Bowens Sidelined for Dolphins’ Next Game

Tim Bowens, one of the Miami Dolphins’ top run stoppers, will not play next Sunday against the Oakland Raiders because of a knee injury.

Bowens, a defensive tackle who is 6 feet 4, 320 pounds, had arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage damage in his left knee Friday, a month after he had similar surgery on his right knee.

Bowens’ left knee started bothering him during training camp, but team doctors thought it was because he had been favoring his right knee since he hurt it last season.

Bowens didn’t have surgery on his right knee last year, instead opting to play through the injury.

Coach Dave Wannstedt said that Jermaine Haley will start in Bowens’ place. Filling in for Daryl Gardener when he was injured last season, Haley played well.

Safety Trent Gamble also will miss Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury.

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The coaches for the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers had agreed to practice against each other this week, but the plan was scrapped when players objected.

“You can understand the players’ point of view,” Saint Coach Jim Haslett said. “A number of players were concerned about leaving their families at this time.”

Each team has an open date next weekend, meaning a 21-day break.

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Empty stadiums, parking lots and hotels where fans normally gathered were the scene across the NFL.

At Indianapolis, fans who drove to the RCA Dome stuffed $10 bills into jars held by Colt players and cheerleaders. The money will go toward the relief effort.

At a bar in Orchard Park, N.Y., near the Buffalo Bills’ home stadium, a tape was shown of the Bills’ 1993 AFC wild-card playoff victory in which Buffalo overcame a 32-point deficit to beat the then-Houston Oilers in overtime.

In Tennessee, the show was a wedding instead of the Bengals vs. the Titans.

The bride, Lucinda Poole, wore a white Titan jersey.

The groom, Randy Wilmore, wore a blue one.

They planned the ceremony in April, after the NFL schedule was released, expecting to exchange vows in the parking lot adjacent to the stadium amid family, friends and hundreds of fellow tailgaters.

This was far more subdued.

An American flag replaced the Titan flag that usually flies from the couple’s SUV. And because so few people showed up, most of the plastic champagne glasses went unused.

People also were invited to drink and eat pieces of three wedding cakes decorated in red, white and blue.