Andy Reid added Zak DeOssie to the Pro Bowl roster today, figuring the long snapper completed a set.

Each of the coaches gets to pick a need player, and the NFC didn’t have anybody to set Jeff Feagles and John Carney in motion. That makes seven Giants on display in Honolulu for the Feb. 8 showcase, equaling the number of players from the 1990 team that headed for Hawaii.

Justin Tuck, Eli Manning, Shaun O’Hara and Chris Snee also rank among the chosen few.

DeOssie was going anyway.

It’s customary for Pro Bowl selections to pay back those instrumental in their success and Feagles made the invite shortly after he was selected. Jay Alford is going on Carney’s dime.

According to the release sent out by the Giants, Eli Manning is flying out the remaining members of the offensive line—Kareem McKenzie, David Diehl and Rich Seubert. I suppose it’s cheaper than buying them dinner.

“I am the luckiest kid on the planet,” DeOssie said. “I’m sitting at home and the next thing I know I am going to be playing in the Pro Bowl. It is very, very exciting.”

And in roster news, the Giants have signed defensive tackle Anthony Bryant (6-3, 361), a sixth-round pick of Tampa’s in 2005 who’s played in nine NFL regular-season games.

I still haven’t absorbed everything there is to know about the NFL, so I had to make a couple of inquiries about the draft pick questions posed on the previous entry.

Here’s what I got …

We aren’t going to know for certain whether the Giants will be awarded compensatory picks until the owner’s meetings that run March 22-25, but they appear to be in line for at least one pick. The formula that determines who gets what is apparently secret. Picks can be handed out to organizations that lost more compensatory free agents than they signed.

Quality comes into play for teams losing and signing an equal number of compensatory free agents.

Kawika Mitchell and Gibril Wilson both were very productive with their new teams and produced more than Danny Clark and Sammy Knight, so it’s logical to assume the Giants will get at least one pick.

Compensatory picks are handed out at the end of Rounds 3 through 7.

As for the picks coming from New Orleans, the Saints control the situation. Essentially, if they re-sign Jonathan Vilma before the start of free agency, the Jets get this year’s second- and fifth-round picks, and the Giants receive next year’s first-round pick to close out the Jeremy Shockey trade.

Don’t bet on that happening.

Nobody expects New Orleans will make a business move that winds up costing them an impact pick. So the Giants are including the extra second- and fifth-round picks on their draft board.

Hope that answers your questions.

With the 29th pick in the draft, the New York Giants select …

Yeah, it’s probably a little too early for us to be dropping names like Darrius Heyward-Bey or James Laurinaitus or Eben Britton, so let’s just identify the areas of need. Jerry Reese no doubt has compiled his list. And there could be some money to spend on the free agent market.

So where do you go in 94 days?

I know there is a possibility Reese will look to package some of the extra picks he’s got to work with and perhaps move up to grab an impact player. Do they go for a wide receiver to replace Plaxico Burress or look for an outside linebacker to play on either side of Antonio Pierce?

What if they stay at No. 29 and go quantity over quality.

There will be talented receivers and linebackers on the board. Or maybe you look for immediate help there via free agency, and start thinking ahead. Do you grab a versatile offensive lineman instead?

So let’s share a couple of ideas. What’s the biggest area of need that can be addressed in the draft. Be creative. Be reasonable. Fire away.

And there’s a new poll up, don’t forget to click.

There’s history to be witnessed so let’s not spend too much time dwelling on what’s coming next for the Giants, but I wanted to highlight something from my print story today.

What to do with Mathias Kiwanuka is among the first decisions new defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan will need to make. Osi Umenyiora is expected to be fully recovered when training camp opens. So do you move Kiwanuka back to linebacker?

It’s probably the area that most needs some attention.

Justin Tuck wouldn’t mind seeing Kiwanuka playing defensive end next season because he knows just how much that extra depth on the front line helps in the fourth quarter.

“Michael and Osi were able to continue to do this all year long and get to the quarterbacks because we were rested up in the fourth quarter,” Tuck said. “Osi and Stray were starting and the next possession I would be in. We just had that rotation going. That’s big when you think about only playing 40 plays a game instead of 70. That’s a big momentum swing as far as our team. When the O line was tired, we still had fresh legs to run right by them.”

