Bell: Peyton Manning's consistency the driver behind record moments
The magic number for Peyton Manning came and went on Sunday night, and at that point the big suspense was who would catch the touchdown for history.
Marvin Harrison caught No. 1.
Emmanuel Sanders, No. 507.
Wes Welker, No. 508.
Take a bow, Demaryius Thomas. You're the lucky contestant, courtesy of No. 509.
And for the Broncos receivers who were not so fortunate this time, there's always another record book moment looming. If he throws a TD pass in each game for the rest of the season, Manning could break Drew Brees' record for consecutive games with a scoring strike in the season finale.
But first things first.
Appreciate the consistency. That's what it takes to achieve what Manning has accomplished.
You must be talented and skillful, for sure.
Yet this is about high-level performance over the long haul.
In Manning's case, that's after his career was seemingly in jeopardy because of a nerve problem — which happened to pop up while he excelled for such a long time.
Manning surely deserves each and every record. They have been earned, not granted.
He is the classic role model for how to play quarterback, so much so that if the NFL ever re-designed its logo to feature the silhouette of a passer (like the Jerry West image inside the NBA's logo), it's Manning.
For all of Manning's greatness, though, the real intrigue will come a lot later in the season.
Can he win the big one again?
Fair or not, that's still the ultimate measuring stick for an NFL quarterback — especially in this pass-happy era. It's why owning all the records doesn't mean that Manning, one of the greatest, is necessarily the greatest quarterback in NFL history. See Joe Montana.
With rules changes over the years tilting the playing field further and further in favor of the offense, you can argue that the records are a bit skewed. Manning's numbers, as impressive as they are, are boosted of this era of passing fancy.
The championships, though, reflect a different standard.
And for Manning, the titles have been so much harder to grasp than the records.
Yet he keeps trying, with the same type of determination that fueled his rebound from a career-threatening injury.
It seemed fitting that on the play before his record-breaking touchdown, Manning stumbled and fell to the turf on a busted play.
He picked himself up, then made history.
Now Manning, in the midst of another championship quest after his team stumbled in the last Super Bowl, can aim for a different type of history.
Follow NFL columnist Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.
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