updated 8:54 p.m. ET April 25, 2004

SAN DIEGO - The way the San Diego Chargers tell it, they picked Eli Manning No. 1 in the NFL draft thinking there’d be a chance they’d still own his rights at the end of the day.

Really, though, that seemed as likely as the Chargers winning the Super Bowl.

Manning’s shelf life as a Charger lasted about an hour — he was booed Saturday as he held up the team’s jersey on stage at Madison Square Garden, and he refused to put on the matching cap. Then he was shipped to the New York Giants for North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers and a haul of draft picks.

Just days after being dissed by Manning and his famous father, Archie, the NFL’s worst team landed on its feet. The Chargers got a quarterback with a funky sidearm delivery who wowed coach Marty Schottenheimer at the Senior Bowl, the Giants’ third-round pick this year and their first- and fifth-round picks next year.

“The New York Giants and the Chargers got together and made a deal that’s absolutely fantastic for both teams, and we’re excited about it,” Chargers general manager A.J. Smith said.

And the Chargers, who’ve missed the playoffs for eight straight seasons, were spared any further humiliation.

They were shoved into a tight spot late Wednesday when agent Tom Condon called Smith to say Archie Manning wished that the Chargers would not use the No. 1 pick on his youngest son. After keeping the NFL in suspense for 2½ days, the Chargers did just that. Manning looked stunned when commissioner Paul Tagliabue called his name.

“We selected Eli and we were prepared to deal with that,” Smith said. The Mississippi quarterback had threatened to sit out the season if the Chargers picked him.

Smith still had on his poker face when he met with the media after the swap.

He said he and Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi spoke about a trade before the draft started. “It just didn’t work out,” Smith said.

So the Chargers took Manning and the Giants grabbed Rivers with the fourth pick. Roughly 15 minutes later, Tagliabue announced the trade.

Smith said that contrary to speculation, it was not prearranged that the Chargers would pick Manning and the Giants would take Rivers, then swap them.

“Absolutely not,” Smith said. “Matter of fact, that was a surprise to us. There were a lot of scenarios in our mind and that was one we were not aware of. There’s dialogue throughout the draft, and boy there was a lot of dialogue then.”

Smith wasn’t forthcoming with specifics.

“We know there’s twists and turns to this story that’s developed that we’re not commenting on. It’s quite obvious he didn’t want to be here, as far as that family,” Smith said.

“The San Diego Chargers have a strategy. We know exactly what we’re doing. We executed that pick with Eli Manning and the rest of it unfolded, and I don’t want to reveal how we think in the building. We’re very proud of what happened, too, by the way.”

Unlike Manning, Rivers will have no problem playing in San Diego, where he’ll challenge Drew Brees and Doug Flutie as the 4-12 team attempts to rebuild yet again.

“I’m fired up to be a Charger,” he said during a conference call. “That’s one thing that the town of San Diego and the fans are going to get is a guy who wants to be there and be a part of it.”

Rivers is best known for his unorthodox delivery, but concerns have faded.

“If you throw for a 70-percent completion rate, you’re OK,” Schottenheimer said.

Rivers completed 72 percent of his passes last year, with 34 touchdown passes. In four seasons, he threw 95 TDs and completed 64 percent of his passes.

The Chargers took Oregon defensive tackle Igor Olshansky with the third pick of the second round, making him the first player born in the former Soviet Union to reach the NFL.

They made two interesting picks in the third round, taking Iowa All-American kicker Nate Kaeding with the pick they got from the Giants, then getting Purdue center Nick Hardwick with the next pick. Kaeding will replace Steve Christie.

Even though the only returning offensive line starter is center Jason Ball, the Chargers said they picked Hardwick, a former wrestler, because they like his potential. It’s doubtful he’s ready to start.

MORE FROM NFL

NFL Section Front

Texans boot chances to beat rolling Titans PFT: Chargers on rise in latest power rankings PFT: Ryan thinks Patriots ‘disrespected’ Jets PFT: Cooley probably headed for injured reserve Trash Talk: Thanksgiving games are just turkeys PFT: Cowboys downplay Campo-Newman spat   Out of Bounds: Ricky Williams receives remote healing? PFT: Someone hacked Jet’s Twitter account   Roethlisberger expected to play despite concussion PFT: Lions coach takes issue with Mangini NFL Section Front   Add NFL headlines to your news reader: