 |
| 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).