While the Dolphins’ co-tenants in their refurbished stadium have made backup plans for September, the Dolphins are going to operate without a net.
Owner Steve Ross met with reporters Friday morning, and said the $500 million renovation project may have been more extensive and complex than he imagined, but that he planned to play the team’s preseason finale there.
“I know we will be playing Sept. 1,” Ross said, via Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. “There.”
And while he admitted having some concerns about the pace of the project in the past, he added: “I don’t feel them today. There is no backup plan.”
Earlier this month, the Miami Hurricanes admitted they were lining up a Plan B for their Sept. 3 regular season opener. The Dolphins and/or the league shifted their Week Three preseason game to Orlando, in part as a dry run for the Pro Bowl game being held there.
The Dolphins open the regular season with two games on the road and don’t play at home until Sept. 25, giving them plenty of buffer in case the project hadn’t gone as planned.
Ross also said the tests they’ve done show the canopy being installed over the seating area drops the temperature by 31 degrees, a bit of shade Dolphins fans should enjoy.