EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Jerry Reese, New York Giants general manager, summons Eli Manning, New York Giants quarterback, into his office every summer to share ideas on the 16 regular-season games to come. It is not an equal-time exercise. The GM does most of the talking, and the quarterback does most of the listening.Some years, Reese challenges Manning to carry the team or take more chances downfield or be more careful with the ball. This year? Reese told ESPN.com on Sunday that he sat down with his franchise player and told him it was their shared responsibility, above all, to make sure their rookie head coach doesnt fall flat on his face.I told Tom Coughlin when I first got the job [in 2007] that failure wasnt an option for me, Reese said. So I told Eli, Failure cant be an option for Ben McAdoo. Its on you and me to make sure he doesnt fail. We have to make sure hes here long after were gone. We have to make sure his young kids graduate high school here.In order to ensure that McAdoos 7-year-old daughter, Larkin, and 4-year-old son, B.J., make it through a fine New Jersey high school while their father is coaching the Giants, Reese spent $200 million in the offseason on an unwatchable defense that allowed last seasons New Orleans Saints?to score 52 points.Manning? He showed up for work Sunday against his hometown team -- those very Saints -- to make his 196th consecutive start (postseason included), the third-longest streak in NFL history. Its an amazing run of durability in a sport growing more dangerous by the week, as evidenced by the frightening first-quarter scene of concussed Saints cornerback P.J. Williams being loaded onto a stretcher and carted off the MetLife Stadium field and into an ambulance.Take a quick survey of the quarterback position around the league: Tony Romo is out again. Robert Griffin III is out again. Jimmy Garoppolo was a burgeoning sensation who couldnt make it through two games without getting hurt.Manning made his first start in the middle of the 2004 season -- 2004 -- and hasnt missed a single game since. Despite his limited athleticism and modest (by NFL standards) physical stature, Manning had an almost magical quality to remain healthy passed down to him from his bigger, better brother.Peyton Manning made 227 consecutive starts before serious neck injuries finally cost him his job and a full season of play, and it appears Eli has a good shot to pass his brother for second place on the consecutive starts list (Brett Favres absurd record of 321 is out of reach). Thats the best reason to believe the 2-0 Giants could finally be back as Super Bowl contenders.Manning didnt throw a touchdown pass in this 16-13 victory over New Orleans; in fact, the Giants only touchdown came on Janoris Jenkins 65-yard return of a blocked field goal. But the quarterback did complete 32 of 41 passes for 368 yards, and he made two crucial third-down completions to set up the winning chip-shot field goal as time expired. Manning found rookie Sterling Shepard in the tightest of windows before the two-minute warning, and he overcame Odell Beckham Jr.s drop of a coulda, woulda, shoulda-been touchdown pass on the final drive to give Victor Cruz a chance to make a breathless, 34-yard catch to the Saints 2-yard line.Elis our captain, our leader, the spearhead of this team, said linebacker Mark Herzlich, who has been with the Giants since their most recent Super Bowl season in 2011. We love watching Eli play, and we love his poise. I think thats the one thing that keeps him healthy. He has poise in the pocket, poise as a leader and poise as a person.Yet much of the postgame focus centered around the defenses that held two quarterbacks who combined for 13 scoring passes in last seasons meeting to a combined one, the fact that the Giants survived three lost fumbles and the fact that?Drew Brees passed Dan Marino for third place on the all-time passing yardage list (Manning passed Drew Bledsoe for 10th). Giants kicker Josh Brown, who scored the decisive points in his return from a one-game suspension for domestic violence, drew a media crowd at his locker and foolishly failed to express remorse for his conduct.It was a reminder that some people never get it and that some professional athletes can navigate long careers in the New York market without making a single mistake off the field or in front of the notebooks and cameras. Eli Manning, by the way, has been open about his desire to follow the Derek Jeter model: Do your job, conduct yourself as a pro and avoid creating a stir at all costs.?In his news conference, McAdoo was asked more questions about Eli Apple (one) than he was asked about Eli Manning, a two-time Super Bowl MVP. Maybe thats because Manning didnt throw for a score. Maybe thats because Manning hasnt been back to the playoffs since he won that second title for Tom Coughlin. Or maybe thats because Mannings presence is taken for granted, even in Year 1 of Peytons retirement.I try to put in a lot of dedication and work to stay healthy, Eli said Sunday of his durability. I dont know if its my greatest trait, but I definitely like being out there for my teammates.With Washington 0-2 and with Dallas and Philadelphia relying on rookie quarterbacks, Manning makes the Giants the favorites to win the NFC East. He isnt getting ahead of himself (Its only Week 2, he said), but past performance suggests he has a chance to join Peyton, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman and Ben Roethlisberger as the only quarterbacks to win Super Bowls for two different coaches.In the delirious moments after Manning won his second ring, Giants owner John Mara said his quarterback has something different in his DNA than everybody else has. ... The more pressure on him, the better hes going to perform. There are very few people on the planet that have that, and this guys got it.Manning also has a team-centric sense of self. Asked why the Giants were suddenly making the game-shaping plays they couldnt make last season, the quarterback said through a smile, The $200 million we spent, I think, right? I think that had something to do with it right there.That was Jerry Reeses end of the bargain, his Steinbrennerian spending spree in free agency. Before the GM told Manning in their annual late summer meeting that they were both responsible for McAdoos fate, Reese thanked his quarterback for not getting himself hurt in the preseason.The GM knows what all interested New Yorkers know: If you give Eli Manning a competent defense and a few playmakers to work with, hell give you a credible chance to win it all. Mesut Ozil Germany Jersey . Jay Feely kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime, and the Cardinals edged the Tennessee Titans 37-34 in overtime after blowing a 17-point lead late in the fourth quarter. Antonio Rudiger Jersey . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. http://www.germanysoccerpro.com/Marco-Reus-Germany-Jersey/ . Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year. Sami Khedira Germany Jersey . Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon. Jerome Boateng Germany Jersey . Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. FORT WORTH, Texas -- Matt Tifft has gone from uncertainty about his NASCAR future this summer while recovering from surgery for a brain tumor to a full-time ride next season in the Xfinity Series.Joe Gibbs Racing said Friday that the 20-year-old Tifft, who is finishing partial Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series schedules this season, will drive for the team in all 33 Xfinity races in 2017.Its an incredible opportunity, he said. The crazy thing is I remember a couple months ago just coming to Bristol to do the press conference about trying to get back in a car.On Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway, Tifft will make his third Xfinity start since his return from surgery.When Tifft was being evaluated for some back pain in June, doctors discovered a low-grade tumor in his brain. He had surgery in July to remove the benign tumor from near his right temple.Tifft said a routine checkup and MRI last week went well, and that he is constantly doing different activities and games to keep his brain active.ddddddddddddAfter returning to competition in a truck race outside Chicago in September, he finished fifth in an Xfinity race a week later at Kentucky.The experience made Tifft realize how much he loves what he does, and has wanted to do since he was 5 years old.I remember sitting at home in July thinking, `I have no idea, you know, what my future entails for me. I didnt know. I didnt know if I could drive a street car, he said. I didnt know if I was going to drive a race car this year, next year, whenever. I just definitely kept the faith in myself that I could get back to that point.JGR said Matt Beckman will serve as Tiffts crew chief. The team said primary sponsorship and a car number would be announced at a later date. ' ' '