Dolphins use freezer to help prepare for game at Pittsburgh

DAVIE, Fla. (AP) The Miami Dolphins are using a freezer to help prepare for their trip to Pittsburgh.

With temperatures in the 80s this week in South Florida, it has been difficult for the Dolphins to simulate conditions for Sunday's playoff game.

Special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi tried by putting balls used by the team's place-kicker and punter in a freezer before practice.

''They definitely become hard in the colder weather,'' Rizzi said. ''But there's only so much you can do in this kind of weather to practice. We actually put balls in the freezer, believe it or not. But you bring them out, and five minutes later they've thawed out.''

The forecast for the game calls for a temperature of about 20 degrees.

---

For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL