NFL postpones Fins-Bucs until November as Irma looms
The Dolphins and Buccaneers will open the season with a hurricane-imposed bye.
Their opener scheduled for Sunday was postponed by the NFL until Nov. 19 because of Hurricane Irma.
“This is bigger than football,” Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston said. “I just want everyone to be safe. Football is not important right now.”
Switching the game to Week 11 was possible because that had been a bye week for both teams. NFL offi- cials earlier announced the game would not be played in Miami this week.
The league also decided against playing this weekend at a neutral site, perhaps in Pennsylvania.
“I just don’t think that’s feasible, whether I would have liked that or not,” Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said. “I don’t think you could ask all the people who would have had to travel on both teams to say: ‘Hey, leave your families in the hurricane and let’s go play a game in Pittsburgh.’ I just don’t think that’s feasible.”
Irma is forecast to threaten much of Florida beginning this weekend.
“The No. 1 thing any of us should be thinking about is the safety of everyone involved,” Koetter said. “It’s a natural disaster. Football takes a back seat to all of that.”
Still, the scheduling situation prompted extensive discussions and speculation before the decision. Both teams resisted switching to Nov. 19 because it means playing the entire season without a break.
“To go 16 straight weeks without a break is really tough,” Bucs defensive end Chris Baker said.
BROWNS: Rookie defensive end Myles Garrett, the No. 1 overall pick, sustained an ankle injury in practice, leaving his status for the season opener in doubt.
BEARS: No. 2 overall draft pick Mitchell Trubisky will open the season as Chicago’s No. 2 quarterback. Coach John Fox said Trubisky will back up Mike Glennon when the Bears host the defending NFC champion Falcons on Sunday.
PACKERS: Receiver James Jones retired following a nine-year NFL career spent mostly with Green Bay.
RAIDERS: Coach Jack Del Rio brushed aside a question regarding rumors that the Raiders had given Sebastian Janikowski an ultimatum to take a pay cut and said concerns over the kicker’s health are what prompted the team to hold tryouts this week.
ETC.: Cam Newton became the latest NFL player to voice his support of free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick, saying it’s “unfair” he’s not on a roster.