INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The Indianapolis Colts finished practice, and Marvin Harrison started his usual routine. The two-time NFL receiving champion stayed on the field to run routes with less-heralded teammates such as Aaron Moorehead.

Harrison knows what it takes to do his job well: a relentless desire to get things right.

The scene also illustrates why Harrison and Peyton Manning entered Monday night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings on the verge of breaking the NFL record for completions by a quarterback-receiver tandem.

“I was here for the finished product, but you understand how they’ve gotten there,” Colts coach Tony Dungy said, shaking his head as he watched Harrison run after most teammates had left. “They work hard, they understand how each other plays.”

Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly and wideout Andre Reed connected on a record 663 completions from 1986-96, when current Colts president Bill Polian was with the Bills. Manning and Harrison went into Monday’s game needing four completions to break that mark.

Some consider the record a product of longevity; others contend it is a byproduct of the NFL’s trend toward more wide-open passing games.

Putting the combination together, though, was the key for the Colts.

During Harrison’s first two seasons with Indianapolis, he caught 137 passes on teams that went 12-20. Since Manning arrived in 1998, Harrison has been to five Pro Bowls, while the Colts reached the playoffs four times and advanced to the AFC championship game last season.

What has Harrison meant to Manning’s career? Plenty.

“That’s been pretty well documented – how I feel about Marvin as a player,” Manning said.

In some ways, Manning and Harrison are quite similar. Neither likes taking breaks, even while preparing for games, and they’ve developed their rapport by working overtime at practice and in pregame drills.

In other ways, Manning and Harrison are remarkably different. Manning spends countless hours studying films, poring over old notes and dissecting opponents’ tendencies. Harrison works on refining routes and hand drills rather than worrying about opposing defenses.

Both approaches have produced impressive results.

Manning frequently calls plays at the line of scrimmage, while Harrison’s teammates say he’s tough to defend because he makes every route look the same.

“That’s why (Harrison) is so good and why they are so good together,” wide receiver Brandon Stokley said. “It seems like they are always on the same page. They’ve seen everything and can adjust to anything.”

For opponents, defending Manning & Co. has become increasingly difficult this year.

Stokley and Reggie Wayne emerged as legitimate options opposite Harrison, and that helped put Manning on pace to outdo his MVP numbers of last season.

“It’s knowing who to throw the ball to and when to get it out of your hand,” Vikings coach Mike Tice said. “Peyton Manning might be the best at that.”

Harrison also is taking advantage. He’s on pace to top 1,000 yards for the sixth straight season and to set a career-high in touchdown receptions.

Manning and Harrison are now moving up the charts together. They’re third on the NFL’s career touchdown pass combo list, trailing only Steve Young-Jerry Rice and Dan Marino-Mark Clayton. Manning and Harrison could overtake both duos next season – if Harrison is still in Indianapolis. He’s a free agent after this season.

Manning and Harrison also are closing in on the record for QB-to-WR yards, still held by Kelly and Reed with 9,538. That could be within reach near the end of this season.

To Harrison, who usually deflects questions about records and statistics, it’s clear this one means something different.

“It is about longevity,” he said. “But more than that, it goes to show you the hard work and talent that goes into it. It shows a lot of dedication and the relationship a receiver has with his quarterback. It takes a lot of work.”

AP-ES-11-08-04 1507EST