Although all the fuss in the Dolphins' locker room for the second consecutive game was the Wildcat offensive set, it was Miami's wide receivers who provided the perfect complement for Sunday's victory.
Out of the unpredictable formation, only tight ends and running backs had provided all the Dolphins' offensive points before Sunday's game.
Greg Camarillo had the Dolphins' first touchdown catch of the season by a wide receiver and, as a unit, the Dolphins' receivers had their best statistical performance of the season.
"As receivers, we needed to make plays,"
Camarillo said. "We got them [Sunday]. Ted Ginn made some great plays. Davone Bess made some great plays. We're building trust as a receiving core."
The Dolphins' receivers, who have steadily gained more yardage with each game this season, combined for a season-best 16 receptions for 148 yards. Their previous best was 11 catches for 128 yards against New England.
COMING UP BIG
Camarillo, who caught the memorable 64-yard touchdown pass in overtime in Miami's only win last season against the Baltimore Ravens, posted a single-game high with six catches for 68 yards. It was also Camarillo's career high for receptions in a game.
His touchdown was the third of his NFL career after he had not caught one during his four-year college career at Stanford.
"Our guys all did a great job getting open,"
Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington said. "We widened the corner on the touchdown and Greg made a great catch."
The score came with 5:25 left in the second quarter. Camarillo caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Pennington to give Miami a 10-3 lead despite tight coverage by Chargers cornerback Quentin Jammer.
"'We call it a `Fake Out to a Post,' "
Camarillo said. "We practiced it a couple of times this week. Chad put the ball right on the money. I couldn't ask for more."
"[The Chargers] have great cornerbacks. I think [Jammer]bit on the out move a little bit. The ball placement was perfect and the next thing I knew, we had six points."
Although he didn't get a touchdown, Ginn also tied a personal milestone with seven catches for 55 yards.
Bess also had three catches for 25 yards, including a key 24-yard reception in the second quarter that moved the Dolphins into San Diego territory on their first touchdown drive.
Ginn had the Dolphins' previous best performance by a receiver this season when he caught five passes for 49 yards against Arizona.
"Greg's doing a great job for us and our receivers are working extremely hard to get better,"
Pennington said. "They're not afraid of talking about when they make mistakes and what they need to do to get better."
CHAMBERS RETURNS
The most talked-about topic involving any wide receiver heading into Sunday's game was Chris Chambers playing his first game in Miami since being traded last season to the Chargers.
The Dolphins' former go-to receiver hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter but was limited to three catches for 30 yards and left the game with a lower left leg injury sustained on the final play of the third quarter.
Camarillo said he was happy to be the receiver to get a little payback against his former team. Camarillo was signed by the Dolphins last season after spending his first two seasons with the Chargers. After a year on the Chargers' practice squad, Camarillo appeared in four games in 2006 but did not catch a pass.
"I've been waiting on this day since the schedule came out,"
said Camarillo, who has 17 catches for 214 yards this season. "Those are all my friends, from the coaches to the offense. They're a great group of guys, but it's always fun to beat your friends."
