I once again had the opportunity to exchange some questions with the SB Nation blogger who covers Miami's opponent.  That means that this week's exchange is with "DaBolts" - who covers the Chargers over at his site, Bolts From the Blue.  Below are his responses to my 5 questions.  You can head over to BFTB to check out my responses to his questions.

Onto the questions I had for him:

Matty I: Philip Rivers has really taken a step forward this season.  What do you attribute this to?  And what's the general consensus on Rivers among Charger fans?

DaBolts: Rivers had to adapt to a much more complex offensive scheme last year.   Turner had to put the training wheels on and strip it down to some degree.  He also didn't have the same arsenal at the beginning of the season, you have no idea how much Chambers opened up our offense (but more on that later).  The other thing that improved over the off season is that Rivers really worked on his arm strength.  He had real problems throwing the deep pass last year, in some instances wide open receivers were having to come back to the ball.  This year he is really hitting deep patterns with authority. 

The fans are behind Rivers, much like his teammates, fans were won over by his playing on two bum knees against the Patriots last year in the playoffs.  Nobody is crazy about how much attention he received for jawing at other players, but this year he appears to be letting his play on the field do the talking.

Matty I: Four games into the season and LaDainian Tomlinson only has 296 yards rushing, 58 yards receiving, and averages just 3.8 yards per attempt.  What's the deal?  Has he really "lost a step"?  If not, what do you attribute his early struggles to?

DaBolts: LTs best statistical years may be behind him, but reports of him losing a step are overstated.  He looked very sharp against Carolina, but sprained his toe.  He was in and out against both Denver and Oakland, but was reduced to being a one cut back; even at that he has picked up four TDs.  This will be the first week he has practiced all week since the season started.  We also had two replacements in our offensive line, who did a terrific job, but you just don't replace two Pro Bowlers and not feel it.  LT also doesn't play in the preseason, it used not to affect him, but I think it does show now early on at this point in his career.  I'll tell you two things that amazed me against Oakland though, he dropped one pass for a sure touchdown and had a fumble; he might be pressing just a bit.

Matty I: I know I don't speak for all Dolphin fans, but I do indeed miss Chris Chambers.  I always felt like he got a bad rap amongst Dolphin fans and argued a lot that he could be a "borderline great" receiver if only he had a good QB throwing to him.  So how do Charger fans feel about Chambers?  Has he been the kind of contributor that you were hoping for when they dealt for him?

DaBolts: Chambers has been better than anyone imagined when we traded for him.  He was a radical upgrade for us; not just for his talent but what he brought to our offensive system.  Until then teams could double cover Gates, stack eight in the box and be pretty comfortable.  Our wide receivers, V. Jackson and Buster Davis wilted under the pressure of being prime targets.  Chambers stepped right into that role, and with the heat off, Vincent Jackson has found his mojo; Davis is coming along but the jury is still out on him. 

Now on offense teams have to think about Gates, Chambers, Jackson, not to mention LT, Sproles or Tolbert coming out of the backfield.  With Rivers becoming comfortable both with them and the system, it's just a lot of fun to watch.  I don't think there is a single Charger fan that isn't crazy about the trade for Chambers, on top of all that he seems to be a calming presence in the locker room.  All that said, the SD offense did have a much tougher go against Oakland's defense, so there are still things to work on.

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It seems like forever ago since the Dolphins last took the field for a game.  Yeah, I know it's only been about 10 days.  But still, hasn't it seemed longer?

Luckily, the wait will be ending soon.  So let's begin our look at Sunday's big game at Dolphin Stadium against the Chargers by discussing 5 key questions whose answers will go a long way towards determining if Miami can pull off the upset.

Will the Dolphins be able to establish the ground game early?
Without question, Ronnie Brown is the best offensive weapon the Dolphins have (which is what I've been saying since 2006).  He must be fed the ball early and often on Sunday.  There's no more "holding him back" while he recovers.  He looks rather recovered to me.  How about you?

Establishing the run early on in the game will allow the Dolphins to keep San Diego's high-powered offense off of the field and help the Fins win the "time of possession battle."  That will be critical for the Dolphins because they simply can't afford to fall behind early.  An established rushing attack with Ronnie, as well as Ricky Williams, should be enough to at least keep the Dolphins in the game well into the 4th quarter - which is what all Dolphin fans are hoping for.

Can the Dolphins continue their momentum on offense?
Last time we saw this Dolphins offense, they were gashing the Patriots for 461 yards of offense and 38 points.  And, despite what the national media seems to think, this Miami offense was much more than just a "gimmicky Wildcat formation."  The Dolphins also ran 51 "regular" offensive plays and gained 342 yards - a 6.7 yards per play average.  So don't be fooled - the Fins were much more than a "gimmick" offense in their last game.

But will they be able to maintain this momentum after a bye week?  They're likely going to have to.  It's going to take 20+ points to win this game - especially when you consider how good this Chargers offense has looked through 4 games.  Luckily, the Chargers' defense hasn't played well.  They rank 28th in total defense, allowing 376 yards per game.  They also rank 23rd in the NFL in yards-per-play allowed, giving up 5.5.  Therefore, the Fins should have some opportunities.  Now they just have to go out and make some plays.

Can the Dolphins get pressure on Philip Rivers?
This just in: Philip Rivers is good.  He's 1st in the NFL in yards-per-attempt with 9.3, as well as 2nd in the league in both TD passes and QB Rating (trailing only Brett Favre in both).  And he has some weapons around him that will make you pay if Rivers is given time to throw.

That's why the Dolphins must get pressure on the QB - just as they did last game against New England.  Consider this: Rivers has only been sacked 6 times through 4 games.  But 4 of those sacks came last week in the first 3 quarters of San Diego's game against the Raiders.  Perhaps that is why the Chargers only had 3 points entering the 4th quarter last week.  Oh, and Rivers had his worst game of the season against Oakland, throwing for just 180 yards and getting intercepted 2 times.  Conclusion?  The Dolphins front 7 must apply pressure to the immobile Rivers and make him uncomfortable all day long.

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