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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- From practice squad to NFL starter: Quarterback Thad Lewis received the surprising news of his sudden promotion upon arriving at the Buffalo Bills facility for team meetings Monday. Shortly before 8 a.m., coach Doug Marrone pulled Lewis aside to inform him to get ready to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. "He just told me, Youre starting," Lewis told The Associated Press. "He gave me the nod, so I have to go out and do my best with it." A day after working out free agents Pat White and Dennis Dixon, and losing out to Minnesota in a bid to sign recently cut Tampa Bay starter Josh Freeman, the Bills (2-3) stayed in-house in finding an interim replacement for injured rookie starter EJ Manuel. "We thought it was best for us to move on and play with Thaddeus," Marrone said. "With Thad, he knows the whole system inside out, so at least we can give him the things that we feel hes strong with, which gives us a better chance." The scramble to find a starter began after Manuel sprained his right knee in a 37-24 loss to Cleveland on Thursday. The injury will not require surgery, but Manuel is expected to miss a few weeks, and potentially longer. The Bills had only one other quarterback on their roster, undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel, who struggled in replacing Manuel on Thursday. Tuel completed 8 of 20 passes for 80 yards and an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Lewis promotion came as a surprise after Marrone indicated last week that the team intended to look outside the organization for a replacement. Those plans changed Sunday night, once Freeman announced he was signing with Minnesota. Lewis has spent the past six weeks with the Bills. He was acquired in a trade with Detroit in late August, after Manuel was sidelined with a left knee injury and veteran Kevin Kolb sustained a concussion. Marrone acknowledged the Bills are in a tough spot at quarterback. "Its difficult when you get down to your third or fourth quarterback," Marrone said. And he defended the decision to open the season without a veteran quarterback by noting the Bills had to commit roster spots to address injuries at defensive back and with rookie kicker Dustin Hopkins sidelined by a groin injury. In promoting Lewis, the Bills placed Hopkins on season-ending injured reserve. "Now, if you wouldve said to me, Hey, youre going to have two injuries (at quarterback), should you have done something different? Absolutely," Marrone said. "But that really wasnt the plan going in." Lewis played college at Duke and split most of the past three seasons on the St. Louis Rams and Browns practice squads. He has played one game, a start in Clevelands season finale against Pittsburgh last year, when he went 22 of 32 for 204 yards passing with a touchdown and interception. Calling his excitement level as being "through the roof," Lewis is attempting to keep his emotions in check. "A lot of people are like, Why arent you happy and jumping for joy?" Lewis said. "But I know its a business. And I know I have to get ready to help this team go out and win." Lewis appeared in the Bills preseason finale, going 7 of 16 for 132 yards and a touchdown in a 35-13 loss to Detroit. The Bills thought enough of his performance to sign him to the practice squad and cut fellow newcomer Matt Leinart. "I just have to go out and put my best foot forward," Lewis said. "Dont do too much because youve got playmakers around you. But do enough to put us in a good position to get this W." Marrone said it was still too early to establish a timetable on Manuels recovery. He was able to provide more encouraging updates on the status of other injured players. Starting safety Jairus Byrd is expected to play Sunday after missing the first five games with plantar fasciitis in both feet. Starting cornerback Stephon Gilmore (broken left hand) and backup Ron Brooks (broken right foot) are scheduled to practice this week. Marrone listed receiver Stevie Johnson as day to day after the starter hurt his back against Cleveland. ---- NOTES: Marrone said the starting left guard is up for grabs now that Doug Legursky has returned from a left knee injury. Legursky will compete with Colin Brown. ... The Bills claimed OG Antoine McClain of waivers, two days after he was released by Oakland, and released backup OG Sam Young. ... Punter Brian Moorman, who re-signed with Buffalo on Sunday, has his old No. 8 back. Tuel gave up the number and will no wear No. 7. Christian Miller Womens Jersey . -- Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman is undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone above his left eye but has no other serious injuries after being hit in the face by a line drive in a spring training game. DJ Moore Jersey . Cleveland has won the first two of this set and has won six straight games since losing back-to-back tilts to open the year. Seattle, on the other hand, has now lost six in a row following consecutive wins to kick off its campaign. http://www.thepanthersofficialstore.com/authentic-greg-little-panthers-jersey/ . -- Downcast before the final game of what had been a difficult road trip, the Ottawa Senators found a way to dig out a little momentum in the desert before heading home. Christian McCaffrey Womens Jersey . Mueller is the grandson of the late Ron Lancaster, the Hall-of-Fame quarterback and longtime head coach in the CFL. Last season, Mueller was quarterbacks coach of the University of Regina Rams, his alma mater. Sam Mills Womens Jersey . Founding members of the Genie Army, a group of Eugenie Bouchard supporters who cheered for the rising tennis star during the Australian Open in January, will be in the city for the Rogers Cup, beginning this weekend.