Another shot at picking the 53-man roster

The Jets, this week's opponent, don't have cheerleaders. They have a 'Flight Crew,' whatever that is. Our Cheerleader Photo of the Week is a member of the Flight Crew.

For many of the 'on the bubble' Giants it means this weekend's game against the Jets is crucial to their hopes of making the team.

Before camp opened, I posted a guess as to what the Giants season-opening roster would look like. Halfway through the preseason, let's take another stab at what the 53-man roster is likely to look like Sept. 9 in Dallas.

QUARTERBACK: Eli Manning, Jared Lorenzen, Anthony Wright. See ya later, Tim Hasselbeck. And, as for you Anthony Wright I know you didn't sign to run the scout team stuff but it looks like that is what you will be doing.

RUNNING BACK: Brandon Jacobs, Reuben Droughns, Derrick Ward, Ahmad Bradshaw, Robert Douglas. You can't cut Douglas, since he is the only fullback. I didn't think Ward would make this team, but he is showing too much explosiveness on kickoff returns to ignore.

WIDE RECEIVER: Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss, David Tyree, Anthony Mix. Michael Jennings would have made this team, but since he is out for the season Mix -- a good target at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds -- gets the spot. Marco Thomas might have more upside as a receiver than Tyree, but Tyree is one of the best special teams players in the league and has to stay.

TIGHT END: Jeremy Shockey, Kevin Boss, Michael Matthews. The fact that Matthews can also play fullback in an emergency and is a quality blocker earns him a spot.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Starters -- David Diehl, Rich Seubert, Shaun O'Hara, Chris Snee, Kareem McKenzie. Reserves -- Guy Whimper, Zach Piller, Gray Reugamer, Adam Koets, Todd Londot.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE: Barry Cofield, Fred Robbins, Jay Alford, Manny Wright. The latter pick is wishful thinking on my part. Anything to get rid of William Joseph.

DEFENSIVE END: For the sake of this discussion, let's say Michael Strahan decides to play. You have Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Adrian Awasom.

LINEBACKER: Antonio Pierce, Mathias Kiwanuka, Kawika Mitchell, Chase Blackburn, Gerris Wilkinson, Zak DeOssie. See ya, Reggie Torbor.

CORNERBACK: Sam Madison, R.W. McQuarters, Aaron Ross, Corey Webster, Kevin Dockery, E.J. Underwood. The last spot is a coin toss between Underwood and Gerrick McPhearson. My money is on Underwood.

SAFETY: Gibril Wilson, James Butler, Will Demps, Michael Johnson.

PUNTER: Jeff Feagles.

PLACEKICKER: Josh Huston. I didn't think Huston had a shot at taking this job from Lawrence Tynes when camp began. Today, though, he's a better choice. That, however, could easily change in two weeks.

PRACTICE SQUAD INVITES: Marco Thomas (WR), Gerrick McPhearson (CB), Ryan Grant (RB), Myniya Smith (OL), Marquise Gunn (DE), Charles Davis (TE).