"He's the most deserving guy here," teammate and second-year Pro Bowl running back LaDainian Tomlinson said. "He's been through the most and overcome the most."

Brees, Indianapolis' Peyton Manning and New England's Tom Brady will be the AFC quarterbacks in the Pro Bowl on Sunday at Aloha Stadium.

Of the 35 first-year Pro Bowl players, Brees finds himself as a compelling story, one that involves a lost starting job, questions about his future, redemption and one heck of a season.

"As long as you believe in yourself, you just keep going and stay confident," said Brees, who is listed at 6-feet and 221 pounds. "There's always going to be people trying to tear you down. Just don't let it happen."

Two seasons ago, Brees struggled through a subpar season and found himself benched for five games down the stretch as the Chargers finished 4-12.

In last April's NFL draft, the Chargers acquired North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers — the No. 4 overall pick — from the New York Giants, leaving Brees pondering his future with the team.

"When I was drafted by the Chargers, I thought I was going to be the 'Quarterback of the Future,' " said Brees, a second-round pick out of Purdue in 2001. "Now they draft another guy and say he's going to be that guy. The first question to myself was, 'Where does that leave me?'

"It didn't take me long to realize that I needed to only worry about the things I can control," Brees continued. "I can't control who they're going to bring in. It's a competitive league. They're always bringing in people to replace you or compete with you."

At first angry and disappointed, Brees worked himself back into favor with the Chargers, and regained the starting job this past season when the team could not reach a contract agreement with Rivers until August.

With Brees at the controls, the Chargers went 12-4, won the AFC West and advanced to their first postseason in eight years where they were eliminated by the New York Jets, 20-17, in overtime of a wild-card game.

"He's the leader," said teammate and first-year Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates. "He's the commander of our offense. By him being here, it makes me more comfortable."

This regular season, Brees completed 262 of 400 passes (65.5 percent) for 3,159 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His quarterback rating was 104.8; 37.3 points better than 2003.

"For him to show the toughness, the character, the integrity to rise above all of it and deliver a type of season he had, I think you would hear a lot of players and a lot of people say that it's the best feel-good story of this Pro Bowl and this season," said veteran ESPN NFL reporter Chris Mortensen.

Brees, who is eligible for free agency, said he would like to stay with the Chargers if they offer him a long-term contract.

"I want to be the guy there for the rest of my career and lead the team to the championships," Brees said. "I want a long-term deal. I don't just want to be there for one year or two years. I want to be there my whole career."

Mortensen said in the next two weeks the Chargers need to make a decision on Brees on whether to designate him a franchise player or let him become a free agent.

"All the indications we have is that they will franchise him and possibly trade him," Mortensen said. "They've got a lot invested in Philip Rivers. They've designated Philip as their guy. So I would say there's a pretty fair possibility that Brees is franchised and traded by the Chargers.

"There's a lot of risk in that for the Chargers," Mortensen added. "They just went to the playoffs with Drew Brees. But the Chargers could go into this draft with maybe three No. 1 picks. They already have two; their own and the Giants'. If they pick up another No. 1, which is a possibility with Brees, they would have some fun in this draft. But the risk is, they may not have the right quarterback."

Reach Brandon Masuoka at bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2458.

New England kicker Vinatieri arrives early

New England Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri arrived one day earlier than his Super Bowl teammates yesterday.

Vinatieri is one of five Patriots in the Pro Bowl. The others are Brady, inside linebackers Larry Izzo and Tedy Bruschi, and defensive end Richard Seymour.

New England running back Corey Dillon failed a postseason physical and will be replaced on the AFC roster by Pittsburgh's Jerome Bettis.

Brian Dawkins of the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles also arrived a day ahead of his teammates yesterday.