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It's difficult for many of us to accept, but the spring owners meeting in Irving, Texas, has ended. Every NFL owner except for Jerry Jones has reportedly left our community. Now let's take a quick look at what folks are saying about Super Bowl XLVIII, the one in New York/New Jersey:

• Ian O'Connor of ESPNNewYork.com had the good sense to visit with Vince Lombardi Jr. about Tuesday's announcement.

• Peter Keating throws a wet blanket on the Super Bowl coming to New York/New Jersey -- from a financial perspective.

• Judy Battista of the Times says that John Mara and Steve Tisch were leery of Woody Johnson's Super Bowl aspirations at first.

• Steve Politi of the Star-Ledger says a New York Super Bowl could be the best ever.

• Jenny Vrentas of the Star-Ledger has the latest on naming rights at the stadium.

• Gary Myers stopped by the Omni Mandalay to praise Jets owner Woody Johnson.

IRVING, Texas -- As they were led to a TV podium Tuesday afternoon, Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch both looked emotionally spent. They were quickly asked what the 2014 Super Bowl coming to New York/New Jersey would've meant to their fathers.

"That we've come a long way since the Polo Grounds in 1925 to where we are today," said Mara about his late father, Wellington.

Jets owner Woody Johnson quickly added that he hoped it would snow during the Super Bowl, but Mara interjected, "I'm not sure I agree with that."

This announcement was inevitable because a powerful commissioner was behind the bid all the way. Mara and Tisch expressed thanks to the other owners for looking past the potential of cold weather and focusing on the unique nature of the opportunity. Mara and Tisch also took the opportunity to compliment their rival and partner, Jets owner Woody Johnson.

"We behaved like partners," Mara said of his relationship with Johnson. "We became partners when we decided to make this bid for 2014. We approached it like partners, not adversaries."

But both Mara and Tisch admitted that they were reluctant about making the bid at first. They credited Johnson for leading the way the past four years. It was an odd sight to see the Giants and Jets working together, but that's exactly what needed to happen to land this bid.

Will this knock down the door for other open-air stadiums in cold regions to host the Super Bowl? Well, Dan Snyder certainly hopes so. But I wouldn't count on it. Everyone across the country is waiting to see how this first one goes. We'll have more reaction throughout the afternoon.

IRVING, Texas -- Let's not pretend there's any suspense today regarding the announcement of the 2014 Super Bowl site. As Rich Cimini from ESPNNewYork.com writes, the Giants and Jets are at the goal line, and barring a Leon Lett-like fumble at the spring owners meeting, the league will overwhelmingly vote to hold the game at New Meadowlands Stadium.

The Giants and Jets will have 15 minutes to lobby the other owners for the league's showcase event, but the legwork's already been done. Once the league waived the 50-degree rule for outdoor stadiums, this was pretty much a done deal. I believe South Florida and Tampa are both in the running, but their representatives should save their breath. Commissioner Roger Goodell seems to gravitate toward teams and owners who build $1.6 billion stadiums, which just happens to be the price tag on New Meadowlands Stadium. And if you can pull it off in a tough economy, it seems like your name comes up even quicker.

After the 15-minute presentation Tuesday, Jets owner Woody Johnson and Giants co-owner John Mara will share the stage for five minutes. This is the part of the process I'd really enjoy seeing. The Giants and Jets are strange bedfellows in this bid, but they've put aside their differences and done a nice job. In case you were wondering, here's Cimini's explanation of Tuesday's voting process:

It probably won't happen on the first or second ballot, which both require 75 percent of the vote (24 of the 32 teams) for one of the three candidates, but the feeling around the league is that New York/New Jersey has enough support to win on the third or fourth ballot.

If it goes to a second vote and no city receives a 75 percent majority, the third-place finisher (many believe that will be Miami) is eliminated. If neither of the two finalists garners 75 percent on the third ballot, it goes to a fourth. In that case, a simple majority (17 votes) wins the Super Bowl.

Instead of praying for a warm front in early February, the Giants and Jets have embraced the concept of a cold-weather game. They'll show footage of the Cowboys-Packers Ice Bowl, although I'm told images of frostbitten fingers might be edited out.

