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It was the first day of the NFL combine in Indianapolis and if A.J. Smith had been nervous, it would have been understandable.

He was entering the most critical offseason of his career. Already fired in the court of public opinion, Smith and Norv Turner, the coach he will forever be connected to, were given a reprieve by the San Diego Chargers ownership even though the team failed to make the playoffs for the second straight season.

San Diego is trying to curry as much public favor as possible in an effort to get a new stadium. If the team fails to reach the postseason again this season, the duo probably will be fired. The only way either man could retain his job if the Chargers don’t make the postseason would be if the team were decimated by injuries. And even that might not be enough.

Smith has to have an excellent year and the task began in earnest at the combine, where the team’s free-agency and draft plans began to unfold.

Was Smith worried in Indianapolis?

If he was, he is a fantastic actor. He looks like he’s on vacation every day. Tanned and well dressed, Smith casually sipped iced tea and spoke at length about his plan for the offseason. He was aware of his challenges and the consequences of failure but vowed not to play the offseason scared.

“I’m not going to get desperate,” Smith said then. “I’m going to do it my way.”

Fast forward more than two months later; Smith must be applauded for what he has done. Smith did everything he could to put the Chargers in a positive position headed into the season.

He decided not to tie up a large chunk of his free-agent budget in Pro Bowl receiver Vincent Jackson. Instead he focused on keeping other key in-house free agents such as offensive linemen Nick Hardwick and Jared Gaither, signed several receivers and added solid depth throughout the roster.

Smith followed up his aggressive free agency efforts by spearheading one of the best drafts. The Chargers found stunning early-round value on defense, their greatest need. At the end of Round 3, ESPN analyst Jon Gruden applauded the team's choices and said he believed San Diego would be a playoff team again.

The Chargers’ biggest offseason need was to infuse a lackluster defense with some impact performers. They had a meek pass rush in 2011 and were the NFL’s worst defense on third down.

After securing Baltimore linebacker Jarret Johnson in free agency, Smith watched his draft board fall perfectly. It started when dynamic South Carolina pass-rusher Melvin Ingram fell to San Diego at the No. 18 pick. He is a perfect 3-4 outside linebacker and should make an instant impact. He was expected to be a top-10 pick, and ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper called the choice one of the very best of the first round.

In the second and third rounds, the Chargers added defensive tackle Kendall Reyes at No. 49 and then traded up to take LSU safety Brandon Taylor at No. 73, in the third round. San Diego was considering Taylor with its second-round pick. The Chargers went on to draft value the rest of the weekend, even getting potential contributors like center David Molk and running back Edwin Baker in the final round.

Smith told U-T San Diego after the draft that he was pleased with his process, but he knows it doesn’t guarantee anything.

“All drafts are important to me,” Smith told the paper. “All I can do is concentrate on my job each and every year and do the best I can do as long as I can. Nothing’s changed here for me. There’s no outside pressure. I’m grateful to be here and have no idea how long I’ll be here.

“Everyone feels great on draft day. Some will make an impact in their first year, some will take awhile to get better, and some will never get the opportunity because of injuries, but it won’t be their fault or ours. You don’t know anything. We’ve drafted excellent college football players. They’re unproven NFL players -- all of them.”

San Diego owner Dean Spanos is pleased with the offseason Smith has put together.

“I think we were pretty patient in the draft and we think it paid off,” Spanos said in a phone interview this week. “We are happy with how the draft went. … We had a plan this offseason and we feel like we came pretty close to getting everything done we wanted to. … But we will see. We all know we need to get back to the playoffs and we are working to get there.”

Still, getting back into the postseason will not be easy for San Diego. The Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos also made significant improvements in the offseason.

“I can’t say I am sold on the Chargers,” Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. said. “Over the past few years, I think their collective talent level has dropped. They did do some good things in free agency and the draft treated them well, not to mention that I am still a huge believer in Philip Rivers. … It isn’t to say that they can’t compete or get into the postseason, but right now, they are the third best team in the AFC West to me. “

If San Diego can’t break through and Smith and Turner pay for it, it will not be because of a lack of effort at the top. Smith responded to the challenge in free agency and the draft. Now, it’s time to see if it was enough.

Here are a few more thoughts I have on Tuesday’s Pro Bowl selections:

I’ve heard a lot in the past several hours since the AFC Pro Bowl team was announced that Philip Rivers was an undeserving selection on the team and Tim Tebow may have been snubbed.

