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Hurricane Irma: Miami Dolphins players preparing for all possibilities

By The Sports Xchange

Hurricane Irma, which grew to a Category 5 storm on Tuesday, might force the NFL to shift opening week for the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Dolphins are scheduled to host the Buccaneers on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. Players on the Miami roster are preparing for all possibilities, including hosting the game Friday night.

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Workers at the stadium were reportedly informed Tuesday that a decision on when to play the game was likely by the end of the day.

NFL officials held a conference call Tuesday morning but made no decision on delaying the game.

Current weather models project landfall in South Florida late in the upcoming weekend. The hurricane was tracking toward Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba.

The Houston Texans announced their scheduled home game Sunday would remain at NRG Stadium as recovery from Hurricane Harvey continues.

One alternate option for the Bucs-Dolphins game is to push the date of the game to Week 11, when both teams are scheduled for a bye week. However, players opposed pushing the game -- and surrendering the late-season bye -- to November.

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