PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : NFC : Hurting 49ers Sign Torretta as Backup

The San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday signed quarterback Gino Torretta, the 1992 Heisman Trophy winner who has never thrown a pass in an NFL game.

Torretta, the University of Miami’s career passing leader with 7,690 yards, was waived by the Detroit Lions in September.

Elvis Grbac, who threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns in San Francisco’s 38-20 upset of Dallas on Sunday, will remain the 49ers’ starting quarterback until Steve Young can return. The team’s No. 3 quarterback is Cary Conklin.

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Jerry Jones hired a coach who can’t beat San Francisco and doesn’t know how to use Deion Sanders.

So what did Jones do with his world crashing around him on Tuesday? He said Barry Switzer would be the coach, barring calamity.

“Unless he is hit by a truck or gets shot he’ll be coaching the Dallas Cowboys a long time,” the Cowboy owner said.

Jones once said former Coach Jimmy Johnson could be replaced by “one of 500 coaches” and hired Switzer, who never coached in the NFL before but won national titles at Oklahoma.

Jones said his coaching staff could have done a better job but added, “I’ll never make a decision on a coach on a one- or two-year basis. I’ll be unbelievably stubborn when it comes to making a head coaching change. Make no mistake about it, there will not be a change in coach.”

What if the Cowboys lose to the 49ers again in the NFC championship game, or make it to the Super Bowl and fail?

“I’ll just put my head in a pillow and holler as loud as I can,” Jones said. “There will be no changes in the organization if we don’t win the Super Bowl.”

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The Philadelphia Eagles signed offensive tackle Moe Elewonibi to a one-year contract and waived tackle Troy Drake.

The Eagles, who are without lineman Bernard Williams because of suspension, lost starting right guard Joe Panos last week for the rest of the season because of a torn rotator cuff.