I know this is silly. It's bound to be way off. There will be injuries, there will be players on the Week 1 roster who aren't even in camp right now. Who knows what will happen in the next several weeks.
Today is the first day of training camp, though. So, with that in mind, let's take a stab at projecting the season-opening 53-man roster.
Quarterback (3) -- Manning, Carr, Woodson.
Bye-bye, Anthony Wright. The Giants didn't use a sixth-round pick on Andre Woodson to cut him. They hope to develop him. As for David Carr, the Giants are the latest team to give him a chance. Since all he has to do is be a little bit better than Wright, the Giants really aren't asking a whole lot.
Running Back (5) -- Jacobs, Bradshaw, Ward, Droughns, Hedgecock.
Bye-bye, Danny Ware. The only real question here is if Reuben Droughns can hang on to a spot. I think so. Coach Tom Coughlin respects Droughns, even if he is old and slow. I think he will want to keep him.
Wide Receiver (6) -- Burress, Toomer, Smith, Moss, Manningham, Hixon.
Bye-bye, Michael Jennings and, maybe, David Tyree. It's amazing to think that Tyree's great Super Bowl catch could be the last play of his Giants' career. I think Tyree, currently on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list after knee surgery, might end up on Injured Reserve. If not, he might -- sadly -- wind up in another uniform. Domenic Hixon is just too valuable as a return and cover guy to let go.
Tight End (3) -- Boss, Johnson, Matthews.
Bye-bye, Jerome Collins. This is a closed competition, at least in terms of who makes the team. How the playing time shakes out is an entirely different matter.
Offensive Line (9) -- Diehl, Seubert, O'Hara, Snee, McKenzie, Olivea, Whimper, Reugamer, Boothe.
Bye-bye, Adam Koets. He will be the first member of the highly-acclaimed 2007 draft class to be let go. He is the only one of the eight picks from that class who had no impact last season. Watch for 350-pound undrafted free agent guard Kurt Quarterman to end up on the practice squad.
Defensive Line (8) -- Umenyiora, Tuck, Robbins, Cofield, Alford, Tollefson, Wynn, Nwagbuo.
Bye-bye, Robert Henderson. You can't be perfect with your draft selections every year, and Henderson, the seventh-round pick from Southern Miss, becomes the first Reese draft selection not to make the team. Ogmedi Nwagbuo is a guy Star-Ledger reporter Mike Garafolo told us to keep an eye on, and the Giants need another defensive tackle, so I will go out on a limb with this choice.
Linebacker (7) -- Pierce, Kiwanuka, Wilkinson, Clark, DeOssie, Kehl, Goff.
Bye-bye, Chase Blackburn. I always loved the guy's hustle and heart, but the drafting of Jonathan Goff as a possible heir apparent to Antonio Pierce at middle linebacker will make Blackburn expendable.
Cornerback (6) -- Ross, Webster, Madison, Thomas, Dockery, McQuarters.
Bye-bye, Geoffrey Pope. The G-Pope has great speed, but McQuarters has veteran savvy and special teams ability that Coughlin craves. My guess is that McQuarters also spends some time learning the safety position as a precaution, since the way I have parceled out this roster there is only room for four safeties.
Safety (4) -- Phillips, Johnson, Knight, Butler.
Bye-bye, Nehemiah Warrick. The undrafted free agent from Michigan State has generated a little buzz. He is likely headed for the practice squad, though. By the way, I did indeed put the safeties in the order of the players I really hope to see on the field most of the time.
Specialists (2) -- Jeff Feagles, punter; Lawrence Tynes, placekicker.
What do you guys think? I'm guessing there will be a lot of you rooting for Blackburn. Also, there's probably some sentiment to see Droughns and McQuarters sent packing.
Let me know.