"Jon Kitna has been there this season when the Cowboys need him most.

Expecting him to be there one more time may be too much to ask.

A strained left oblique kept the quarterback on the sidelines for the second half of the team's loss to Arizona. The injury prevents Kitna from generating any sort of torque, a necessity for his position, and owner Jerry Jones has expressed pessimism that he will be able to return.

Stephen McGee is on track for his first NFL start when the Cowboys face the Philadelphia Eagles in the final game of the regular season. Even if Kitna could take the field in a backup role, does the team really want to put the 38-year-old quarterback in that position?

The answer is no. That's why the club has discussed adding Chris Greisen to the team's practice squad. The 34-year old veteran was a backup quarterback for the Desperados, the Cowboys excursion into the Arena Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the 1999 draft and has also played for the Milwaukee Iron of the AFL and the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League.

Greisen told the Green Bay Post-Gazette that he had been contacted by the Cowboys to come in for the final week of the regular season. The club can sign him to the practice squad to avoid a $25,000 transfer fee to the UFL, then move him to the active roster for the game. "