DaytonDailyNews.com

INDIANAPOLIS — A backup quarterback lives a firefighter's life. The alarm sounds, you slide down the pole, grab your gear and go.

Ryan Fitzpatrick answers the bell tonight, Aug. 28, making his first start for the Bengals. He replaces Carson Palmer, who is recuperating from a broken nose, in the preseason finale against the Colts at new Lucas Oil Stadium.

Acquired in a trade with St. Louis on "Cutdown Day" in 2007, Fitzpatrick is 19-of-27 passing (70.4 percent) for 183 yards, one TD, no interceptions and a 101.3 passer rating.

"Fitz can play, man, I'm telling y'all," wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh said. "He can run. He can throw. If somebody lets him be their starting quarterback, he's going to be a star."

Q What's important about being a backup?

A "The most important thing is to have the confidence of your teammates to know that if Carson goes down for whatever reason, that I'll be able to get the job done.

"This is the one time of year that I know I'm going to get to play, and it's a chance to show my teammates what I can do. I have a great relationship with a lot of guys on the team, and I'm very comfortable right now."

Q Excited about this opportunity?

A "It'll be good to run with the first unit for however long we're in there, just try to build upon what we've done so far this preseason and hopefully end on a good note.

"We've got a sour taste in our mouth from last week (a 13-0 loss to New Orleans) in terms of some of the issues we had. So we're looking to execute a little bit better and start off right against Baltimore (on Sept. 7)."

Q You engineered a 99-yard TD drive against Detroit. Where does the poise come from?

A "I don't know. I've always played the position of quarterback, and I've always been real comfortable back there. It's just a matter of being comfortable with your surroundings and the offense, and who you're with. I've gained a good sense of that since I've been here."

Q How's your relationship with Carson?

A "I guess it's not as competitive as (Detroit's) Jon Kitna's. I saw him and Kitna in pregame, throwing balls at the goal posts. I think me being younger than him probably has something to do with how different our relationship is. But there's a good amount of trust between us now just in terms of stuff that I'm seeing while he's on the field and us being able to talk about different plays and coverages. He trusts what I'm saying to him."

Q How are you and Carson different?

A "The biggest difference is where we came from. He's been the star all his life, the Heisman winner and all that, and I went to Harvard. He's always been in the limelight, and I've kind of always been in the shadows. At the same time, the trust we've established with each other in terms of our football smarts and instincts is going to go a long way this year."

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