The Giants and Jets are also hoping the Super Bowl will help them land a naming-rights deal for the stadium. When I talked to Giants co-owner Steve Tisch in March, he seemed supremely confident a naming-rights deal would be in place before the start of the 2010 season. But it's not like the prospect of hosting a Super Bowl has helped Cowboys owner Jerry Jones find a naming-rights partner.

I personally think a New York/New Jersey Super Bowl will be a fantastic thing for the league. It's not like many of us avoid trips to New York in the winter simply because it's cold. And the millions of folks watching the game across the country wouldn't mind seeing the teams battle the elements.

The league will go through the formality of a vote. But it's pretty obvious the owners have come around on a New York Super Bowl. Too bad we have to wait until 2014 for the game.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- As you might have heard, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wasn't exactly thrilled with being called out by Jets owner Woody Johnson after the league bungled a coin flip to decide which team would host the first regular-season home game at the new stadium in the Meadowlands. As Gary Myers of the Daily News has indicated, there's some thought that the controversy could have a negative effect on New York's bid to host the 2014 Super Bowl. Giants co-owners Steve Tisch and John Mara might have to do some troubleshooting this week at the NFL owners meetings.

"I'd like to think it's not that big a deal," Tisch told the Daily News on Sunday. "I'm optimistic that based on the merits on our bid, our proposal, our presentation, that we will generate the support we need. I think it really merits a lot of consideration by the 30 other owners. I know we are going to make a very compelling, memorable presentation. I would like the other owners to vote on that next month and not a personal issue."

Tisch said that he and Mara would be "Giants cheerleaders" over the next three days. I'll keep you updated on their progress. And something tells me that Mara didn't sign off on Tisch's choice of words.

After a day of confusion regarding the first regular-season game in the new Meadowlands stadium, the league has announced a solution. Both the New York Giants and New York Jets will host a game in the new stadium on opening weekend. The Giants will play Sunday, Sept. 12, and the Jets will host a game on Monday, Sept. 13.

"After extensive discussions with both teams, we have come up with what we believe is a unique approach for celebrating the opening of the new Meadowlands Stadium," said commissioner Roger Goodell.

It brought a quick end to what was becoming an embarrassing story for the league. The New York Daily News reported Monday that the league conducted a secret coin flip to decide which team got first dibs to the stadium -- and the Giants won. Jets owner Woody Johnson was reportedly (and understandably) upset about the league's approach.

It looks like Goodell scrambled to find a more equitable -- or "unique" -- solution. The Giants will still get the first crack at the new stadium, but the Jets will make their regular-season debut in prime time. I don't think the Jets will be completely satisfied with going second, but this is a logical solution to a messy situation. You have to love that the most outspoken P.R. man in the league, the Giants' Pat Hanlon, made the following statement:

"We look forward to playing the first regular-season game ever in the new stadium," said Hanlon. "We have a great new home, and it's right next door to Giants Stadium, a building that housed our three Super Bowl championship teams. We look forward to building the same legacy for our new stadium, and it starts on Sept. 12."

Hanlon's obviously pulling out the ol' sharp stick. The only time the Jets and Giants both opened the season in Giants Stadium was in 1991.

In the whole scheme of things, this is not that big of a story. But the league certainly has egg on its face for conducting a coin flip that apparently neither team was invited to observe. Does that make any sense to you guys? The Jets' official Web site had reported that the league might hold the coin flip at the stadium to create even more interest. But apparently that idea was trumped in favor of a more intimate gathering.

Now I'm just waiting to see if the Jets' P.R. staff responds to Hanlon's jab.

The New York Giants will play the first regular-season game at the new stadium in the Meadowlands that they share with the Jets, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The New York Daily News first reported the story that the Giants had won a "secret" coin toss conducted by the league to see which team hosted the game.

Gary Myers of the Daily News cited an anonymous source in reporting that Jets owner Woody Johnson was "outraged" that no one from his organization was present at the coin toss. As the Post indicates, Newyorkjets.com had a different interpretation of how the coin flip would be conducted.

The Newark Star-Ledger is linking to the Daily News' report while reiterating that an NFL spokesman had indicated that commissioner Roger Goodell would make this decision, not a coin.

Any questions?