Now, get back to the party. Click here to catch up on all things presidential.

And please don’t say LT. 56 was a great leader but as a President? Whoa. Strahan would be interesting, if only for the hilarious photos of him and his big gap-tooth smile right next to some frowning foreign leader.

Anyway, this is the question we’re talking about on FACEOFF today. Come on over, bring some decent arguments for Phil Simms and join the debate!

Tom Coughlin isn’t going to fix something that’s not broken. He promoted linebackers coach Bill Sheridan to defensive coordinator to replace Steve Spagnuolo. The changes to a system that’s played a role in so many wins over the last two seasons will remain in place.

And the players have to be relieved.

“Bill is a very good football coach,” Coughlin said in a statement. “He does an excellent job of teaching, of reinforcing what we aspire to be with our defensive team. He’s coached our linebackers, he’s given a big assist to Steve in all that he has done. As a linebackers coach, you’re a central figure in the spoke, because you’re involved in the coordination of the front and the linebackers and then the back seven. He has done a good job of encompassing the entire defense and grasping the aggressive style.”

Sheridan has been on the staff for the last four seasons.

“I’m sure, as much as anything, that’s Tom’s motivation for promoting from within, whether it was me or Peter Giunta – to keep the defense in place,” he said. “It’s obviously a proven, excellent system that Steve brought from Philadelphia. You’re obviously going to have a slightly different tint to it, because you have a different coordinator and will get different input from whoever Tom brings in from outside to complete the staff. But the system is in place and there’s a tremendous comfort level with the players.”

Any changes that are made will likely be due to personnel.

“It’s good to know that there will not be many changes,” Antonio Pierce said. “Bill is a hard worker and is very familiar with the defense. Obviously, we did great things on defense over the last two seasons, and I am looking forward to what Bill will bring as defensive coordinator.”

The first big decision will be what to do with Mathias Kiwanuka, who moved up from linebacker when defensive end Osi Umenyiora suffered a knee injury during the preseason.

Coughlin interviewed Sheridan and Giants secondary coach Peter Giunta yesterday, then informed them of his decision this morning.

“Both were very good,” Coughlin said. “Peter has been a coordinator before. I just felt in my gut that Bill would be the right choice. My questions to the two candidates were: ‘How do we get better? Where do we go from here?’ Both had very good answers, very solid, aggressive, going forward-type answers. And that’s the message that I want. The message that goes out there is we do have the New York Giant defense, we will play the New York Giant defense, we will recognize our players and our coaches that have attained a couple years of good, solid play here. And our intentions going forward are that we improve and be better. We’re excited about the opportunity to get this group together again and add some other players to the group and to improve.”

I was almost giggling at the sight of Kevin Boss and Justin Tuck sitting three rows back last night at the Knicks game behind the likes of Howard Stern, Whoopi Goldberg and Chaz Palminteri.

A year ago, lesser Giants were front and center on celebrity row.

What have you done for me lately?

They would play the old Monday Night Football theme, show R.W. McQuarters on the over-sized video screen and the whole building would stand to applaud. Last night, Boss and Tuck never got a moment.

Antonio Pierce was on the list of celebs expected to be on hand, but never showed.

The confirmations are coming from all directions now, and the Giants have released a statement.

Naturally, they wished Steve Spagnuolo well.

There’s no word on who’s going to bring in baked goods from now on. Does the Culinary Institute of America have a football team?

“I’ve very happy for Steve,” Tom Coughlin said. “He did a great job in his two years with the Giants. We’ve been very, very aggressive on defense and we’ve been able to have two very successful years back-to-back. Steve has made an outstanding contribution to our team and we wish Steve and Maria all the best.”

Justin Tuck is sitting across the court from me right now at the Knicks game along with Kevin Boss. I was going to get him at halftime, but the Giants took care of that.

“Obviously, it’s a great opportunity for him,” Tuck said. “We are happy for him. He has done a lot for this organization in his short time here. Winning a Super Bowl in your first year as defensive coordinator is pretty impressive. I really think he has the skills necessary to be a successful head coach. He’s a hard worker and he quickly gained the respect of all his players. We wish him all the best.”

“I think Coach Spags is going to be very successful as a head coach,” Corey Webster said. “You could see when he first came in here, early on, that he is a stand-up guy. We all had to earn his trust, but once we did, we began to play the aggressive style defense we all love to play. He is an aggressive coach by nature and that’s what makes him fun to play for. Spags did a great job here, but we have great players and coaches who contributed to that and who will look to continue the success.”

“Everybody knows Coach Spags turned this defense around in his two years here, but just that and his defense’s stats are not what’s going to make him a good head coach,” Fred Robbins said. “He is well-respected by all of us as players. He’s more than a coach, it’s more than just football with Coach Spags. He’s a mentor and takes a personal interest in his players. I wouldn’t say he’s a players coach, but he knows what it takes to motivate his players. He gets us to work hard, but we have fun doing it and enjoy it, so it makes us want to work even harder.”

There’s no word from Coughlin about hiring a replacement.

“When Steve came in, he was obviously very energetic, very enthusiastic, very thorough, very knowledgeable and he knew exactly what he wanted to do,” Coughlin said. “Steve is a very smart coach and he became a disciple, if you will, of the way I wanted the program to be handled as well as anybody I’ve ever seen in a first-year coach. He came in and assessed what I wanted out of a program and worked with our defensive coaches to get it done. He’s done an outstanding job both on and off the field, and he’s been a real Giant in terms of his contribution.

“We wish Steve well and we know he’s going to do very well as a head coach in the National Football League.”

It only took a couple of interviews before somebody caught on to what the Giants defense knew from the jump.

Steve Spagnuolo is the new head coach of the Rams.

The hiring was made today, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch and received a four-year deal worth $12 million.

Good for him. Bad for the Giants.

Since the news is not unexpected, the search for a replacement will no doubt begin immediately. Bill Sheridan, Mike Waufle and Peter Giunta are here already. And the players would love to see a familiar smiling face in the locker room.

I’m guessing the organization is leaning that way.

“Whenever a situation like that arises, it’s always beneficial having someone that you’re comfortable with,” Justin Tuck said earlier in the week. “I’ve been with this staff four years, Spags for two, but everybody else four years, so we would be comfortable with anybody that came up from those guys. Luckily for me, I don’t get paid to make those decisions. I know the people that do will make the right decisions.”

The other question yet to be answered is whether or not Spagnuolo decides to take anybody else from the staff along with him to St. Louis.

No word on when a press conference will be scheduled.

Let’s move on to Derrick Ward.

In a perfect world, the Giants would find cap room for a player who so perfectly complements Brandon Jacobs in the backfield. The guy ran for 1,025 yards and two touchdowns in an understudy role. He’s good enough to be a reliable starter when the big man isn’t up and running.

Still, it comes down to dollars and cents.

Or presidents, as Jacobs so perfectly described the situation. Ward made in the neighborhood of $2 million last season with bonuses. He might be worth $3 or $4 million a season to another team in need of an established running back.

“I would expect that because I feel that I am a starter,” Ward said this week. “I think I proved to everybody that I am a legit starter and I could get the job done. Who knows though? The Giants could offer me big money. It doesn’t matter. Right now I am just trying to get this season out of my mind and in the next week or two get back to working out and the grind of football.”

Ward also seems to be the voice of reason when Jacobs gets emotional. They have a close friendship, which is amazing when you consider they were competing for snaps, yards and now contracts.

So what do the Giants do here?

Ahmad Bradshaw really didn’t get a lot of carries this season, and we know for certain he’s dying for more opportunities. Can he replace the 1,000 yards that could leave if Ward moves on? Danny Ware might be the next third back.

Thoughts?

(Update 12:25) The Giants just announced two more roster additions, defensive back Steve Cargile and offensive lineman Terrance Pennington. They also confirmed the departure of assistant coach Dave DeGuglielmo, who is leaving to become the offensive line coach in Miami.

“He’s done an outstanding job here,” Tom Coughlin said. “The fact of the matter is he’s worked hard for five years and an opportunity came along. We recognize that everyone wants to be ‘the guy’ in charge of their position. Dave knew he eventually had to be in charge of a position in order to achieve one of his goals. We’re sorry to see him go, but we wish him well in his new assignment.”