DaytonDailyNews.com

GEORGETOWN, Ky. — Backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick can hardly wait until the nationally televised preseason opener Monday, Aug. 11, at Green Bay.

He'll take his first snap under center in a game for the Bengals.

Fitzpatrick, a Harvard graduate who was traded from St. Louis to Cincinnati on Sept. 1, 2007, reminded reporters he was on the field in the 2007 regular-season opener against Baltimore "for the first-ever hold in my life" on an extra-point kick.

"Under center, it'll definitely be my first snap, and I'm looking forward to it," he said. "When you're a backup, you never know when you're going to get in there. You really have to take advantage of the reps you get in the preseason because who knows when the next ones are going to come.

"At this point, I'm extremely comfortable with the offense. There are a lot of concepts that have carried over from my career in St. Louis. Just in terms of verbiage and everything, I feel great about it."

LB corps whole

Now that first-round draft pick Keith Rivers is in camp, the linebacker unit is whole.

"It's so important getting everybody together so they can go through this process together," linebackers coach Jeff FitzGerald said. "Keith's back in the fold right now and, yes, I feel real good about the group being together."

On crutches

Strong safety Chinedum Ndukwe was on crutches with a left knee sprain suffered Wednesday.

He'll be held out of the preseason opener.

The injury is a setback for Ndukwe because he was pushing Dexter Jackson for the starting job.

Boot camp

Defensive end Antwan Odom's target date to return healthy is Sept. 1 — the week leading up to the Sept. 7 opener at Baltimore.

Odom sprained his left foot on the opening day of camp and is walking with a protective boot.

"It's getting frustrating," he said. "I'm just trying to get through it, get healed up and do what they tell me to do. They tell me I should be back by the regular season. My foot's getting better. I hope it heals all the way, and I don't have any more problems."

Final four

The Bengals have four practice days remaining at Georgetown (Ky.) College this year — today, Saturday, Wednesday and Thursday. The team breaks camp Friday, Aug. 15, and heads north to Paul Brown Stadium, where practices are closed.

Attendance down

Georgetown College Athletic Director Eric Ward said attendance is down 45 to 50 percent at camp this year.

Heat, rain, high gas prices and the fact that camp opened on a Monday (July 28) — robbing the team and college of an extra practice weekend — all conspired to keep attendance down.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com.