I have a difficult time believing either theory.

Rivers is one of three quarterbacks to have made the AFC team -- joining New England’s Tom Brady and Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger.

Yes, Rivers had a down season for him, but he also did accomplish some nice things. He has thrown for 4,314 yards, which is the second most in the conference behind Brady. Rivers did thr0w 19 interceptions, but he threw just two interceptions in the final five games.

It may have not been Rivers’ best season, but his selection to the Pro Bowl roster is not farfetched.

Tebow is the No. 2 alternate behind Cincinnati rookie Andy Dalton. There is a solid chance he could make it to Hawaii because quarterbacks often bow out.

I think Tebow should be thrilled with his slotting. He simply didn’t play even and do enough to be among the top three quarterbacks in the division. He took over as the starter in the sixth game, and at 7-3 as the Broncos’ starter, has them on the cusp of the division title. He hasn’t been Pro Bowl-good, though.

Meanwhile, Brian Waters has made the Chiefs looked bad. Waters was cut this summer because the Chiefs thought he was over the hill.

After being a late addition to New England, Water has played brilliantly and he earned his spot as a Pro Bowl starter at the age of 34. Waters is a class act and he is a leader. He was a locker-room favorite in Kansas City and he is a favorite in New England as well.

The Pro Bowl teams will be announced Tuesday. Here's a look at candidates for each team in the division:

Denver:

Players: Champ Bailey (cornerback), Ryan Clady (tackle), Brandon Lloyd (receiver), D.J. Williams (linebacker)

Best bets: Lloyd, Bailey.

Kansas City

Players: Eric Berry (safety), Dwayne Bowe (receiver), Matt Cassel (quarterback), Jamaal Charles (running back), Glenn Dorsey (defensive tackle), Brandon Flowers (cornerback),Tamba Hali (linebacker), Derrick Johnson (linebacker), Ryan Lilja (guard), Brian Waters (guard), Casey Wiegmann (center)

Best bets: Hali, Charles, Waters, Bowe.

Oakland

Players: Nnamdi Asomugha (cornerback), Rock Cartwright (special teams), Jon Condo (long snapper), Jacoby Ford (returner), Sebastian Janikowski (kicker), defensive tackle Tommy Kelly (defensive tackle) Shane Lechler (punter), Darren McFadden (running back), Richard Seymour (defensive lineman).

Best bets: Asomugha, Lechler, Janikowski, McFadden.

San Diego

Players: Kris Dielman (guard), Nick Hardwick (center), Antonio Garay (San Diego), Antonio Gates (tight end), Quentin Jammer (cornerback), Philip Rivers (quarterback), Shaun Phillips (linebacker), Eric Weddle (safety),

Best bets: Rivers, Gates, Dielman.

SAN DIEGO -- Antonio Gates and Shaun Phillips are having big days as the San Diego Chargers are routing Arizona 28-7 at halftime.

Gates had two touchdown receptions from quarterback Philip Rivers. He scored on plays of 33 yards and 26 yards. Gates was wide open on both plays.

Gates has a game-high 106 receiving yards on five catches. His fourth catch of the day was his 500tth career NFL catch. Rivers is a tidy 8 for 10 passing or 138 yards.

Meanwhile, San Diego is playing much better on kick coverage units. It allowed three return scores in its two losses this season.

Phillips is also having a good day. He scored on a 31-yard interceptions return late in the second quarter to give San Diego a 21-point lead. Phillips’ interception return came one play after he registered his second sack of the game. San Diego had five sacks in the first half.

Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt took starter Derek Anderson out after Phillips' interceptions and replaced him with rookie Max Hall.

Stunning. Just stunning.

The San Diego Chargers' run to the Super Bowl has been stopped and they have themselves to blame.

San Diego entered this game as the hottest team in the NFL. The Chargers had won 11 straight games to end the season.

They came out Sunday and were sloppy on offense and unreliable in the kicking game. That never happens.

But it happened Sunday and the Chargers' Super Bowl dreams have suddenly been dashed.

The loss will be remembered for three missed field goals by All-Pro kicker Nate Kaeding. Two misses were from within 40 yards. Kaeding had made 29 straight field goals from within 40 yards. Two interceptions by stellar quarterback Philip Rivers in the second half also contributed to the loss.

