Cold road ahead for Dolphins to make playoffs

[December 18, 2008]  DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -- In the seven seasons Vonnie Holliday spent playing with Kansas City and Green Bay, the defensive end always loved playing teams from Florida in December.

"I remember if a team from Florida was coming in we'd say, 'That's the difference. These guys are down there in that sun and fun right now, and if we can just jump up on them early, they'll want to get back on that bus and go home,'" Holliday said Wednesday.

Now he finds himself on the other end in Miami.

The Dolphins (9-5) are back in the playoff mix, but will need to break their trend of frigid flops to clinch the AFC East title and avoid another December downfall. Miami's final two games at Kansas City and the New York Jets should bring temperatures below freezing -- or worse -- at kickoff.

The forecast against the Chiefs on Sunday is for a high of around 20 degrees. And with winds expected to whip as much as 25 mph, it would feel far worse.

"First of all, we need not to make excuses," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. "But secondly, I think that the type of game we do play suits the elements. It's not like we are playing fastbreak football out there. We're not a run-and-shoot team. We're not trying to spread it out and throw it all over the place or any of those kind of things."

When the conditions turn chilly, the warm-weather Dolphins have historically gone cold.

The coldest game the Dolphins have ever played was at New England on Dec. 11, 1977, when the temperature dipped to 14 degrees. They also played in 22 degrees at New England on Dec. 12, 1982.

The Dolphins are 3-6 when it is 25 degrees or colder.

"When you first step out there during warm-ups, yeah, it's going to be cold," receiver Brandon London said. "We're out here practicing under palm trees right now, so it's going to be a lot different."

The Dolphins have been fortunate to dodge the wintry weather on their schedule so far the season.

They played at New England in September, and their December game against Buffalo was moved indoors to Toronto as part of the NFL's effort to get international exposure.

"No doubt about it, we've been very fortunate," Holliday said. "We haven't had a cold weather game yet. Certainly, that Toronto game was a big lift for us. Going into that dome, it was nice and cozy."

But the schedule doesn't do Miami any favors now. Besides the trip to Kansas City, a late December game in New York is rarely warm.

And Miami's regular-season finale against the Jets -- which could set up as a winner-take-all AFC East title game -- might also be moved to an 8:15 p.m. kickoff under the league's flex scheduling policy.

But the idea of playing in the playoffs should be enough motivation to keep the Dolphins warm.

The Dolphins are tied with the Jets and Patriots for the AFC East lead. Miami owns the tiebreaker and will go to the postseason for the first time since 2001 if it can sweep the final two games. A loss, and the Dolphins could be left out in the cold.

"The weather is one of those things you can't control," running back Ronnie Brown said. "And I think the overall goal is bigger than the weather factor. The opportunity that we have as a team, I think, is a bigger factor right now."

[Associated Press; By ANTONIO GONZALEZ]

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