Zak DeOssie planned to attend the Pro Bowl as a spectator, courtesy of Jeff Feagles. Now he'll play in the game, courtesy of Andy Reid.
Reid, the Philadelphia Eagles coach who will lead the NFC team in the Feb. 8 game in Honolulu, selected New York Giants long snapper DeOssie as his "need" player.
Pro Bowl coaches are permitted to pick one player at a position where they think the need is greatest. The NFC team didn't have a long snapper, and since Feagles, the Giants' punter and holder, and John Carney, the team's kicker, are on the NFC squad, Reid figured he might as well send a player who's accustomed to working with them.
"I am the luckiest kid on the planet," said DeOssie, a second-year pro from Brown. "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."
It's tradition for Pro Bowl players to repay teammates and coaches -- and significant others -- who helped make their trip to Hawaii possible by treating them to a trip to the game. Feagles was going to fly out DeOssie, and Carney is paying for his snapper, Jay Alford, to visit the islands.
"I got off easy because the league will pay for Zak now," Feagles said. "It looks like our plan worked. You put the cart before the horse."
