The Fins have asked the league office to put 2 of their 3 west coast games back to back, and if the league complies the Fins will stay on the west coast for both games.
They actually did this before, in 04, vs Seattle(L) then SF(W).
I'm not sure if it helps, but I'm pretty sure it can't hurt, both situations put some strain on some players.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/
-
Unlucky 13 likes this.
-
Until they get the franchise ship righted, they can play games at 3 am, won't matter, there won't be any home field advantage.Agua likes this.
-
I think a small part of getting the franchise ship righted is doing what you can (legally) to gain any small advantage. That includes playing in hot humid weather that naturally helps wear out the opponent by the 4th quarter.
So yeah you're right it won't be the primary reason for a Dolphins turnaround, but knowing the owner thinks winning is more important than fan comfort would certainly help!PSG, Da 'Fins, dolphin25 and 1 other person like this. -
Unfortunately the heat/humidity is not an advantage for Miami. With the the air conditioned bubble they don't practice in the humidity and heat like they did before it was built. Then they go into the AC building then the AC cars into their AC houses. That and teams coming down to play use forced air blowers and cools zones and the Jets always bring a canopy that shades their bench. It's a factor but the advantage has been minimized. in fact it worked against Miami at least once this year.Puka-head and DolphinGreg like this.
-
Well i hope so. I hope with the roof added next year more local fans will go to games and not worry about frying in the sun. That and the team rebounding and winning. it just isn't like the 80's and back with a full orange bowl with Dolphin fans. The Migration of people from the north east to south Florida has changed the demographic. It's unfortunate but hopefully the roof will help bring in more fans. If it was up to me i'd rip down that bubble or put stricter use of it.
-
The practice bubble was made for inclement weather. It is used so they can continue practicing when it rains or there is a probability of lightning in the area, common in the summer months of training camp. It's also ideal to work on certain things in secret, in a controlled environment, especially during the regular season. They don't use it to escape the heat.
-
Not really a fan of this. Sports psychologists put a big emphasis on routine as being important for high performers, and having the players live out of a suitcase for a week won"t help.
Travelling across the country sucks, but living out of a suitcase for a week sucks more. -
I agree. I think this is something the fans tend to overrate now. Better conditioning by opponents, sports science and various technologies have all served to help minimize what used to be a significant advantage. And for the past decade or more, this team really hasn't had the talent and the kind of roster in place to utilize whatever we could of the heat and humidity.DolphinGreg likes this.
-
Da 'Fins Season Ticket Holder Staff Member Club Member
On the 1 PM games. I agree we need to do more of those. Disagree that the heat and sun do not matter. Players are in good condition but it still has an impact on draining you. It's not necessary that they are out of shape. Put two people in identical condition - good or bad shape - and put one in the sun and heat and in a dark jersey and it will impact them.
And, in fact, there are a lot of D and O linemen who carry an extra 30 lbs for weight purposes - or more, see Vince Wilfork! - they aren't in peak condition (esp. a lot of run stopping NTs). And, when we play in white Jerseys and put them in dark jerseys it has an impact. Even if it's taking a guy off the field for a couple of plays to get a breather that can be an impact. Who wouldn't want a Wilfork-type off the field for a few plays?
And, even though there is a practice bubble for Miami, they still do play a lot outside and do get used to the humidity and sun. As someone who has lived in mutiple regions (NY, FL, TX, CA, NC, AL, etc.) I can tell you that the sun and humidity in FL makes a big difference. That sun bearing down on the sidelines has an impact in draining a player - I even feel a difference between FL and AL (even though it can get really hot in Alabama). So, too, the humidity is a big factor (esp. for teams from less humid regions).
Where it can have a real impact is on a hot day in October/November - when teams are practicing at home in dryer or cooler weather and they hit an 80-85 degree day with a lot of sun and humidity - it is draining.
The great thing too is that with the new awning over the stadium, the visitors will still be in the sun and the Dolphins will have their backs to it plus will largely be in the shade. That's a big factor.
I actually remember a coach this year complaining about coaching on a sideline in the sun - If I recall correctly it was an NFL coach re: his team being at home but on the sideline that is in the sun which he didn't like. If a coach is complaining about that for his team then by all means any little advantage and detail you can do to disadvantage your opponent - Do it! That's exactly what a guy like Belichick would do, and it's fully within the rules. -
Aren't we getting the canopy up soon, and theyre putting more cooling vents in the stadium as well.. The stadium overall will be as cool as the practice bubble, which is where they run most of their practices anyways. I don't see any advantage on the 1 PM games.
-
2014 we beat the Pats with the help of the weather, they were up 20-10 at the half, making it look fairly easy, but they were done, the entire team was out there sucking wind in the 2nd half and we won the game 33-20.
It's a scientific fact that people get adjusted to the climate they live in, if you aren't used to the heat and the humidity it will suck the energy out of you. -
Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't it hurt more to play in it 8 games a year and practice in it all the time as opposed to playing in it once? After all, overcoming something once is reasonable. Overcoming it over and over is harder.
No one becomes immune to heat in just a few years. You don't evolve into a camel in just a couple of weeks, months or years. You sweat, you get dehydrated and you get tired. I suspect it constantly hurts Miami. I suspect it's just another reason Miami has been so lousy as a home team. There's no advantage. Heck, the burden is mostly on Miami's players.
If it did anything I would think it would make Miami permanently worn out team. -
People acclimate to different environments, be it hot and humid weather or high altitude, etc.. There are more studies on short-term acclimatization than long-term for athletes because they want to know whether it's best to just fly in on the day of a match/game or train there for days or weeks ahead. Generally, a few weeks are required for a decent level of acclimatization (it's always a subject brought up in international soccer matches like when one has to play in Mexico City or in La Paz, Bolivia).
But there's no question you can acclimate even further. Mountain climbers will tell you that it can take years to fully acclimate to high altitude, and physiological changes like increase in red blood cell content occurs (or in the case of acclimatization to hot humid weather you see less salt in sweat). So living in S. Florida alone will give the Dolphins an advantage in hot humid conditions. Your body simply doesn't wear out as much when playing in those conditions. -
That's not true they do use it to avoid practicing in the heat. They have several times and had been mentioned in a quote by Dan Campbell prior to the Dallas game.
-
With the Chargers staying in SD for 2016, it means we won't have two games in the same city, but LA and SD are close enough to make one trip certainly feasable. Would be nice to have those as back to back away games in week 7 & 8 and then have the BYE.