NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair wants to play the rest of this season, and he said Tuesday that surgery to help his throwing shoulder will be a "last resort."

	McNair

"We're going to try to tough the thing out this year, and hopefully during the course of the season it doesn't flare back up," McNair said. "If it does (heal), I can go into each game feeling more confident in the shoulder and be able to do the normal things I would do.

"If it flares up again, who knows? But we're going to try to leave the surgery as the last resort right now."

McNair didn't pick up a ball for two weeks after being knocked out of the Titans' season-opening loss to Miami with what the team called a bruised shoulder.

He didn't even dress for the defeat Sunday against Jacksonville.

On Monday, coach Jeff Fisher said McNair eventually would need surgery to give him more room in his shoulder. On Tuesday, McNair said he has some "rough edges" that "keep banging together" that will need fixing.

His shoulder is feeling better, and he tossed footballs to a trainer Monday and Tuesday. He hopes to take part in some drills Thursday as the Titans go through their bye week, and he wants to play Oct. 7 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Fisher said it would take a "rare hit" to inflict similar damage, but McNair was hurt in the opener when tackled on a clean hit as he released a touchdown pass.

It's the same shoulder that doctors had to operate on last winter to flush out a mysterious infection. McNair spent weeks on antibiotics and he missed what would have been his first Pro Bowl appearance and went nearly four months without throwing a ball.

McNair, who has called this his most frustrating injury, plans on keeping a positive outlook.

"We're not going to hope for the worst. We're going to look forward to the best, and hopefully we can go out each and every week and not worry about it and not get hit on it," he said.

"That's something that's going to be in the back of your mind, but you can't let it bother you once you start back playing."

McNair admitted his shoulder started aching before he was hit in the opener, and he tried to limit his throwing motion to protect himself.

"When you try to protect something, especially your throwing shoulder, it's not going to work out right. I've just got to go out there with an open mind and just let it happen if it happens," he said.

The Titans (0-2) need McNair. He is 41-24 as a starter, and he is the league's top rushing quarterback since 1997. His mobility keeps defenses from blitzing, which Jacksonville did last week in sacking backup Neil O'Donnell four times.

Fisher pointed out that McNair threw more passes Tuesday, a day in which he stretched his range up to 20 yards.

"He's doing well. No problem with it right now," Fisher said.