The Chargers just gave away a solid chance to go to the Super Bowl.

Here are the AFC West leaders in some key statistical categories after Week 13:

PASSING YARDS

• Player: Philip Rivers, San Diego
• Yards: 3,311
• What does it mean: Rivers is sixth in the NFL in this category.

RUSHING YARDS

• Player: Knowshon Moreno, Denver
• Yards: 774
• What does it mean: Moreno is hitting his stride.

RECEIVING YARDS

• Player: Antonio Gates, San Diego
• Yards: 994
• What does it mean: This may be Gates’ best season yet.

TACKLES

• Player: Kirk Morrison, Oakland
• Tackles: 96
• What does it mean: Morrison is an emotional leader for Oakland.

SACKS

• Player: Elvis Dumervil, Denver
• Sacks: 15
• What does it mean: Dumervil is leading the league in this category.

INTERCEPTIONS

• Player: Andre' Goodman, Denver
• Interceptions: 4
• What does it mean: Finally, a tie has been broken in this category.

	Julian Finney/Getty Images
	Surrounded by reporters on Wednesday, Drew Brees discusses the Saints' upcoming game against the Chargers.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

WATFORD, England -- On the edge of a soccer pitch, masquerading as a football field, Drew Brees sold New Orleans.

"Just like London is one of those spots where people feel like they need to visit when they come to Europe," Brees said, "well, New Orleans is one of those spots that if you're European and you're coming to the States and you want to know where to go, hey, come to New Orleans. I think the culture is unlike any other in our country and, certainly, you want to share that with the world."

The quarterback of the Saints suddenly has become the unofficial tourism director for New Orleans. Brees' latest spiel came with about 50 members of the British media in attendance Wednesday after the Saints had finished practice for Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers.

"I think that post-Katrina, maybe a lot of people have kind of forgotten about New Orleans or think that there's still so much damage there that it's not worth going," Brees said. "There are a lot of things that still need to be done. But, in a lot of ways, I think New Orleans has come back better than ever."

DREW BREES Quarterback  New Orleans Saints Profile 2008 Season Stats Cmp Att Yds Cmp% TD Int 190 263 2,224 68.4 12 7

For Brees, New Orleans has turned out to be paradise found.

Nearly three years after being cast aside by the Chargers, Brees has established himself as the face of the Saints and an ambassador for New Orleans. He did it in the aftermath of one of the most vicious hurricanes ever to strike the United States.

Weathering difficulty is nothing new for Brees. He dealt with plenty of that in San Diego. He'd been the starting quarterback for three seasons when the Chargers brought in Philip Rivers, a first-round pick, in the Eli Manning trade with the Giants. At that moment, Brees knew that meant his time in San Diego would come to an end at some point.

Brees actually wound up holding onto the starting job as Rivers stood on the sidelines and general manager A.J. Smith and coach Marty Schottenheimer feuded over what to do at quarterback and a lot of other things. With Smith favoring Rivers, Brees had two very productive seasons. But a shoulder injury at the end of 2005 made it easy for the Chargers to let him go and clear the way for Rivers.

Brees doesn't dwell on his San Diego days much anymore, but that period is coming up a lot as he prepares to play his former team.

"I guess ever since I signed with New Orleans, I knew the day would come," Brees said. "I feel like I'm still preparing the same way I would for any opponent. I know a lot of those guys, and there might be that extra added motivation to win or put more pressure on myself, but I'm really trying to approach this as just another game that we need to win."

(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson

SAN DIEGO -- Random pre-game thoughts:

It is clear skies and 72 degrees in San Diego. Perfect weather conditions are expected at game time.

San Diego running back Darren Sproles is on the field and is engaging in full warm-ups. He is expected to play a key role for the Chargers with star LaDainian Tomlinson likely limited with a lingering turf toe injury.

San Diego left tackle Marcus McNeill is expected to play for the first time this season. He has missed the first two games with a neck stinger.

Quarterbacks Brett Favre and Philip Rivers are back in their respective locker rooms after warming up early. The players chatted for several minutes. Rivers has said Favre has long been his favorite quarterback.

There are plenty of No. 4 jerseys in the stadium -- and some of the in Jets' colors. There are many of Favre's Green Bay jerseys in the house.