PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh Steelers backup center Chukky Okobi said he thinks the best thing that ever happened to San Diego quarterback Drew Brees was the Chargers drafting quarterback Philip Rivers in the first round a year ago.

The way Okobi sees it, Rivers never had a chance in the competition against Okobi's former Purdue teammate.

"For San Diego to draft Rivers - and you can't fault anyone for wanting Philip Rivers - that was like the last straw," Okobi said. "I knew they just woke a sleeping giant because Drew was not going to let anyone take his spot, whether it be in the classroom or on the football field. He isn't going to let anyone challenge him."

The Chargers gave Rivers a $14.25 million signing bonus a year ago and millions more in salary, but Okobi thinks it was money wasted. He saw for years at Purdue how competitive Brees is, even during friendly video game sessions with teammates, and isn't surprised Brees hasn't lost the job.

Last year, Brees made the Pro Bowl while leading the Chargers to a 12-4 record and the playoffs. This season, Brees is coming off consecutive victories of 45-23 against the Giants and 41-17 over Super Bowl champion New England, and is No. 4 in the league in passer rating behind only the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger, Cincinnati's Carson Palmer and Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb.

The Chargers (2-2) play the Steelers (2-1) Monday night, and Okobi knows Brees will be intent on making up for a bad game against the Steelers two seasons ago. Then, in what essentially was a meaningless late-season game between losing-record teams, Brees was pulled for Doug Flutie after going 16-of-26 for 198 yards and two interceptions, including a 25-yarder by Deshea Townsend that was returned for a touchdown.

Games like that - and challenges like the Chargers choosing Rivers to be their quarterback of the near future - are what get Brees going, Okobi said.

"He's the hardest-working man in show business. That's his thing, his work ethic. You'll never see nothing like it," Okobi said. "That's why I couldn't understand why everyone counted him out. It was just a matter of time for him. All the negative criticism was like fuel for him. He used it to his advantage."

Now, there is speculation the Chargers may try to deal Rivers after this season because they can't afford to keep paying big money to two quarterbacks, one of whom never plays. Rivers has thrown only eight passes in two seasons.

"Irritated. Very irritated," Okobi said of Brees' reaction to the Chargers adding Rivers. "He doesn't really talk about it. He actually likes Philip Rivers; it's not his (Rivers') fault. ... He took it personal, but not too personal. He just said, 'Well, I've got to prove them wrong.' He felt he let them down and there was still time to fix it."

Just as Brees was considered the most competitive player at Purdue, Okobi said.

"I was at his house in San Diego a couple years ago and he has a golf video game," Okobi said. "I never played it, but I'm kind of winning. He got so frustrated and so mad that I thought he was going to fight me. I said, 'Dude, you invited me here; we're just playing a game.' He's just a competitor. ... He had to have the top grade-point average on the team. He's a guy who would stay after practice and work on the little things: his releases, his footwork. He was always going to do more than the next guy to maintain that top spot."