Steve Young remembers the hit that gave him the concussion. That, along with his rapidly diminishing headaches, left the 49ers quarterback encouraged he would be able to play at New Orleans next Sunday.

"I got some of my memory back pretty quick, and then overnight I got a lot a sleep and I really feel a lot better," Young said Monday. "My head doesn't hurt too much today and that's a really good sign, that you can shake your head and it's not real painful."It was a good shot. I haven't had one of those for a few years. It kind of reminds you that you still play football."

Young, who has been playing most of the season with a groin strain, was knocked out of Sunday's game at Houston on the third play, when he was hit by charging linebackers Micheal Barrow and Joe Bowden as he rolled out and set up to pass. Unknown to most of the players, the play had been whistled dead because of a timeout called by a Houston defensive back an instant before the snap.

Young was taken from the game to a Houston hospital, where he underwent a CAT scan. Results were negative and he returned to the Astrodome in time to see the 49ers pull out a 10-9 win behind third-string quarterback Jeff Brohm. Elvis Grbac, Young's backup, was inactive Sunday due to a left shoulder strain.

Though Young was listed as probable for Sunday's game at New Orleans, coach George Seifert said the team would be cautious about Young's return.

"Basically, what I'm saying is: he feels good right now, everything looks as positive as it could following something like that," Seifert said. "What will it mean at the end of the week? I don't know right now."

Young said the concussion was the fourth he has suffered in 10 years with the 49ers but first since 1992.

"There is a cumulative effect, but luckily I haven't had one in three or more years, so that you do get the benefit of time," Young said. "The times they get scary are when you get three or four in the same year."

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Young planned to see a neurologist Tuesday to make sure he faced no significant risks by resuming play.

"I would assume if I pass that, because of the tests that we can do these days, the CAT scans and everything else, that I'd be safe to go and play next week, I hope," Young said.

Nevertheless, Young, who played through his groin strain to lead the 49ers past Cincinnati and once kept scrambling without his helmet during an exhibition at San Diego, said he views concussions with great seriousness.

"Chris Miller is a good friend of mine who left the game because of this, and others left the game because of this," Young said. "Roger Staubach told me he left the game because of this, so I'm very serious about it, but I'm also not going to be timid about it. I mean we've done a lot of testing and a lot of study. I feel like there's some experts and I've got the people behind me to be able to know. Certainly when you play football, anything is possible but are you taking a higher risk? We can make those judgments and hopefully I'm going to be very mature about that."

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