Bills report: Notes, quotes
 

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Notes, quotes · Strategy and personnel · Inside slant
 

--No. 1 pick Leodis McKelvin's 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the Steelers sealed himself a role in the team's special teams plans for 2008. McKelvin showed the speed and explosiveness that allowed him to set an NCAA record with eight career scores while at Troy, reading a key block from fullback Darian Barnes and just leaving the Steelers in his dust. A week earlier against Washington, McKelvin had a 37-yard kickoff return and a 45-yard punt return. The Bills have two of the NFL's best return men in team record-setters Terrence McGee and Roscoe Parrish, but coach Dick Jauron said a team can never have enough of these guys. "Those guys (return men) tend to get nicked so there's room for all of them," he said. "They'll all have their opportunities." McKelvin had one thing on his mind when he got into the open field: Don't get brought down by Steelers kicker Paul Ernster. "The other 10 guys did a great job blocking," he said. "I saw the kicker and I just said, 'I don't want to get tackled by the kicker."'

--QB Trent Edwards, not known for his fleet feet, showed that he can scramble when he has to. On one third-and-13 play at his own 7-yard line, Edwards ran for 22 yards to keep a TD drive alive. "The thing is to be able to recognize when to run and not to run," said Edwards, who finished nine of 11 with two long TD drives. "Good quarterbacks know when to use their speed -- or lack thereof in my case. If nobody's open and you've got 15 yards of space, I'll do what I have to do to keep the chains moving."

--With Jason Peters still out of camp in a contract dispute, Langston Walker earned his second start at left tackle with Kirk Chambers starting on the right side. On Buffalo's second possession, Pittsburgh LB James Harrison blew right past Walker to sack QB Trent Edwards. But considering the first unit put together TD drives of 67 and 90 yards, there wasn't much concern about Peters being out. "They were great up front all day," Edwards said. "We had the right protections in there all week, and like I said, I had plenty of time to throw the ball." Of course, he only played two series and the Steelers gave vanilla looks, something that won't happen in a regular-season game.

--Defensive end Corey Mace, a native of Vancouver, was elated to play a game on his home soil and sing "Oh Canada." He said he'll teach it to his teammates before Dec. 7, when the Bills play Miami at the Rogers Centre. "I'll make them learn it -- at least all the D-linemen," Mace said.

--Bills QB coach and former backup Alex Van Pelt was experiencing dij` vu during the Toronto trip. He played for the Bills in 1997 when they played an American Bowl preseason game at the former SkyDome against Green Bay, a 35-3 loss. Van Pelt was six of 10 for 70 yards in that game. "Here we are again," Van Pelt said. "I think it's great. I mean, why not? We're so close to Toronto, why not come up and attract some fans back to Buffalo. Showing our product a few times a year here might attract more fans to come down and see us. I don't see the leadership in our organization using this as a way to eventually move the team here, it's just an attempt to save the team for Buffalo."

QUOTE TO NOTE
"As a Canadian, I see it both ways. I'd love to say this is just a regionalization effort by the Bills, and it certainly is that. But Toronto is a major league city and it certainly is capable of handling an NFL franchise. What we're dealing with here is who gets stung in the end if they move here permanently? Obviously, Buffalo loses out. For now, I'm happy to see some games here. Let's see where it goes." -- Bills former kicker Steve Christie, a native of Oakville, Ontario, in Toronto to help promote last Thursday's game against Pittsburgh.

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