Bills notebook
McGee passes the test against Moss
Terrence McGee recalled his early years with the Buffalo Bills when cornerback Nate Clements was asked to cover the opponents’ best receiver. McGee often wondered if he would get that chance.
On Sunday, he did.
The Bills assigned McGee to New England’s Randy Moss for most of the game against the Patriots. Like a shadow, wherever Moss lined up McGee followed.
Moss caught five passes for 53 yards, but he wasn’t nearly as damaging as last season when he caught 15 passes for 243 yards and six touchdowns in two games against the Bills.
“The coaches told me during the week that would be the matchup,” McGee said of his assignment. “He’s the real deal. I didn’t know he was that quick being as tall as he is. It was a great challenge, but I felt like I was up to the challenge.”
Most of Moss’ catches were on short, quick throws over the middle or along the sideline. The Patriots did test McGee a few times by sending Moss deep, but McGee was in good position to knock the pass down.
“Not giving up the big play is something we strive on,” Mc- Gee said. “We knew they would try to go over the top at some point, but we did a good job keeping everything in front of us for the most part.”
Assigning McGee to perhaps the most feared receiver in the NFL is a sign that McGee is finally recovered from the sprained knee that sidelined him for three games.
“We kind of talked all along about Terrence and how we feel about him,” Bills coach Dick Jauron said. “He really was playing at a high level before the injury and he’s come back. He’s been better every week since he’s got back in the lineup. We have a lot of confidence in Terrence McGee. I think he’s a terrific football player.”
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Leodis McKelvin’s career-long 85-yard punt return late in Sunday’s loss did a lot to boost his game and season averages. His 46-yard average on three returns against the Patriots was the fifth highest in a game in Bills’ history. He is the fifth Bill to have at least five 100-yard return games in a season.
McKelvin averages 26.1 yards for the season, which ranks ninth among NFL players with at least 20 returns. He is third in the league with 888 kickoff return yards, which ranks third in Bills history for a rookie or first-year player.
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Newly signed linebacker Teddy Lehman did not play Sunday, but that could change in the coming weeks. Jauron explained that Lehman’s experience was the reason the former Detroit Lion was added to the roster.
“Obviously, when you look at our linebacker group, the three backups are not very experienced at all, so we thought it was a good opportunity to add somebody,” Jauron explained. “We had a roster spot available, and Teddy’s a high-quality guy. He’ll fit in with us and I think he’ll help us. He’ll definitely give us a little more comfort in terms of experience.”
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With the Bills losing to New England on Sunday and the Sabres losing to the Boston Bruins on Saturday, it marked the 22nd time that two of Buffalo’s major sports franchises played opponents from the same city on consecutive days. It was only the fifth time that Buffalo teams played road games in the same city on back-to-back days.
The last time it happened was in 1995 when the Bills visited the New York Jets a day before the New Jersey Devils hosted the Sabres. The last time a weekend doubleheader involved the NBA’s Buffalo Braves was in 1970 when they played the New York Knicks, while the Bills met the New York Giants.
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Despite catching just two passes Sunday, wide receiver Lee Evans moved into ninth place on the Bills’ career receptions list with 270. He passed Frank Lewis, who had 269 catches. . . . James Hardy caught his second touchdown pass of the season Sunday. The last rookie or first-year player to do that was Evans (nine) and Tim Euhus (two) in 2004.
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