Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher announced Friday that quarterback Steve McNair will undergo surgery to repair a congenital problem with his sternum in the next few weeks, ending his 2004 season.

"Steve is going to sit, he's not going to play for the remaining three games,'' Fisher said. ''This is the result of a lot of information that we've obtained regarding the specifics of his injury."

"Dr. (Burton) Elrod has talked to a number of experts in the field, and he is quite sure that surgery will correct this problem or certainly help this problem."

McNair said he hopes to get his body back to 100% before evaluating his future with the team.

''I think right now, there's a good reason to do it, due to the circumstances of our season," McNair said. "I think it's the best decision...to go ahead and get it done and get it over with so I can start the offseason as quick as possible and try to get my body in the best shape and make the decision."

Fisher said the team has not scheduled the surgery, but that the procedure would be performed before the end of the season, giving McNair time to heal before mini-camps.

Fisher described the problem with the sternum as a congenital birth defect.

"Steve does not have a solid, bony surface throughout the length of the sternum; there's an area there that's cartilage,'' Fisher said. ''Because of this area of cartilage, when Steve suffered the first injury back in 2000, the sternum itself moved, creating a lot of pain and a lot of discomfort.''

Fisher said the procedure will consist of grafting bone taken from McNair's hip onto the sternum, hopefully, correcting the problem.

"It's always critical when you have to go through surgery, especially through the course of the year, and you've got to work through it through the offseason," McNair said. "But, it's something that I've been going through for ten years, so I think I can handle this (surgery)."

"We're just going to try to get this surgery over with and get the healing process started, and I want to be in the best shape...to be able to come back and play with this team again."

McNair is expected to fully recover from the surgery in four to six weeks.