The Indianapolis Colts have had several legendary names wear the horseshoe and etch their names in the Ring of Honor and Hall of Fame. However, perhaps none have more accolades or respect than the dynamic duo of quarterback Peyton Manning and wide receiver Marvin Harrison.
Manning and Harrison played 11 seasons together and accounted for 114 touchdowns, good enough for number one all-time for QB/WR scores between a tandem. In short, these two command respect and are NFL Hall of Famers for a reason.
ESPN has this respect by placing Manning and Harrison on the NFL all-quarter century team, putting 53 illustrious names on a complete roster. Starting with Manning, Aaron Schatz dives into further detail on the Colts and Broncos legend.
"Manning ranks second behind Brady in DYAR since 2000. He has three of the top five seasons for total passing value -- 2013, 2004 and 2006. His 2004 season has the highest passing DVOA (value per play) of any season since 1978. And while QBR doesn't go back as far, Manning's 2006 season is the second-highest QBR behind Brady's 2007 season. Close your eyes, and you can still picture Manning audibling behind the line of scrimmage, moving his players around before the snap to take advantage of his incredible ability to read defenses."
Manning torched defenses for 16 straight seasons until he finally fell from his prime in 2015 with Denver. Despite having an awful final year, Manning still won a Super Bowl with the Broncos while operating behind a strong ground game and leaning on an elite defense.
Manning's career numbers are dream-like for any QB. Through 266 games, he compiled 71,940 passing yards, 539 touchdowns through the air, 14 Pro Bowls, five MVPs, and two Super Bowl championships (2006 with the Colts, 2015 with the Broncos).
Manning is widely regarded as a top three QB of all time, with some believing he is the best pure operator under center to ever suit up. One of the biggest reasons Manning was a pinpoint passer with the Colts was his wide receiver and top target throughout his career, Harrison.
For Harrison's entry, Seth Walder handles the description of the NFL legend.
"Harrison didn't miss a first or second-team All-Pro selection from 1999 to 2006. Although he led the NFL only one time each in receiving yards (2002) and receiving touchdowns (2005), he led the NFL in receiving DYAR three times: 2001, 2002 and 2006. Harrison had 205 targets in 2002, the third-highest total in NFL history, and he caught 70% of those passes. We chose Harrison for this spot over other options because he had a stronger peak."
Harrison played his entire 13-year career with the Colts, etching his name into the history books in 2002 with 143 catches. This stood as the most catches in a regular season for a whopping 17 years until Michael Thomas broke it with the New Orleans Saints in 2019 with 149.
Harrison caught an incredible 1,102 passes on 1,781 targets for 14,580 receiving yards and 128 touchdowns during his career. Harrison's 1999-2002 was legendary, as he notched at least 102 catches and led the NFL in receptions in 2000 (102) and 2002 (143). Harrison also topped the NFL in receiving yards in 1999 (1,663) and 2002 (1,722).
While Harrison only stood around six feet tall and weighed under 190 pounds, he was an elite threat to score. Harrison had at least 10 touchdown receptions from 1999 to 2006, averaging an insane 12.6 scores per year during that span.
Harrison's accolades speak for themselves, logging eight Pro Bowls, three First-Team All-Pros and five Second-Team All-Pros, and a Super Bowl title (2006). Harrison will always be regarded as one of the smoothest, yet deadly pass-catchers to grace an NFL field.
The current Colts team aspires to attain greatness like the squads Manning and Harrison played on; however, things are way different at quarterback for Indianapolis in 2025. Anthony Richardson has fallen as the prominent starter and now must fight for his job against free agent signee Daniel Jones.
The Colts' offseason will be a spectacle due to the QB competition, with both signal-callers holding immense pressure to win the battle. Manning and Harrison set the standard for success in Indy, and now Shane Steichen's team has to answer with their back against the wall to do better than the last two campaigns.
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