by Alex Marvez

Updated: August 16, 2008, 11:02 AM EST 79 comments

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The Indianapolis Colts quarterback can still take family walks without being recognized. And even though folks at the Legion Hall in Brownsburg , Ind. know he's the backup for Peyton Manning, Sorgi doesn't get hounded when he comes to play Thursday night bingo.

That's right. B-i-n-g-o.

Sorgi was introduced to the game by his wife's stepmother. Now he's hooked.

"We would just go out like normal people, play some bingo, maybe have a beer or two and just hang out," Sorgi told FOXSports.com during a Sunday morning interview. "Everybody knows who I am, but they're really good about it. They do get mad when you win. They don't think you should because they think you're making enough money already."

Sorgi says the largest bingo prize he has collected is $250. But on the football field lately, the stakes have become much higher.

Sorgi's number was called when Manning underwent surgery July 14 to remove an infected bursa sac in his left knee. Manning still hasn't reported to training camp while continuing rehabilitation that may sideline him for most of the preseason.

Suddenly, a player who has enjoyed anonymity for most of his four NFL seasons was thrust into the spotlight replacing a future Hall of Fame selection.

"If you're a backup player, you always want that shot," Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne said. "(Sorgi) gets the opportunity to, as we say, build his resume."

Despite a 30-16 loss to the Redskins, Sorgi made his second career preseason start in Sunday night's Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio. On a 16-play opening drive that ended with a field goal, Sorgi completed seven of 10 passes for 66 yards while getting sacked once. He was then yanked, playing for only a tad longer than Manning would have.

Still, any snaps Sorgi receives with front-line players are valuable. Manning has started all 174 games in his 10-year NFL career and almost never misses practice. That has left Sorgi working almost exclusively with reserves since joining the Colts as a 2004 sixth-round pick from Wisconsin.

Sorgi's career 14 regular-season appearances have come in blowouts or meaningless games where Manning was being rested for the playoffs. Such circumstances make it difficult to judge whether Sorgi's statistical success (61.1 completion percentage, six touchdowns, one interception) would continue in normal game situations.

"It's a tough spot where you prepare every week and then don't get in," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "But he's always worked hard."

Sorgi admits he has needed time adjusting to his new standing. Start with the quarterback meetings that were comprised of only Sorgi and Manning in 2007. Sorgi said Manning would constantly rewind video breakdowns to seek weaknesses in opposing defenses. Sorgi describes the current meeting room as a "full house" with Colts coaches trying to get newly-signed backups Quinn Grey and Jared Lorenzen up to speed.

"With Peyton not there, it's like something is missing," Sorgi said.

Wayne feels the same way.

"You see Peyton doing all his theatrics and then you see Jim Sorgi come in," Wayne said. "He's mild-toned and not doing all that stuff. It's kind of night and day."

Sorgi says he and Manning share many of the same personality traits, like a passion for football and perfection, but have vastly different approaches toward the game.

"Outside of football, I kind of hang out with the wife and kids and stuff like that," said Sorgi, 27. "He's so bent on watching film and being perfect and is so intense."

Jim Sorgi has only made 14 regular-season appearances in his NFL career, but with Peyton Manning recovering from surgery, he's getting his chance to run the Colts' offense. (Michael Conroy / Associated Press)

Sorgi, though, may be turning more Manning-like. Wayne says that Sorgi is showing "a little more swagger" as he runs the offense.

"You have to," Sorgi said. "As the No. 2 (quarterback), you're in the shadows a little bit. You've always got to have that confidence about you. But when you're out there a little more, I think it's seen a little bit more than it would when you're behind somebody."

If all goes well for the Colts, Manning will be starting the Sept. 7 opener against Chicago with Sorgi in his customary spot on the sideline. While he wants to play, Sorgi is comfortable enough in a backup role to have signed a three-year contract extension with the Colts that lasts through 2010.

Sorgi has even tried turning his inactivity into a sponsorship deal, which should make a commercial shill like Manning proud. At the urging of his agent and wife — who wanted the free appliances being offered — Sorgi applied last year to become the new face of Maytag.

The pitch made sense: The company claims its products never break down. Neither does Manning.

"I went through the whole interview process," Sorgi said. "I still get a chuckle every time I see those commercials on TV."

In retrospect, Sorgi is thankful he didn't get the gig. He isn't the only one.

"I don't want him to be the Maytag guy," Wayne said. "Hopefully, he can be our repairman. He can come in and patch things up and get you going until everything is back 100 percent."