Jets say coin flip will determine new stadium opener

NEW YORK -- It's a toss up whether the Jets or Giants will open the new Meadowlands Stadium.

The Jets announced on their Web site Saturday night that they will flip a coin with the Giants to determine which team will host the first regular-season game at their new 82,500-seat, $1.6 billion stadium this season.

Both teams have expressed to the NFL their desire to play the opening game there. The Jets said the league will make heads or tails of it by tossing a coin in the near future.

"We look forward to the coin toss," Jets spokesman Bruce Speight said.

League spokesman Greg Aiello would not confirm a flip would occur, saying simply that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell determines the schedule.

"We have no announcements to make about the schedule at this point," Aiello added.

This year's regular-season schedule will be announced next month. The teams do not play each other in the regular season this year, eliminating the possibility of both opening the stadium in Week 1.

The Jets have shared a stadium with the Giants since they moved from Shea Stadium for the 1984 season. The new Meadowlands Stadium is the first constructed to serve as the home of two NFL teams, and holds the distinction of being the largest privately financed stadium in U.S. history.

The teams are also teaming up to try to bring the 2014 Super Bowl to the Meadowlands. Miami and Tampa also plan to present bids for the game. League owners will award the game at their annual meeting in May.

If the new stadium wins out, it would set the stage for the first cold weather Super Bowl. The NFL gave the Giants and Jets the right to bid on the Super Bowl game in December despite the traditional requirement that host regions have a minimum temperature of 50 degrees or stadiums with domes or retractable roofs.

The new stadium does not have a retractable roof.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press