THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO -- The NFL's first-ever game in Canada will feature a little Canadian content.

Sophomore defensive tackle Corey Mace, a native of Port Moody, B.C., will dress for Buffalo when it faces its arch rival, the Miami Dolphins, in the historic contest Sunday at Rogers Centre. It will be the first NFL regular-season game ever played in Canada and second of eight the Bills will stage in Toronto through 2012.

The first game was a 24-21 exhibition loss to Pittsburgh in August.

Buffalo promoted the six-foot-three, 287-pound Mace, who signed last year as an undrafted free agent, from the practice roster Saturday after placing rookie defensive end Chris Ellis on injured reserve with a season-ending ankle injury. Mace, who played collegiately at Wyoming, has spent most of his two-year stint on the Bills' practice roster, having been activated for one game last year but not playing.

"It really hasn't sunk in yet," Mace said following the Bills' workout Saturday at Rogers Centre. "Looking at it right now, it's a dream come true.

"It's been a long, long road. I'm still a young guy but for my liking it seems like it's been forever. It's definitely very important to me."

Bills coach Dick Jauron said Mace earned his promotion to the active roster.

"Corey has worked very hard the past two years for us," he said. "You hate to lose any player off your roster but you really do feel good about giving a guy who has worked that hard, and shown that promise, an opportunity and it was fortunate that it happened at this time.

"We're excited about seeing him. I don't know how much field time he'll get but he'll play some."

The game is a big one for both teams.

Miami (7-5) is tied for second in the AFC East with New England, just a game behind the first-place New York Jets. The Dolphins are looking for their sixth win in seven games after posting a dismal 1-15 record last season.

Miami beat Buffalo 25-16 in Florida on Oct. 26 and can earn its first season sweep of the Bills since '03.

Buffalo (6-6) is last in the division having lost five of six games after opening the season with four straight wins. A loss to Miami would virtually eliminate the Bills from playoff contention and extend their post-season drought to nine straight seasons.

Backup quarterback J.P. Losman will be making his first start of the season for buffalo. Incumbent Trent Edwards didn't practise this week after suffering a groin injury in last week's 10-3 home loss to San Francisco.

The game will also feature the return of Miami running back Ricky Williams. The former Heisman Trophy winner spent the '06 season with the CFL's Toronto Argonauts while suspended by the NFL for violating its substance abuse policy.

The Bills will receive US$78 million -- more than double their calculated 2006 operating income -- for the eight games in Toronto. Buffalo officials have continuously promoted the series as an attempt to expand their club's regional footprint into the lucrative southern Ontario market and establish a firm presence in Canada's financial capital.

The Toronto-based group staging the games -- spearheaded by Rogers Communications and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment's Larry Tanenbaum -- is looking to showcase the city as a viable NFL centre in its efforts to lure a franchise north of the border. And Rogers Communications vice-chairman Phil Lind said Saturday that goal hasn't change with the death this week of company president Ted Rogers.

"Remember the partnership was Larry Tanenbaum and ourselves," Lind said. "But Larry Tanenbaum is not a receding figure in sports as he's increasing his percentage in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.

"Ted Rogers has four kids, remember that, including Edward, his son who loves this game. I wouldn't exactly put it on the shelf, guys."

Lind also said the Toronto group will actively pursue more Bills games at Rogers Centre if the NFL increases its regular-season schedule.

.The NFL is looking at reducing its exhibition season and adding another game or two to the current 16-game regular-season schedule. The league has already solidified its '09 campaign, meaning the earliest that could happen is 2010.

As part of the current eight-game series, the Bills will play an exhibition and regular-season contest in 2008, 2010 and 2012 and just a regular-season game in 2009 and 2011, all at Rogers Centre.

Lind said that agreement could either be tweaked to drop the remaining exhibition games and replace them with regular-season contests. Or, he added, other regular-season matchups could merely be added.

"Generally speaking, I'm open to a game or two more," he said. "We're going to look for that."

The Toronto group has come under fire for charging exceeding high ticket prices for the series -- an average of $183 per game and a $575 top price. The $183 figure is double the highest-priced average ticket in the NFL last year (which was sold in New England) and substantially more than the US$51 average the Bills charge for their home games at the 72,000-seat Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y.

"The ticket packages could've been done better," Lind admitted. "But we didn't over-estimate or under-estimate the crowd.

"The crowd is going to be here and it's what we thought would be here. This has been a long campaign but one that hasn't been particularly difficult. There have been some problems here and there, but overall, it's been pretty good."