There are several reasons why NFL records just don't carry the same weight and significance as baseball records. One reason is that unlike MLB records, which tend to last for generations, football records have a very short lifespan. In fact, the only single-game NFL record that really matters is the one for most rushing yards in a single game, which Walter Payton had held for two decades. But in this decade alone, that record has been re-broke three different times, and was nearly broken a fourth time when Jerome Harrison ran for 286 yards last week.

The same is true for quarterbacks. There was a time when Sammy Baugh held every NFL record under the sun. Later that distinction was held by Fran Tarkenton -- then there was Dan Marino, and then there was Brett Favre, who currently holds every record imaginable. The QB to surpass Favre's records (health permitting) will no doubt be Peyton Manning, who also happens to be working on a lengthy consecutive games streak.

Not only does Manning have as many championships as Favre (one), he is in prime condition to do something no player has ever done. Currently Manning's Colts are 14-0, and Manning is the leading contender for the MVP award. Should the prize go to Manning -- and considering all the facelifts the team has done, there's no reason why it shouldn't -- Peyton would have four career MVP's, moving him past Brett Favre, Johnny Unitas and Jim Brown for the most ever.

Lately, many people have been talking about Manning being, maybe, the best quarterback of all time. Unlike most other sports -- which usually have a clear-cut player who is generally considered the greatest ever -- the NFL does not have a "Pele" or "Wayne Gretzky" of quarterbacks. Some people consider John Elway the greatest ever; some give it to Joe Montana or even Steve Young, while Brett Favre, Dan Marino, Johhny Unitas, Roger Staubach and Terry Bradshaw get nods as well. And when Tom Brady eventually wraps up his career, his healthy ring collection will bring him some consideration too.

If we assume that Manning will continue to stay healthy, there's no reason why he won't finish with the best statistics of any quarterback in history. However, he'll have several hurdles to leap if he's ever to be considered the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time). For one, Montana's and Bradshaw's four championships are mighty formidable, and while Manning has forever shed his reputation as a choker, he's never been as renowned for his late-game heroics as Montana, Elway or even Brady. Plus, loyalists will note that Manning (and Brady) is playing in an era where quarterbacks get more protection than ever before; Johnny Unitas could only wish he had the same roughing-the-passer restrictions that current quarterbacks have.

There's no question that Manning is a unanimous first-ballot Hall of Famer, and the player he'll most often be compared to will likely be Tom Brady, who has the upper-hand in total championships. Peyton is easily one of the six or seven best quarterbacks ever -- but in order to win the hearts of sports writers and ascend to No. 1, another title will go a long, long way. Oh, and a 19-0 season wouldn't hurt either.