Dolphins defensive back Jason Allen went through a full practice Wednesday with a hard cast on his broken right hand and said he no longer feels pain in the hand.

Still, Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said he wasn't sure whether Allen will play Sunday against Buffalo.

''Jason practiced [Wednesday] and we'll just see what we see at the end of the week here as the week goes on, but hopefully it will be positive,'' Sparano said.

Allen doesn't appear on Wednesday's injury report, even though the injury forced him to miss last week's game against the Rams. Allen was listed as probable to play right up until last Sunday. After the Dolphins made him inactive, the team told the NFL it wasn't an injury-related decision. Allen said Wednesday he didn't play because he wanted to give the hand more rest.

The Rams focused much of their passing attack at Allen's replacement at nickel cornerback, Joey Thomas, and got a couple of pass-interference calls out of it early. No matter which Bills quarterback plays Sunday -- Trent Edwards, who has a groin injury, sat out Wednesday's practice and J.P. Losman got all of the first-team snaps -- the same can be expected.

It isn't clear when Allen was injured. Allen said he played the second half of a Nov. 23 loss to New England with the injury. ''I wanted to finish the game,'' Allen said. ``Sometimes, I can be a little hard-headed.''

JOHNSON AT CENTER

In drills during the portion of practice open to the media, Al Johnson took some repetitions at center with the first-team offensive line.

That line had Ikechuku Ndukwe still at right guard and Andy Alleman at left guard, a position Justin Smiley held down until he sustained a season-ending ankle injury against the Rams. As the team drills began, Samson Satele took over the center spot on the first-team line.

SPARANO IN CANADA

The Rogers Centre roof will be closed Sunday, a circumstance that upsets more than a few Buffalo fans who long for December wind blasts that would send the Dolphins shivering into submission. Those are blasts that blew Sparano right back across the border.

When the NFL started the World League of American Football in the early 1990s, the league included the Montreal Machine.

Montreal coach Jacques Dussault, a former Canadian Football League coach, had been a guest coach at Boston University several times and befriended Sparano, then BU's offensive coordinator.

So, he had Sparano up to interview for a coaching position.

''I got off the plane in Montreal and that literally was the coldest I've ever been in my life. No way. Not for me,'' Sparano chuckled. As for the job, he used the modern sports standby: ``I went in a different direction.''

GOOD RIDDANCE

One thing Dolphins defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday won't miss about the Bills' usual home, Ralph Wilson Stadium, is the visiting locker room.

''Especially the toilet situation up there,'' Holliday said. ``There's, like, two stalls. Most places, you have four or five stalls. There are two stalls and one of them is open.''

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