IRVING, Texas -- While I wait in the lobby of the Omni Mandalay Hotel for owners who don't seem particularly interested in saying anything of substance, I've been pondering the New York/New Jersey Super Bowl bid. Part of me really likes the idea of a cold-weather game because it's something different. In fact, Neil Best of Newsday thinks that's precisely the reason the league has embraced the idea.

"Don't underestimate that as a factor," writes Best. "Many of those fortunate enough to attend Super Bowls do so on a regular basis, including the 32 guys who get to vote on bids. Anything to alter a formula that hasn't changed much in 25 years potentially is welcome.

"Well, almost anything. When an ice storm hit Atlanta the week of the 2000 Super Bowl, it generated grumbling on a Super Bowl scale. But if the same thing happened in Manhattan , it would be greeted by a shrug."

Janet Jackson sort of changed things up a few years back, but it wasn't what the league had in mind. I'm wondering if any of you think the Super Bowl could use a little different flavor. It's not like people have stopped watching the event on TV. And even when it snowed in Detroit, it seemed like everyone in the city still had a good time.

Are you guys who live outside of New York/New Jersey going to avoid traveling to the area because of the cold weather? Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune makes an argument for his region.

Let's discuss in the comments section.