Marvin Harrison. And Reggie Wayne.
That's it.
"There's only two guys," coach Jim Caldwell noted Thursday afternoon. "Early on when I first arrived (in 2002), it was Marv and it was Reggie."
But lately, there has been a third. Pierre Garcon began sharing repetitions with Wayne several weeks ago.
"(Manning) told me to come out there and join them," Garcon said. "Just running routes versus 'air' and getting loose. It's cool."
Perhaps it's a coincidence, but since being involved with Manning's pregame work, Garcon has achieved a level of productivity that had been missing. He has had at least five catches in each of the past five games and had six for 93 yards and two touchdowns in the Colts' 30-28 win at Tennessee on Dec. 9.
Garcon provided one of the defining plays against the Titans in the fourth quarter when he turned a short second-down reception into a 43-yard catch-and-run. It set up Adam Vinatieri's 47-yard field goal that sealed the victory.
"Things are just going my way now," Garcon said. "I am a little bit healthier and things are starting to click."
Garcon missed two games, including a 31-28 loss at Jacksonville on Oct. 3, and was limited in practice by hamstring issues.
The lack of practice prompted Manning to approach his third-year receiver.
"I just said any chance we have to throw more to Pierre is worth it," Manning said.
Manning stopped short of attributing Garcon's improved play to the pregame work, "but it sure doesn't hurt."
Manning begins his routine approximately 90 minutes before the game. He runs through the route tree: a hitch, a slant, an out, a comeback. He'll throw fades to the corner of the end zone, and work on a 'scramble' drill with the receiver adjusting his route in the back of the end zone.
"That's part of what he does in getting himself ready for a ballgame, (the) comfort level," Caldwell said. "Oftentimes during a game, you'll see those exact same throws. It does indeed help."
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