Some Miami Dolphins players are arriving in Southern California on Monday as the team prepares to have a meeting Tuesday and practice Wednesday at the Dallas Cowboys' training camp facility in Oxnard, Calif. The Dolphins are hopeful every player will get there, but there's no guarantee each can complete his journey due to Hurricane Irma-related travel disruptions.
In the meantime, the Dolphins inquired with the NFL about moving their Oct. 1 game in London against New Orleans to Hard Rock Stadium, but the league said the game must stay in London according to a source. The Dolphins haven't yet been able to assess damage to the stadium from Hurricane Irma, but they have a contingency plan to practice next week in West Virginia if their training facility in Davie, Fla., sustained significant hurricane damage.
A possible tornado was reported near Hard Rock Stadium during Hurricane Irma, and structural engineers will inspect the complex for potential damage, a league source said.
Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers now serves as the Dolphins' season opener after last week's game against Tampa Bay at Hard Rock Stadium was rescheduled for Nov. 19.
Players who fled Hurricane Irma and/or used the postponed game as a bye week are traveling from many parts of the country to reach Southern California, but whether they arrive Monday depends largely on whether they were able to get a ticket, which airport they're departing from, and which airport they land.
Owner Steve Ross flew many players, staff, coaches and their families to Southern California on Friday night to escape Hurricane Irma. Ross flew another group to Southern California on Saturday. He'll fly the families back, at his expense, when it's deemed safe.
Other players, however, with team permission, departed for destinations of their choice.
Meanwhile, coaches and staff in Southern California are preparing to have a normal week heading into the Chargers game.
Because of the postponed Tampa Bay opener, the Dolphins won't play at Hard Rock Stadium until Oct. 8, at the earliest, when they're scheduled to host Tennessee. The Dolphins visit the New York Jets on Sept. 24 and then play the Saints in London.
The Dolphins, who are hosting Super Bowl LIV in 2020, agreed to play in London this year as part of a NFL resolution that states teams must play an international game within five years of being awarded a Super Bowl.
Ross had more than $500 million of renovation work completed during the offseason and the stadium was said to have been built to withstand a Category 4 hurricane. Irma wasn't nearly that destructive as it swept across South Florida on Sunday but the stadium still must be inspected.
The training facility must be inspected, too.
If the training facility is damaged, the Dolphins would practice in West Virginia in preparation for their Sept. 24 game at the New York Jets.
If the Dolphins are forced to practice away from home prior to the Jets game they'd have an early-season odyssey that includes practicing in Southern California, then playing the Chargers in Los Angeles, then traveling to West Virginia for a week, then going to New York to play the Jets, then, hopefully practicing back home in South Florida before traveling to London to face the Saints.
And after all that they'd return home again for what is now the home opener _ the Oct. 8 game against Tennessee.
