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Cool note from ESPN Stats & Information: First-year San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh is the last quarterback other than Peyton Manning to start a regular-season game for the Indianapolis Colts.

That will change when Kerry Collins replaces an injured Manning in the Colts' lineup for Week 1.

The first preseason game I covered as an NFL beat reporter featured Manning making his first start against the Seattle Seahawks in the Kingdome. His very first pass found Marvin Harrison for a 49-yard touchdown. Preseason games are generally without much meaning, but could there have been a more fitting beginning for Manning?

For a fuller appreciation of Manning's durability and consistency in starting 227 consecutive games, I went through Pro Football Reference counting how many quarterbacks had started for current NFC West teams since Manning made his regular-season debut. There have been 48. That figure includes 14 for the St. Louis Rams, 13 for the 49ers, 11 for the Arizona Cardinals and 10 for the Seahawks.

A few notes on the 48 players to start for current NFC West teams since 1998:

• There have been two Brocks (Berlin, Huard), two Charlies (Frye, Whitehurst), two named Chris (Chandler, Weinke), two Jeffs (Plummer, Martin), three Johns (Friesz, Navarre, Skelton), one Jon (Kitna), two Matts (Hasselbeck, Leinart), two Shauns (Hill, King), three Steves (Young, Bono, Stenstrom) and two Trents (Dilfer, Green).
• Two, Young and Warren Moon, have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame since Manning's streak began.
• Dilfer and Warner started for more than one current NFC West team since Manning's streak began. Warner started 57 games for Arizona and 50 for St. Louis. Dilfer started 12 for Seattle and six for San Francisco.
• Hasselbeck has the most total starts for current NFC West teams with 131, followed by Marc Bulger (95 for St. Louis), Jake Plummer (73 for the Cardinals) and Jeff Garcia (71 for the 49ers).
• Smith -- Alex, not Troy -- owns the most starts among current NFC West players with 50, all for San Francisco.
• Eight of the 48 were one-and-done as starters: Berlin, Scott Covington, Ty Detmer, Glenn Foley, Friesz, Frye, Navarre and Weinke. Nineteen have made at least 10 starts.

The NFC West will have two starters new to the division in Week 1: Tarvaris Jackson and Kevin Kolb.

The chart shows start totals by team for the 48. The NFC West changed membership with realignment in 2002. I'm going back to 1998 for the four teams currently in the division.

SEATTLE -- Keith Hawkins of ESPN Stats & Information passes along this note from Elias Sports Bureau:

The Seattle Seahawks' 28-year-old Charlie Whitehurst is scheduled to become the fifth quarterback since 2000 to make his first regular-season start at such a late age.

Whitehurst, 28 years and 93 days old, will start for Seattle against the New York Giants in Week 9. He joins a list featuring J.T. O'Sullivan (29 years, 13 days in 2008), Quinn Gray (28 years, 160 days in 2007), Todd Bouman (29 years, 130 days in 2001) and Chris Weinke (29 years, 40 days in 2001).

Most good quarterbacks find their way into starting lineups before reaching this age. Whitehurst wasn't going to get a chance playing behind Philip Rivers in San Diego, so perhaps he's an exception. But neither did the Chargers value him enough to make him their No. 2 quarterback, and the rest of the league wasn't willing to acquire him as a potential starter until Seattle traded for him this season.

Weinke (20), O'Sullivan (eight), Bouman (seven) and Gray (four) have combined for 39 career regular-season starts.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 8:

Too early to sit down Hall. Kurt Warner generously said he saw a little of himself in new Arizona Cardinals quarterback Max Hall. That was before Hall played in a game. Hall hasn't led a touchdown drive in any of his 25 possessions. Warner, meanwhile, tossed 21 touchdown passes with only three interceptions in his first eight NFL starts. Even so, the Cardinals are right to stick with Hall in Week 8 amid negative reviews. Once the Cardinals made the decision to give Hall a chance, they needed to give him more than two games. Hall does own a 1-1 starting record. There's a decent chance that record will hit 2-1 after facing Tampa Bay. Plenty of time remains to bench Hall if he doesn't improve. It could happen Sunday if Hall falters.

