This time around, though, there’s a new twist to this annual summer ritual of watching this overly-frisky defensive end turn practice into a full-contact scrum. Ferrara, the pride of Staten Island, has a shot to stick with the Giants. Not the practice squad, mind you, but the actual, honest-to-goodness real New York Giants.

“I was hoping,” he said yesterday, “and I still am hoping.”

In the past, there wasn’t much more than hope for Ferrara, who provided some colorful and humorous training-camp material and owned no realistic chance to make the roster. That he survived and was placed on the practice squad the past two seasons was an achievement for an undrafted kid who played at Rhode Island and whose claim to fame was that he looked and talked as if he just walked off the set of “The Sopranos.” Of course, that would not be so staggering a sight, considering his father, Frank Sr., is the stunt double on the show for James Galdofini.

Ferrara is not eligible for another stay on the practice squad, meaning this is it. There’s an opening for an eighth defensive lineman, and the favorites for one of the final roster spots are Ferrara and tackle Lance Legree, an undrafted rookie from Notre Dame. Four defensive tackles and three ends are already assured of spots; it comes down to whether the Giants want to keep a fifth tackle or a fourth end. Ferrara, though, is currently playing on the “Blue,” or second, team on all four major special teams and that could ultimately swing the decision in his favor.

“It certainly keeps him alive as a possibility,” special-teams coach Fred von Appen said. “You always sell pace and tempo and he’s a pace and tempo guy. You’re not going to out-work Frank in the workplace.”

Defensive linemen are almost never included on special teams, but Ferrara lobbied long and hard to claw his way onto the field.

“He dogged me a lot,” von Appen said.

Apparently, Ferrara – who had not been a regular on special teams since New Dorp High School – can be quite persuasive.

“I don’t know that he’s done a lot of it, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get a wild and crazy guy on special teams,” von Appen said. “Nobody wants to play any worse than Frankie does.”

On Thursday night, Ferrara was in action against the Jaguars and his sheer desire helped the Giants avoid a potentially sticky situation. Punter Rodney Williams was supposed to send the ball out of bounds but failed to do so. Jacksonville’s Damon Gibson took the punt and cut into the middle of the field.