The byproduct of being Carson Palmer’s backup is you don’t get to play much.

Palmer not only took every snap of the 2007 season and he wants to take every snap in practice. The Bengals quarterback didn't even take a single practice off during training camp. So when Ryan Fitzpatrick gets a chance to take a snap for the Bengals, it's important he makes the most of it.

Fitzpatrick certainly did that Sunday in the team’s preseason game against the Lions. Fitzpatrick was 11 of 14 for 111 yards and a touchdown, leading the Bengals on a 99-yard touchdown drive.

Still, once the preseason is done, Fitzpatrick will be wearing a cap more than he'll be wearing a helmet.

"Obviously the biggest part is going in there if he goes down to step in, but last year Carson took every snap that we ran, so my job last year was to be his eyes from the sideline," Fitzpatrick said. "It's one thing to hear it from a coach and it's another to hear it from a player that's been there before and knows what you're going through. For him, I think it's important to have a different set of eyes on the sideline."

The Bengals acquired Fitzpatrick in a trade from the Rams before the regular season started and he made his only appearance in the opener when kicker Shayne Graham was hurt and punter Kyle Larson had to kick an extra point and Fitzpatrick held.

Sunday was the first time Fitzpatrick took a snap in a Bengal uniform at Paul Brown Stadium and he certainly showed why the Bengals traded for him last season. If Palmer does go down, Fitzpatrick showed the ability to lead the team, and even give the team a different dimension with his scrambling skills. In two preseason games, he has five carries for 43 yards.

"He moves the team. And that's good. The thing I think you see that's really valuable for a backup quarterback is a guy that has the movement skills that he does," offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski said. "Because that guy gets a limited number of reps. Once you start the season, the starting quarterback gets 90 percent of the reps. So the other guy is going to get in there and maybe he doesn't see things as quick as he needs to but when he's got the ability to move and do things with his feet, he'll make up for (lack of) quickness in decision making because he hasn't gotten a lot of reps."

Without the reps in practice -- or in games -- Fitzpatrick has made himself just as useful by helping Palmer out on the sidelines.

"He's extremely smart. He picked up the offense his second week of the season here, so obviously he's smart," Palmer said. "Everything. He just doesn't have a weakness. He's a great guy for me, he's been awesome helping me out with a number of different things and helping the receivers out and the offensive line. He's a complete quarterback, and we're lucky to have him."

Fitzpatrick hasn't always been so in demand. As a high school senior in Arizona, neither Arizona nor Arizona State had any interest in him. He went to Harvard, which isn't exactly the typical first step to Canton.

After being named the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2004, Fitzpatrick was drafted by the Rams in the seventh round of the draft. He started three games and had a 300-yard game in his debut. He played in just one game, and didn't throw a pass, in 2006.

Fitzpatrick spent most of 2006 as the emergency third quarterback for the Rams and after playing three of four preseason games in 2007, the Bengals traded for Fitzpatrick to serve as the backup for Palmer.

"The biggest difference between Carson and I is where we're coming from," Fitzpatrick said. "He's always been the biggest star, the Heisman winner and all that and I went to Harvard. There's a big difference in that he's always been in the limelight and I've been in the shadows."

Fitzpatrick will be in the spotlight Saturday against the Saints and then next week against the Colts before it's back to the shadows.

"He has a great understanding of what's going on, on the field, and what coverage and what we're seeing by the defense and he's able to communicate that to Carson when Carson comes off the field," Lewis said. "So I think when he's gotten his opportunity he sees the game that way when he's out there playing as well."