Oakland homecomings. The Seahawks' game at Oakland could mean a little more to three of Seattle's most significant players. Running back Marshawn Lynch, acquired from Buffalo, grew up in Oakland and sports an "OAKLAND" tattoo across his chest. Mike Williams, the Seahawks' leading receiver, started one of the six games he played for the Raiders in 2007. Defensive end Chris Clemons set a career season high with eight sacks for the Raiders, also in 2007. Clemons already has 5.5 sacks in six games since the Seahawks acquired him from Philadelphia. That puts Clemons on pace for 14.5 sacks. Oakland has allowed seven in its past two home games (and only four in its past two road games).

Troy Smith, come on down. Nine quarterbacks have started games for the San Francisco 49ers since the team last posted a winning record in 2002. Troy Smith becomes the 10th when the 49ers face the Denver Broncos in London. The others, ranked by most starts: Alex Smith, Shaun Hill, Tim Rattay, Jeff Garcia, Ken Dorsey, J.T. O'Sullivan, Trent Dilfer, Chris Weinke and Cody Pickett. Four threw more touchdowns than interceptions during that time: Hill (23-11), Rattay (22-18), Garcia (18-13) and Weinke (1-0). None owns a higher rating in those games than Hill (87.3). Carr is the only 49ers quarterback since 2003 to attempt passes for the team without starting a game, according to Pro Football Reference.

Saluting Isaac Bruce. The Rams are honoring one of their all-time greats, Isaac Bruce, during a ceremony before the game. Unfortunately for rookie quarterback Sam Bradford, Bruce might be good enough in retirement to help the Rams against Carolina in Week 8. Bradford badly missed injured receiver Mark Clayton when the Rams needed to make a play in the second half against Tampa Bay. Danario Alexander provided a short-term spark, but his knee is bothering him and he might not play Sunday. Danny Amendola has turned into a solid option from the slot, but Bradford needs more targets. With Bruce in the building and Steve Smith returning to the Panthers' lineup last week, top-flight receivers will be everywhere in the Edward Jones Dome except where the Rams need one most: in a St. Louis uniform.

Must-win for the Rams. Sure, it's only Week 8, but after squandering opportunities in close defeats to beatable opponents (Arizona, Oakland and Tampa Bay), the Rams are just about finished with the easier portion of their schedule. Losing at home to the 1-5 Panthers could send this team plummeting following its bye week. The Rams play four of five games on the road following their Week 9 bye. The lone home game falls against Atlanta, arguably the best team in the NFC.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic says Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt prefers being aggressive to playing it safe, one reason he called pass plays while leading the Giants in Week 7. Whisenhunt: "When we're aggressive, when we go after things, it gives us a better chance to be successful. I think our players seem to rise to the challenge a lot better."

Also from Somers: The Cardinals have received 24-hour blackout extensions three times in four home games this season despite improved local TV ratings.

More from Somers: The Cardinals apparently do not plan to wear white uniforms Sunday despite posting a strong record when wearing them recently.

More yet from Somers: Tackles Mike Gandy and Levi Brown played relatively well against the Giants. I thought center Lyle Sendlein threw some good blocks as well, particularly in the run game.

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com thinks the Vikings-Cardinals game Dec. 6 could be flexed into prime time on NBC. That move cannot be made until Nov. 22.

Also from Urban: The Cardinals' third-down defense has been good enough for linebacker Karlos Dansby to yell "See you in three" between series. Urban: "The Cardinals have put together nine three-and-outs for the opposition the past two games, and their third-down defense has been outstanding. The Cards have allowed just 24-of-84 third downs to be converted this season, with a 28.6 percent mark that is third in the NFL."

Pete McElroy of azcardinals.com says the Cardinals are guarding against a letdown as they head into a softer part of their schedule. Their next five opponents have a combined record of 7-24.

