Smith refuses to gloat, but he should

SignOnSanDiego.com >Full Story Here: A.J. Smith acknowledges it was a difficult offseason. The Chargers not only were coming off a 4-12 record that tied for last in the NFL, but also were humiliated by Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning, who said he would sit out the season and re-enter the 2005 draft if the Chargers selected him with the first pick.

Things weren't much better in training camp. Almost every major publication ranked the Chargers last in the league.

Nine games into the season, the Chargers are back in the headlines – for the right reasons. They're arguably the NFL's biggest surprise this season, winning five of their past six to improve to 6-3 and remain tied with Denver atop the AFC West.