Dolphins-Chargers Selected Player Analysis

Pennington - Another great game. Chad did an excellent job of spreading the ball around and executing the game plan. It is a whole new ballgame when you have a quarterback who not only "doesn't lose the game for you," but also makes plays to win the game. Understated is his ability to seamlessly move in and out between the base offense, Wildcat, and no huddle. Additionally, the Chad Pennington play fake is back, and I'll bet that's going to translate into big things for Ted Ginn before too long. Finally, what a big play when Chad got stepped on and went down in his own end zone, only to get up and throw the ball away while avoiding a safety. The man is a winner.

Ronnie Brown - Special.

Jake Long - Although his pass protection skills still need development, I'm already going to come out and say that he is our most important offensive lineman. He trucks people while run blocking and is integral to our unbalanced and Wildcat game. I hope to see Ronnie running behind him for many years.

Ike (not spelling the rest) - Improving. He looked pretty good pulling and blocking in space. Vernon Carey had some nice efforts as well.

Camarillo - Part of the reason Wilford hasn't done anything is because the coaching staff doesn't want to take this guy off the field. I can't blame them. He ran a beautiful route on his touchdown, understanding the need to widen the corner before making his cut, and then making a spectacular touchdown catch (also credit the coaches for making the call and the o-line for giving enough time for the play to develop). But that's not even the most amazing thing about the kid. Besides having great hands and an even better understanding of the game, Camarillo has many obvious shortcomings, but you would never know it as he was seemingly carrying three defenders on his back before he was tackled on every catch he made. Truly incredible.

Ginn (WR) - Teddy continues to make strides as a receiver. San Diego was respecting his speed and giving him a big cushion, so he was effective all day with the comebacks and quick hitches. I would like to see him improve his run after the catch skills a little bit, especially late in the game as he twice ran out of bounds while the Dolphins were trying to kill the clock. Nevertheless, his progress was indisputable on the crucial first down catch late in the game where he was physical with the press coverage coming off the line, ran a great route, and made the critical reception with both feet in bounds. He is really fixing up the weaknesses in his game, and I believe that he will explode by the end of the season.

Hagan - Notably inactive...I didn't really miss him. It was important to get London in on special teams against Sproles.

Matt Roth - Another huge game by this beast of a linebacker. Early in the game, the Chargers caught Miami in a blitz on a screen pass, but Roth managed to hit Rivers, force the incompletion, and hurt Rivers a bit. That's a great job on a play that might have been a big gainer. Not long after, he had a tackle for a loss and drew a facemask penalty on the offense. All day he was blitzing well, stopping the run, and hitting people ferociously, and no play was bigger than his huge sack late in the game.

Bell - He is something else, all over the field on play after play. On one series in the second half he forced two incompletions in a row, once with a big hit and next with a break up. Then, later in the game he did it again with a run-stopping tackle on a 2nd down and a pass defensed on 3rd. He is everywhere.

Goodman - Unfortunately, even though Renaldo Hill has really solidified the secondary, there is definitely a weak link. Goodman just flat out isn't that good. As San Diego was mounting their comeback, they really picked on him, and it wasn't pretty. However, it seems like either him or Lehan is going to have to be in there for the rest of the year. They are certainly going to have the microscope on them, so it's up to the two of them to step up.