Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Jon Kitna delivered last year after taking over as the starting quarterback for the final 12 games. (Glenn Hartong photo)

GEORGETOWN, Ky. - Jon Kitna is the Bengals No. 1 quarterback for the first time in three training camps.

He is getting more practice time with the regular offensive players, and he doesn't have to try to win the job in preseason games. Kitna's focus is on the regular season opener.

Still, coach Marvin Lewis wants to see more production from Kitna and the first-team offense than he did Sunday in the Bengals' loss to the Jets.

Kitna played three series, completed 4-of-6 passes, and he and center Mike Goff lost a fumbled snap that led directly to New York's first touchdown.

"Last week, (the Jets) didn't play us like we had seen them on film," Kitna said Thursday. "In a normal game, you would come back after those three series and make adjustments and you'd be ready to roll. Well, we didn't have time. The second team was in and they just went their way."

Lewis is aware of the difficult circumstances a starting quarterback faces in limited action in preseason games.

"Every one goes through this," Lewis said. "He has to make hay during his time. It's important. A lot of the burden falls on his shoulders.

"This is not a scholarship program. We have to earn our privileges."

Kitna wants to produce, even in his abbreviated preseason appearances. He is expected to play more than one quarter in Saturday night's preseason home opener against Detroit.

"I want to score every time I'm on the field," Kitna said.

Despite of his depth chart ranking, Kitna's position would seem to be a tenuous one.

Carson Palmer is being groomed as the quarterback of the future; the question most frequently asked around camp is when Palmer will ascend to the starting job. The always-ready Shane Matthews was acquired in the offseason.

"I'm not dealing with (their presence) in any way. I'm just going out and doing my job," said Kitna, an evangelical Christian. "With my beliefs and where I stand, my security in how I feel about myself comes from a far greater purpose than these coaches and the people around me."

Lewis compares Kitna to two quarterbacks he knows from previous jobs.

As linebackers coach in Pittsburgh, Lewis saw Neil O'Donnell lead the Steelers to the AFC Championship in 1995 before losing to Dallas in the Super Bowl.

As defensive coordinator in Baltimore, Lewis watched Trent Dilfer take the Ravens to the Super Bowl title over the Giants.

"The most successful teams I've been around have had quarterbacks who people would say are not the prototypical NFL passing quarterback," Lewis said. "They were more in the lines of a Jon Kitna. I know you can be very successful if you just take care of your job.

"It's how the team responds and plays with you and for you and how you make the plays when the game is on the line. That's how you are defined as a quarterback."

Lewis wants Kitna to earn the job.

"You can't win it by being even," Lewis said. "You've got to win the job by clearly being better. In Jon's respect, all he has to worry about is taking care of himself."

Kitna, the only one of four quarterbacks who remains from last season, survived a training camp challenge to win the job in 2001 and resurrected the offense in 12 consecutive starts to close out the 2002 season.

Kitna led the offense to six consecutive games of 350 yards in total offense, the franchise's longest such streak since 1986.

In a seven-game stretch, from Oct. 27 through Dec. 8, Kitna had 14 touchdown passes and four interceptions, en route to season totals of 16 and 16.

This year, he said, the offense is poised for even more production. Coaches are saving some plays the team is looking to unveil in the season opener Sept. 7 against Denver.

"We're trying some new concepts. It's taking a while to get used to the concepts and get everybody on the same page," Kitna said. "(On Wednesday), we came out and went back to some of the stuff I've been doing since I was in the league, and it was 'Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom,' and we were rolling."

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com