Chad Scott understands this is a good opportunity, though not necessarily a permanent one. He understands this is his opportunity to make another contribution to a team that was 5-1 with him in the starting lineup, 9-0 without him. Even, as he is quick to note, it's in a meaningless regular-season finale for the Steelers.

	More Steelers coverage Steelers Notebook: Farrior fined for facemask penalty Fourth-grader uses heart and helmet to help others State Capitol loses biggest Steelers fan THE GAME Who: Steelers vs. Bills. When: 1 p.m. Sunday. Where: Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, N.Y. TV/Radio: KDKA/WDVE-FM (102.5), WBGG-AM (970). The skinny: The Steelers are 3-7 in games in Buffalo.

Scott makes his return to the starting lineup Sunday in Orchard Park, N.Y., against a Buffalo Bills team that has scored 228 points in its previous six outings, in a game that has absolutely no bearing on the Steelers' playoff seeding. And he returns not at the position he formerly occupied -- left cornerback, where he has played almost exclusively since being a No. 1 pick in 1997 -- but at right cornerback, a position that belongs to injured Deshea Townsend.

None of that, though, matters to Scott, who is glad to be playing again after missing nine games with a torn quadriceps tendon.

"It's a huge game for me, personally," Scott said. "I want to get back out there and play well and for the team to keep rolling. I know this game has no playoff implications and a lot of guys may not play the entire game. But, me personally, I just want to play the whole game."

Scott hasn't played in any game since he and nose tackle Casey Hampton each left the Oct. 17 game in Dallas with injuries they say were caused by the artificial surface -- SportField RealGrass -- at Texas Stadium.

Hampton was not as fortunate as Scott. The Pro Bowl nose tackle had damage to his anterior cruciate ligament and had season-ending knee surgery.

Initially, it was feared Scott would not return this year, either. But his injury was not as bad as thought in the moments after the Steelers' 24-20 victory against the Cowboys. Scott had a tear in the tendon that connects the quadriceps to his knee, an injury that would heal with rest. The Steelers kept him on the active roster, figuring he would return before the end of the regular season.

The moment finally has arrived.

"I'm just excited to get back out there and play," Scott said. "I'm not going to worry about my leg or my knee. I'm just going to play football that I've been playing the majority of my life, so it's just going to come natural."

The Steelers were in no hurry to rush Scott back into the lineup because his replacement, Willie Williams, who turned 34 Sunday, has played very well.

What's more, the Steelers don't intend to replace Williams with Scott, now that Scott is healthy enough to play. That's one of the reasons Scott is starting at right cornerback against the Bills (9-6) -- because Townsend has three broken bones in his right hand that occurred Sunday in the victory against the Baltimore Ravens and will not play until the team's first playoff game Jan. 15 or 16.

When Townsend returns, the plan is to have Scott be the team's nickel back -- fifth defensive back -- and play in pass situations. Williams will continue to start at left corner, Scott's position.

"I probably could have played a week or two ago, but, hey, if it's not broke, don't fix it," Scott said. "As a team, we're playing well. I'm not a selfish guy. I'm not bugging the coaches, get me out there, get me out there, although I really, really wanted to play."

And if Scott doesn't start the rest of the season, including playoffs?

"I'll understand that," said Scott, who has 19 career interceptions, including four touchdown returns. "We're 14-1 now. We were winning when I was starting and we continue to do so after my injury. I'm not going to make a big deal out of it. Whatever my role is to help this team try to win a championship, I'm going to do that to the best of my abilities.

"You need everything to make a Super Bowl run and you need as many people to help you as possible. You never know what's going to happen in the course of playoff games. They're so physical and intense, anything can happen. The more guys you have who can get the job done, the better."

Williams has one interception and six passes defended since replacing Scott at left cornerback. The lone interception was a dazzling one -- laying out his 5-foot-9, 190-pound frame to make a diving catch after his feet became entangled with New York Giants receiver Amani Toomer. Williams, though, does not "squat" on routes and try to gamble like Scott, going for the interception.

That's what has plagued Scott in the past, and left him vulnerable to deep passes. The Steelers have done a good job of preventing deep passes, even without Scott, though they have allowed five passes of 35 yards or longer in their past four games. That could be a problem against Buffalo's rookie receiver, Lee Evans, a No. 1 pick who has four catches of 50 yards or longer.

"I think Willie did a great job; the record hasn't changed since he's been in there," Scott said. "I was playing well, the team was 5-1, I was doing my job [when I was in there]. I had the one interception, but one deep pass was caught on me so that was a wash. But if you play corner long enough they will catch the ball on you."