by Sports Xchange

Updated: December 4, 2008, 3:20 AM EST

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"This team is made up of many different players and a lot of these guys are veteran players that have played in those elements before. Some of these college guys have played in those type of situations. God, our kicker (Dan Carpenter) came from Montana, so they're used to playing in this. The game is a big enough game in which wherever it was, I would hope that the elements wouldn't have been a factor one way or the other," Sparano said.

Veteran defensive end Vonnie Holliday was told that a couple of Bills players signed a fans petition that is pleading with the Rogers Communications folks to open the dome so the Bills wouldn't lose their home-field advantage. Miami is 2-7 against the Bills when playing at Ralph Wilson Stadium Dec. 1 or later.

"When I looked at the schedule and saw that we were going to be indoors in Toronto, you have to be excited and happy about that because looking at the end of the schedule, Kansas City, the Jets and possibly Buffalo at Buffalo, it was ugly. That was certainly some light and the end of that tunnel when you're talking about going indoors," Holliday said.

Veteran linebacker Akin Ayodele could care less about playing indoors as opposed to outside at Ralph Wilson Stadium in chilly Buffalo.

"I've played enough games in this league to understand that you've got to worry about things that you can control and things that you can't control you just have to let it go. The NFL has done us a favor and put us inside a dome, so we're going to go out there and we're going to play," Ayodele said.

Sparano posted signs in every player's locker that read: "Enthusiasm is contagious. Be a carrier."

He's not espousing the usual one game at a time cliche, now that his players know that if they run the table they will win the AFC East crown because they'll hold tiebreaker edges over the Jets and Patriots.

"Coach Sparano is saying that we've put ourselves in a position where the last four games mean something ... the stakes are higher," quarterback Chad Pennington said. "There's no excuse not to be up for a game now regardless of who you're playing, whether it's the worst team in the league or the best team in the league, or the local high school."

The Dolphins know that the Bills' most potent weapon these days is running back Marshawn Lynch, who is coming off a season-high 134 yards against the 49ers.

"He's a tough back. He's a shifty guy who can go around you and he can lower his head. He's very deceptive in the things that he does. We just have to make sure that we have at least three or four guys around to tackle him because he breaks a lot of tackles," said Miami strong safety Yeremiah Bell, who leads the team with 92 tackles.

SERIES HISTORY: 86th meeting. Dolphins lead series, 50-34-1, not including 1-3 in the postseason. Miami beat Buffalo 25-16 on Oct. 26 by forcing three four turnovers and getting a career game out of second-year receiver Ted Ginn Jr., who had seven catches for 175 yards.