NFL NOTEBOOK: DOLPHINS MOVE GAME UP A DAY.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services

As the Miami Dolphins prepared to practice Thursday, quarterbacks A.J. Feeley and Sage Rosenfels sat in the locker room and studied a laptop showing the projected path of Hurricane Ivan.

Like the rest of Florida, the Dolphins are anxious about the latest storm heading their way.

With the forecast ominous, Miami's season opener against the Tennessee Titans was switched to Saturday from Sunday. Kickoff will still be at 1 p.m. EDT.

``Our first question was how we could make this safe for everyone,'' Dolphins president Eddie Jones said Thursday. ``Our first concern is for families of our players and staff and, of course, being in Miami, for our fans.''

Ivan could reach southern Florida as soon as Sunday, forecasters said.

``Here we are going into the middle of a Category 5 hurricane,'' Titans tackle Fred Miller said. ``The thing could speed up, slow down - you just don't know, and it's unpredictable. I'm definitely going to have a car rented just in case. I'm not going to sit in a Category 5 hurricane.''

The Dolphins and Titans discussed moving the sold-out game to other sites, including Nashville, but decided to change the date instead.

``It's pretty wild,'' said Dolphins linebacker Junior Seau, the former USC star from San Diego. ``Where I come from, we have earthquakes. It just happens. Here, you can monitor hurricanes for days and days and your life stops.''

The Titans now plan to fly to South Florida this afternoon. Coach Jeff Fisher said his staff anticipated a possible scheduling change several days ago.

``We're going to go down 24 hours early and beating the storm,'' he said. ``Logistically everything works out.''

The last time the Dolphins' schedule was affected by a hurricane was in 1992, when devastation caused by Andrew forced the opener against New England to be moved to a bye week in October.

--L.A. talks: Developer Steve Hopkins, who controls the Carson property that the NFL is considering as a stadium site for a Los Angeles franchise, traveled to Boston Thursday to continue discussions with league officials on a term sheet, said Carson economic development director Ron Winkler.

Carson has also received bids back from consultants who would conduct an environmental impact report on the site for the city. Winkler said city officials will review the bids in the next few weeks and make a recommendation to the city council early next month.

- Billy Witz

--Time to talk: Rams offensive tackle Orlando Pace broke a three-day silence on his contract holdout, saying a lighter playing weight would help him get back into playing shape in time for Sunday's opener.

Earlier this week Pace agreed to a one-year, $7.02 million contract as the team's franchise player, and he practiced for the first time Wednesday. He reported at 325 pounds, almost 20 pounds below last year, and believes that will offset the fact he's got only four practices to get ready.

During the offseason, in addition to working out on his own, Pace largely eliminated fried foods from his diet and cut back on his soft drink intake.

``I feel light years better than I did last year,'' Pace said. ``I feel a lot quicker, a lot fresher. That was one of the elements I dealt with last year, just trying to get the weight down.''

After two workouts, the Rams have been pleasantly surprised by Pace's conditioning.

``It looks like he's been here all camp, honest to goodness he does,'' coach Mike Martz said. ``No mental errors and he's quick, he's physical.''

--Roster moves: A day after the Rams' signing of Jason Sehorn (USC) fell through, the team re-signed a safety they released four days earlier.

The Rams brought back Justin Lucas and placed yet another safety, Zack Bronson, on injured reserve with an injured left ankle. They also signed running back Stephen Trejo and released tight end Mike Brake, continuing a flurry of moves in the final days before the season opener.

Lucas was released in the final round of roster cuts Sunday. He was at his home in Arizona when the Rams called and re-signed him in time to play against the Arizona Cardinals.

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Titans quarterback Steve McNair, right, hands off to Antowain Smith during Thursday's practice in Nashville, Tenn. The Titans must fly to Miami today to face the Dolphins.

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press