I think you have your timeline wrong. Drew Brees stunk it up in his third season, which allowed the Chargers the privilege to hold the #1 in that year's draft (remember the Mannings?). That draft served as a wake up call for Drew and he played great that year until freakin' Kaeding and the Jets. The following year, Drew Brees played very good while keeping Rivers holding the clipboard for a second season until Drew was injured in a meaningless game towards the end of the season when the Chargers were already eliminated from the playoffs; Gates (already a stud TE at that point) holding out for several games in the beginning of the season didn't help matters (seeing a trend with this org?). Drew Brees was diagnosed with a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, AJ Smith had his boy Rivers waiting in the wings, and the rest, as they say, is history.