Revenge of the Birds' Andrew602 takes a position-by-position look at the Cardinals and Panthers. He gives Carolina the edge at running back, tight end and along the offensive line.

Clare Farnsworth of seahawks.com says quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's injured ribs feel "tight" and "sticky" as they heal.

Also from Farnsworth: a look at what Marcus Trufant went through in rehabilitating a back injury. Trufant: "I had some long days -- some long, hard, rough days. Not really being around the guys as much and not being on the field, it’s rough. It’s kind of a mental game that you’ve got to play with yourself. You’ve just got to be strong and you’ve just got to know there is some light at the end of the tunnel."

Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times says Lofa Tatupu's season-ending surgery will hurt the Seahawks' defense, but the unit cannot blame injuries for its inconsistencies. Coordinator Gus Bradley: "Offensively, there are some injuries that have taken place that maybe hurt their consistency. I can't sit here and talk to you and say those same things."

Greg Johns of seattlepi.com says Hasselbeck practiced fully Thursday after taking a slower approach earlier in the week.

John Morgan of Field Gulls thinks Tatupu became less effective after trying to bulk up. The Seahawks listed Tatupu at 238 pounds as a rookie. They list him at 242 pounds now.

Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Rams will probably be looking for a new quarterback during the offseason. Coats: "The franchise hasn't used its first-round draft pick on a quarterback since 1964, when it selected Utah State's Bill Munson seventh overall. It hasn't taken a QB on the first day of the draft since 1996, when it chose Michigan State's Tony Banks in the second round."

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch checks in with Rams receiver Ruvell Martin, who is hoping to rebound from a hamstring injury. Also, Quincy Butler will probably replace Bradley Fletcher in the lineup at cornerback. Coordinator Ken Flajole: ""Quincy's done a nice job for us. Now, he hasn't gotten all the reps that the other guys have because we had some people in front of him. We've had some injuries there, so he's getting a chance to step up. He's done a nice job this week and hopefully he'll continue and play like a seasoned vet on Sunday."

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree will finally get to run in Indianapolis -- not at the combine, but against the Colts. Also, Takeo Spikes might not play much even if he's healthy enough to start. Barrows: "How much the 'Ted' linebacker plays against the Colts, however, depends on how often Indianapolis goes with three wide receivers. Spikes usually is the first linebacker to come off the field on passing downs and when teams go three-wide, the 49ers bring in an extra defensive back."

Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat checks in with Crabtree and offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye for a look at the 49ers' offense. Raye says quarterback Alex Smith is more comfortable than predecessor Shaun Hill when throwing to all areas of the field. Smith has a stronger arm, in other words.

Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News provides a transcript to Raye's interview session.

Also from Brown: Twelve players have started at quarterback for the 49ers since the Colts drafted Peyton Manning. Who could forget Chris Weinke?

John Crumpacker of the San Francisco Chronicle looks at the personnel adjustments the 49ers will make against the Colts' offense.

49ers Starting QBs since 2004 Won Lost Pct. Status Shaun Hill 2 0 1.000 49ers backup Alex Smith 11 19 .367 IR, 49ers Ken Dorsey 2 8 .200 Browns backup Trent Dilfer 1 5 .167 Retired Tim Rattay 2 11 .154 Free agent J.T. O'Sullivan 0 1 .000 49ers starter Chris Weinke 0 1 .000 Free agent Cody Pickett 0 2 .000 Free agent

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

How did Alex Smith fare as the 49ers' starting quarterback? Not as bad as the team's other quarterbacks since Jeff Garcia left following the 2003 season.

The 49ers were 11-19 (.367) in games Smith started. Their record is 7-28 (.200) in all other games since Garcia's departure. No 49ers quarterback with more than two starts has a higher winning percentage as a starter during that time.

Current starter J.T. O'Sullivan can rocket toward the top of the list by posting a 6-10 record as a starter this season. That would give him a .375 winning percentage.