ALLEN PARK, Mich.—Detroit Lions quarterback Jon Kitna has been the NFL's most durable quarterback over the last two years.
Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton both want to be ready the moment that changes.
Orlovsky and Stanton are battling for Detroit's backup quarterback spot -- a job that hasn't required much work in the last two seasons.
Kitna is one of only eight NFL quarterbacks to have started all 32 games in the last two seasons. He played every snap in 2006, and last year's backup, J.T. O'Sullivan, only attempted 26 passes.
Kitna, though, was sacked 51 times last season, and sustained several minor injuries.
"Jon is a heck of a conditioned athlete, but a month after the season ended, he still looked miserable," Lions coach Rod Marinelli said. "We need to keep him standing."
Kitna, though, turns 36 during the first month of the season, and will be playing behind an offensive line that goes into the season with big question marks.
There isn't much experience behind him. Orlovsky's last meaningful action at Ford Field came in the 2004 Motor City Bowl, when he led Connecticut to a 39-10 victory over Toledo. He saw brief action in two games during his rookie year, but hasn't played in a regular-season game since 2005.
"A big part of this job is being ready," he said. "You never know when you are going to be the one that has to go out there."
Stanton hasn't even done that much, spending his rookie year on injured reserve after sustaining a knee injury during last season's training camp.
"I think I'm getting gaining confidence with every practice," he said. "I'm able to get a better feel for what we are doing."
Not only are Stanton and Orlovsky trying to compete with each other and stay ready for their first meaningful game action in years, they also are trying to learn a new offensive system. Detroit has gone away from Mike Martz's pass-first attack and now hope to be more balanced under new offensive coordinator Jim Colletto.
"The new system puts more responsibility on the quarterback's shoulders, so I have to know what I'm doing," Stanton said. "That's why I'm always asking so many questions."
Orlovsky was asked after Monday morning's practice if he would miss Martz's system, since it involved so many passing plays, and his answer was a surprise.
"Actually, I'd rather that we run the ball first and pass the ball off our success running it," he said. "If you look at the teams that are successful in the long run, it is the teams that consistently run the ball well.
"Besides, offensive linemen like running plays, and quarterbacks always want to keep their offensive line happy."
Colletto said late last week that Orlovsky had the advantage in the battle for the No. 2 job, but Marinelli cautioned that there is a long way to go.
"It's probably too early to decide much there," he said Monday. "We aren't going to know much about that until exhibition games."
Either way, Orlovsky isn't going to complain.
"Trust me," he said. "There are a lot worse ways to spend your life than this."
NOTES: LB Ernie Sims did not practice after twisting his right knee on Sunday, but an MRI showed no structural damage. ... The team will open practices to the general public on Tuesday. The team will hold a normal practice at 8:35 a.m. and a special teams practice at 3:30 p.m. Admission will be free to the first 700 fans for each session. ... The afternoon practice finished in light rain -- the first time the team hadn't had sunshine for a training-camp session.
