A whopping 12 rookies (eight draft picks, four college free agents) have played for the Broncos. An NFL-high six rookies have appeared in all 14 games, while eight have started a combined 50 games at 10 different positions. Spencer Larsen, a sixth-round draft pick, started at fullback and linebacker in the same game.

"The rookies have stepped up and played well," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said this week during a conference call with the Buffalo media.

Leading the youth movement are left tackle Ryan Clady and wide receiver Eddie Royal.

Clady, the Broncos' first-round pick and 12th overall selection (Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin was the 11th pick), has started every game, allowed just a half sack and committed just three penalties. A lot of national media touted Clady for the Pro Bowl ahead of Buffalo's Jason Peters.

"He came in the first day and we put him at the left tackle position and he hasn't disappointed us," Shanahan said of Clady. "He's gone against some of the best defensive ends in the league and really has fared quite well."

So has Royal. The fifth of 10 wide receivers drafted in the second round and chosen one pick after the Bills took James Hardy, Royal has far and away outperformed his peers.

Royal leads all rookies with 75 catches for 847 yards and ranks sixth in the league with 1,623 combined yards. Nicknamed "Vet" by teammates because he conducts himself like a veteran, Royal also is the NFL's eighth-ranked kickoff returner (26.1-yard average).

"Usually you don't have a kid that's mature that early," Shanahan said. "He's very smart. He knows all the different positions. He's like a five-, six-year veteran coming in. Sometimes the game's too big for young guys coming in. They can't focus on the game. They get caught up in everything else. Eddie is just very grounded, very level-headed and has just come in and done everything we have asked him to do."

Among the undrafted rookies with prominent roles are punter and Grand Island native Brett Kern, who is fifth in the NFL with a 47-yard gross average, and linebacker Wesley Woodyard, who has started the last six games and averages seven tackles per outing. Cornerback Josh Bell, also undrafted, has started the last five games in place of an injured Champ Bailey.

One of the biggest surprises was running back Peyton Hillis, who led the Broncos in rushing before his season ended with a torn hamstring. The seventh-round pick spent most of his college career at Arkansas blocking for 2008 first-round picks Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.

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Wide receiver Roscoe Parrish was added to the Bills' injury report Friday after leaving practice early with a bruised knee. He was hurt near the end of individual drills during practice. He was treated by the team trainers and retired into the trainer's room.

Parrish is listed as questionable, though he expects to play Sunday. Quarterback Trent Edwards (groin), running back Marshawn Lynch (shoulder) and left tackle Jason Peters (hip) also are questionable. All three were limited in practice Friday. If Edwards can't go, Gibran Hamdan will start. Head coach Dick Jauron expressed earlier that he was optimistic about Lynch and Peters, but for now they are game-time decisions.

Cornerback Jabari Greer is listed as doubtful and expected to miss his fifth game with a sprained knee. Linebacker Teddy Lehman (groin) is out.

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One of the casualties in the Bills' 31-27 loss to the Jets last week -- besides the Bills' season -- was referee Jeff Triplette, whose nose was bloodied when he hit the turf face-first after colliding with Bills center Duke Preston during Shaun Ellis' game-winning fumble return for a touchdown.

The 6-foot-5, 326-pound Preston was trying to chase down Ellis before he reached the end zone, but ran into Triplette at the goal line. The impact knocked Triplette off balance and he fell forward to the turf. Triplette had gauze stuffed in his nostrils and finished the game.

"I knew I had bumped into him, but I didn't know how bad he was hurt," Preston said. "And when we went back out for the next drive and he had gauze in his nose and was bleeding, I was like, 'Man, I can't believe that happened.' After the game, I was just sitting in the locker room and said, 'I better go find that guy.' I didn't want him to think that it was anything malicious or out of frustration or anything like that because it wasn't."

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The Bills will see a familiar face on the Broncos' sideline Sunday. Linebacker Mario Haggan spent the first five years of his career in Buffalo, but left as a free agent. He began this season serving a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy and was signed by Denver last month.

Haggan was a special teams standout for the Bills, and he continues to excel in that area for the Broncos. He's also contributed on defense as well, registering 18 tackles (16 solo) and one sack in six games.

"Special teams is very obvious; he's played very well," Shanahan said. "And when he's had opportunities on defense he's really taken advantage of it."

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The Bills had a rare practice outside Thursday. The snowstorm chased them inside Friday, but someone made sure it was chilly in the field house.

With early forecasts calling for low temperatures, Jauron wanted to get the players used to the expected frigid conditions.

"At least prediction-wise, it's very similar to what we're supposed to get there," Jauron said. "Colder there, but about as windy. If we can get the similar conditions it makes sense to go out."

e-mail: awilson@buffnews.com