February. Gray skies. Snowflakes. Brrrrrrrr.

Well, grab your boots and plow the snow. The Super Bowl is coming to the Meadowlands in the dead of winter.

"We'll all pray that it doesn't snow that day," Arizona Cardinals president Michael Bidwill said.

NFL owners voted yesterday to put the 2014 Super Bowl in the new $1.6 billion Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey that this season will become home to the New York Jets and Giants. It's the first time the league has gone to a cold weather site that doesn't have a dome; until now, those places couldn't even bid on the big game.

So, why the risk?

"Let's face it," Giants co-owner John Mara said, "there's only one New York City."

"We promise the greatest game in the greatest venue in the greatest city," added another co-owner, Steve Tisch. "Now we've got to deliver."

NEW OT RULE NOT FOR REGULAR SEASON

The NFL isn't ready to expand the new overtime rule to the regular season.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said yesterday the issue was tabled during owner meetings in the Dallas area two months after owners voted to remove part of the sudden-death component from overtime in the playoffs. Under the new system, a team that loses the coin flip and immediately gives up a field goal will have a chance to either tie or win the game.

In the regular season, though, the old first-team-to-score-wins rule will be in effect.

SOCCER

CZECHS BOUNCE U.S. IN WARMUP

The Czech Republic exposed the United States' defensive deficiencies time and again, taking advantage of sloppy play in a 4-2 victory last night at East Hartford, Conn., in the first of three World Cup warmup matches for the Americans.

Maurice Edu and Herculez Gomez each got their first international goals on a night when the U.S. rested Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard and several other regulars.

But defenders Oguchi Onyewu, Heath Pearce, Clarence Goodson and Steve Cherundolo struggled in the midfield to create openings for the Czechs, who failed to qualify for the World Cup.

U.S. coach Bob Bradley planned to cut seven players today and announce his final 23-man roster.