Who Else Besides GM AJ Smith Deserves Executive Of The Year? Nobody!

The man hits way more than he misses. Start with him trading Eli Manning for Philip Rivers and (essentially ) Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding. Rivers, Merriman, and Kaeding all made the Pro Bowl this season. This comes a year after AJ Smith drafted Shawne, who went on to earn DROY honors and a Pro Bowl berth. Merriman is the most dominant defensive player in the league (17 sacks?! SEVENTEEN!) and was snubbed in the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Philip Rivers would never had made the Pro Bowl if AJ Smith hadn't allowed Drew Brees to walk in free agency. That decision paid off with a 14-2 season and the top seed in the AFC. Rivers will be a superstar in this league and has commanded the respect and admiration of all around him.

I can't gloss over Smith's pick of Luis Castillo, who has established himself as one of the premier 3-4 Defensive Ends. Luis missed some time this year only playing in 10 games, but he has rare pass rushing abilities for the position he plays. Castillo racked up 7 sacks this season and had he been healthy, would likely have been in the Pro Bowl.

Vincent Jackson was a raw prospect from a Div II school but AJ Smith saw his potential as a pro. After a quiet rookie campaign (zero touchdowns), Jackson has broken out this season with six TDs and will continue his development into next year where he could be a 1000+ yard guy.

I mentioned Kaeding, a Pro Bowl kicker this year who is one of the league scoring leaders this season. The guy is just money, increasing his accuracy every year since his rookie season. He had a career season this year, missing only 3 FGs while booting all 58 extra points. His leg strength and hang-time clearly improved, going from 2 touchbacks his rookie season to 3 in his second season. But this year he shot all the way to 11 touchbacks and even had 5 tackles, the most in his career!

Lets not forget that every team passed up on Left Tackle Marcus McNeil last year, so when McNeil fell to the Chargers second round pick (50 overall), it was reported that Smith used all of about half a second to pull the trigger. Marcus is quickly becoming regarded as one of the best tackles in the league, and will likely become a perennial Pro Bowler. He was even in the mix for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

I could go on and on about all that GM AJ Smith has meant to this organization. The team is built to win now, and to remain competitive for years to come.

The 53-man roster includes 46 acquired during Smith's tenure and four others who have had long-term extensions initiated by Smith. The Chargers have 23 players under contract through at least 2009, including eight of their nine Pro Bowlers.

For a more personal look, read Kevin Acee's story about Smith's life outside of football

"When we'll get him out to dinner, away from football, we'll get him going, and he's really a character," Chargers President Dean Spanos said. "He has a funny side. Once you get through that seriousness and he's relaxed, he's really fun."