DOLPHINS Saban's plans to work cut short

Miami began preparations for Sunday's game in Baton Rouge.
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -- Miami Dolphins coach Nick Saban planned to wait out Hurricane Wilma by watching game film at work. His wife said no.
"I tried to escape yesterday before the wind started blowing so I could come here where we had a generator and watch film and work during the storm," Saban said Tuesday at the team's complex. "And Terry politely said, 'If you leave the house now, I'm calling the cops and telling them to arrest you.'
"So that was basically the end of that."
Instead, Saban was home when the hurricane hit Monday. Later, he said, he stood in a foot of water and used a hand saw to remove a tree that fell on his front gate.
Some without power
Despite damage from Wilma, Saban and his team returned to practice Tuesday. Many of the players left homes still without power.
"That's what we've got to deal with after we leave here," offensive tackle Damion McIntosh said. "While we're here, concentrate on what we've go to do as far as preparation and things like that. That's what we did. It wasn't a lot of talk about what happened."
Saban praised his team's focus on football under the circumstances.
"I don't care if you are a coach or player, you have family and personal issues and those things that are of concern," Saban said. "Everybody's safety is of concern. I have a great appreciation for the players and what they were able to do today to stay focused on the things that we wanted to try to get accomplished."
The Dolphins began preparations for their game Sunday in Baton Rouge against another team affected by a hurricane, the New Orleans Saints.
The Dolphins worked Tuesday, a normal day off, because the players were excused Monday when the storm hit. The team complex, which sustained minor tree damage, was operating with the help of a generator.
Nice change
For some players, returning to practice represented a nice change after a few days spent preparing for and then weathering the storm.
"It's refreshing," defensive end David Bowens said. "It kind of stinks for my family to be at home and be without power. But for me to come here, I can kind of get my mind off of things."
It was more difficult for guard Rex Hadnot, who left had to leave his pregnant fiancee at a powerless home.
"She's from Ohio. This is all new stuff for her," Hadnot said. "I had to answer a lot of questions I didn't know the answers to."
Linebacker Jason Glenn, whose house in Texas sustained minor damage from Hurricane Rita, said Wilma was the most terrifying storm he ever experienced. He said he took refuge in his bathroom with his daughter's Yorkie for more than three hours Monday morning.
The Saints, of course, have had the worst of the hurricane travails. They were forced from New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina, and Sunday's game will be their first of four at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.
Lou at LSU
It will be a homecoming of sorts for Saban, who coached Louisiana State for five seasons before leaving to take over the Dolphins this season.
"This game is really about our players and not about me going back to Baton Rouge," Saban said. "I have a lot of personal relationships there and good friends and people, but this is so much bigger than that, in terms of the game itself.
"My focus is on trying to get our players in the best position we can to have an opportunity to be successful. The other stuff is pretty minor."
Saban said the Dolphins weren't able to find lodging in Baton Rouge until last week, and only after splitting 50 rooms between two hotels.
"That's something we can't control," said tight end Randy McMichael. "As long as I've got somewhere to lay down, I'll be ready on Sunday."