Peyton Manning lofted the pass like so many times before, floating the football toward the corner of the end zone where only Marvin Harrison could reach it. Harrison, with no wasted motion, pulled it in over his shoulder, touched one foot down, dragged the other and made history.
The fourth-quarter score in the Colts' 45-28 win over the St. Louis Rams on Monday at the RCA Dome was the 86th for Manning and Harrison, breaking the NFL record for most touchdowns by a quarterback-receiver tandem set by San Francisco's Steve Young and Jerry Rice.
After the catch, Harrison handed the ball to Manning, who nudged it back to Harrison. Harrison then pushed it back on Manning, who tried unsuccessfully to give it to Harrison again.
I loved that scene. Other NFL players are dancing, cradling the football like it's a baby or pretending to beat each other senseless after a score. Manning and Harrison have combined for the most scores in history and they jog back to the sidelines, each deferring glory to the other.
"I don't know if you can cut a football in half," Manning said, "but we're gonna try."
The previous 85 footballs, Manning revealed, left with Harrison.
"He's got a system where our Jon Scott, our equipment manager, takes care of them for him," Manning said. "He gave this one to me, but we decided to split it somehow."
Others staked their claim for the football, too, if only jokingly.
"The offensive line does a pretty decent job," Colts center Jeff Saturday said. "We should maybe get a little piece of it."
Harrison, as is his preference, left quickly without comment. That's just as well. Manning-to-Harrison remains more of a visual than an audio wonder, even if Manning is miked by ABC.
Those watching them work their magic can't help but marvel.
"They deserve everything they get," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "You couldn't coach two players you'd want this to happen to more."
The catch, which went to immediate running loop on all ESPN stations, ultimately overshadowed a night when improving to 6-0 didn't come quite as easily as the Colts might have expected. They fell behind 17-0 in the first quarter, befuddled by Marc Bulger's passing and Steven Jackson's running. That only changed when Colts linebacker Cato June picked off a Bulger pass and picked up a block from teammate David Thornton that sent Bulger into the turf and out of the game with a separated shoulder.
Indianapolis' defense clamped down, its offense loosened up (led by Edgerrin James' 143 yards rushing and three touchdowns) and all was right again for the NFL's only unbeaten team.
"We got down 17-0, but we didn't panic on the sidelines," Dungy said. "I thought that was a tribute to our veteran leadership."
Any mention of Colts' leadership brings us back to Manning and Harrison. In many ways, they're an odd couple. Manning talks non-stop, as quarterbacks should, and often wears his emotions on his jersey sleeves. Harrison couldn't be more reserved. Sure, he occasionally looks irritated if the ball doesn't come his way enough - all wide receivers get antsy for the ball - but he carries himself with a grace and humility unusual in the look-at-me NFL.
While they've played seven years together, the pair could remain a potent force for another three-to-five years, maybe longer.
Their record is a tribute to longevity, to great communication, to a sixth sense of when the smallest of openings appears. Manning saw the one-on-one matchup Harrison had with Rams cornerback Travis Fisher, checked out of a run and gave a cue to Harrison that the ball was coming his way.
"Marvin and I have put in a lot of work," Manning said. "Obviously there are a lot of guys who were a part of it - protection, and other receivers doing their job and Edge blocking. We put a lot of time and effort into it."
Manning talked about keeping the 86th touchdown pass football in his and/or Harrison's hands, rather than sending it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That might not be a problem. Won't the hall be more interested in No. 100 or No. 125?
Do I hear 130?
There's plenty of time for Manning and Harrison to perform more amazing feats. I can't wait to see what they do for an encore. For their next encore, I should say.
This column is the commentary of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The News-Sentinel. E-mail Reggie Hayes at rhayes@news-sentinel.com.
