Macomb, Ill. ? St. Louis Rams players are getting a break from the heat wave, with one practice called off for today and a full day off scheduled on Sunday.

“It has been very, very hot,” coach Mike Martz said Friday. “Our trainers and doctors have monitored the players closely. We’re giving them some well-earned time off.

“Everyone should be refreshed and ready to go again Monday morning.”

Through Friday afternoon, the Rams had participated in 12 practices in temperatures above 90 degrees.

The Rams will hold night practices, using portable lights, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The team and Western Illinois University have rented two large portable light towers to use on one of their three practice fields.

The school is picking up most of the cost of the lighting. The Rams had been planning to use the Western Illinois football field, but the track is under renovation.

Western Illinois is practicing on the field this week, but the Rams are concerned about the potential for injuries because rubberized asphalt has not been added to the track.

Earlier Friday, the Rams received updates on NFL rules changes from a four-man crew that supervised practice. The biggest change is a rule limiting elapsed time on field-goal attempts, something that would have given the Rams one last chance in the Super Bowl.

Adam Vinatieri’s 48-yard field goal that gave New England a 20-17 win would have left two seconds on the clock under the new rule, but the clock was allowed to run out. The kick came with seven seconds to go, and now no attempt can last longer than five seconds.

“Looking at it, a strong wind must have held that ball up,” referee Dick Hantak joked.