The Bengals backup quarterback has a starter mentality but knows he's blessed to be in the NFL.
Last season, Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron got a taste of what it's like to be a starter in the NFL. He played admirably in the role he was thrown into when Andy Dalton went down with a thumb injury in the first quarter of the Bengals' Week 14 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In the games in which he started, McCarron went 2-2 with his losses coming at the hands of the Super Bowl Champion Broncos (in overtime) and the Steelers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.