BUCS-DOPHINS OPENER TO MOVE

With Hurricane Irma brewing in the Atlantic and threatening to blast Florida in the coming days, the NFL on Tuesday announced the Tampa Buccaneers-Miami Dolphins regularseason opener will not be held Sunday afternoon in South Florida, though no replacement plan has been set. “In the interest of public safety in light of the current state of emergency, the NFL, in consultation with state and local officials as well as both clubs, has decided that playing an NFL game in South Florida this week is not appropriate,” the league wrote in a statement. Playing the game at a neutral site Sunday or later in the year in South Florida are among options still under consideration, the NFL said. Both teams have a Week 11 bye (Nov. 19), but playing it then would force the clubs to be on the field for 16 consecutive weeks.