickoff.

“He’ll go out for warmups and then we’ll have a better sense of exactly where we are,” Seifert said. “Right now, I’m led to believe he would start the ballgame, but we have to wait and see.”

Grbac is 5-3 in eight starts over the last two seasons in place of Young. One of those losses came when the Packers rallied from a 17-6 halftime deficit to defeat the 49ers, 23-20, in overtime in October.

“Elvis has gotten most of the work. He’s had a fine week of practice,” Seifert said. “If it turns out to be Elvis Grbac, we have no excuses.”