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A tough season for David Desharnais finally produced a bright spot. Desharnais scored in the shootout -- the only time he has found the net all season -- and Peter Budaj stopped all three shots he faced in the tiebreaker to lead the Montreal Canadiens to a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night. "You know what? He played well," Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said of Desharnais, the fifth-year pro who has one assist in 17 games this season. "He started on the fourth line and I saw his intensity in practice this week. "Im really glad for him and his confidence that he ended up scoring the goal in the shootout." Desharnais had been contributing so little that he was a healthy scratch in two of the previous four games. But he had a good percentage in shootouts last season, and that was enough for Therrien to send him out. Desharnais took his turn after the first three shooters were stopped. He came in and netted a hard forehand on Curtis McElhinneys stick side. "He had a quick release there," McElhinney said. "Shootouts are always difficult ways to end games." Budaj, giving starter Carey Price a night off before the Canadiens face the New York Rangers at home on Saturday night, had earlier stopped Mark Letestu and Anisimov. He blocked Ryan Johansens forehand attempt to clinch the win. Budaj, who had 23 saves, said Desharnais finally got repaid for his hard work. "David works so hard. Nobody sees that," Budaj said. "It has been tough for him, but he stayed the course like a true professional and kept working hard. The coach put him there, and he was ready. His hard work paid off. He made a big, big goal for us." Montreals regulation goals were scored by Alex Galchenyuk and Lars Eller. R.J. Umberger and Artem Anisimov had first-period goals for the Blue Jackets. McElhinney made 38 saves. The game pitted teams that have been struggling. The Canadiens had lost five of six (1-3-2), and the Blue Jackets have now dropped eight of nine (1-6-2) -- although they have earned at least a point in their last four games. "Were doing a lot of good things. I think thats maybe the frustrating part," forward Nick Foligno said. "There just seems to be that lull, that little moment in the game where we give them a chance to come back or we let them hang around.dddddddddddd We had a 2-0 game. Youve got to find a way to hold that lead." The Blue Jackets took that two-goal lead in the first period, one on a gift, but then helped give one back in the final seconds. The first came at 15:33 when Umberger was at the short boards on the left wing and fired a shot that Budaj missed because of a screen in front to make it 1-0. Columbus continued to pressure, and David Savards slap shot from the top of the right circle clanged off the post. Seconds later, Anisimov took a backhand swing at a loose puck that appeared to ramp off a Canadiens stick. The puck sailed high, and with Jared Boll on his back in the crease while bumping into Budaj, the puck lazily bounced into the net. After the Blue Jackets Jack Johnson and Montreals Brandon Prust went off with concurrent penalties, the Canadiens scored a goofy goal. Columbus defenceman Fedor Tyutin whiffed twice on a bouncing puck at the blue line, and Galchenyuk swooped in to beat McElhinney with a forehand with just 8 seconds left in the period. The Canadiens tied it on the power play at 7:34 of the second. They had gotten several prime opportunities on their first attempt with a man advantage. This time Daniel Briere had a clear shot from the high slot, but McElhinney blocked it. The rebound squirted off to the right doorstep where Eller jammed it in under McElhinneys right arm for his seventh goal. Budaj never let the Blue Jackets regain the lead. "Theres a disconnect somewhere," Columbus coach Todd Richards said. "Weve talked about it a lot. In the first period we execute, do the right things, have some success, and then we abandon it." NOTES: The Blue Jackets sustained a major blow Friday when it was announced RW Marian Gaborik will miss 4-to-6 weeks after spraining his left knee in a 3-2 overtime loss at Boston on Thursday. ... LW Prust returned to the Montreal lineup after missing 11 games with a shoulder injury. ... Columbus LW Matt Calvert, who has missed several weeks after abdominal surgery, and rookie C Boone Jenner, who missed his ninth game with a leg injury, are both skating. They could be available when the Blue Jackets start a season-high, five-game road trip on Sunday at Ottawa. ... Montreal killed 36 seconds of 3-on-5 in the first period. ' ' '