INDIANAPOLIS -- One word from New York Giants special-teams captain Zak DeOssie will begin Super Bowl XLVI.
With more than 100 million people watching in the United States alone, the long snapper from New York, other Giants captains and their counterparts from New England will see referee John Parry display both sides of a special commemorative coin for the opening toss.
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Then, DeOssie will choose his side.
"I've called 'tails' every single time this year, and that's what it's going to be this weekend," DeOssie said Thursday.
The NFC has won the last 14 Super Bowl coin flips.
It's that rare game decision left entirely up to the players.
"I'm out of that one," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said Thursday. "We have our captains, and they decide who's going to make that call."
DeOssie, whose father Steve also played in the NFL, got the honor on a whim. He and the other two Giants captains -- quarterback Eli Manning and defensive end Justin Tuck -- were walking toward midfield before the season opener in Washington when the subject came up for the first time.
"Eli turned to Tuck and said, 'You want to call it?' " DeOssie said. "And Tuck said, 'Nah, I don't feel like it. I don't need to call it. Zak, you want to call it?' I said, 'Yeah, sure.' "
It was his job the rest of the way.
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
