Saints’ Meachem on way to redemption

By Randy Savoie  |   Friday, August 08, 2008  |  Comments( 6 )

New Orleans Saints
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Hell and back may be the best way to describe first-round wide receiver Robert Meachem's rookie year with the Saints. The former Tennessee Volunteer reported to camp out of shape, tweaked his ankle and everything went downhill from there. Lingering knee problems rendered Meachem inactive for all 16 games and he earned the ignominious distinction as the only top-round selection to not see the field in 2007.

Critics believed they detected a bust, with one pointing to a 2006 study that said 37 out of 45 receivers who were drafted in the first round over a 10-year period flopped. Fans wondered why Meachem would be an exception. After all, the Saints had a history of grabbing early round receivers who were letdowns. Larry Burton, Lindsay Scott, Wesley Carroll and Lonzell "Mo" Hill come to mind.

However, Meachem's detractors didn't know about his excellent work ethic. Of his own volition, Meachem approached veteran teammate David Patten and asked him to be his mentor. The 33-year-old Patten, who learned the tricks of the trade from the likes of Bill Belichick and Charlie Weis, graciously obliged. Meachem made the one-hour trek to Patten's home every day for grueling workouts that lasted over three hours. All of that training paid off quite handsomely, too, as Meachem thrived in spring workouts and organized team activities.

A former member of the Southeastern Conference, Meachem has played in more than a few big games in his life. However, perhaps none bigger than Thursday night's preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals. Meachem knew expectations were high and failure was not an option, and he didn't disappoint.

While one exhibition game does not a career make, Meachem's four-reception, 129-yard performance that included a stellar 60-yard catch and carry for a touchdown greatly helped his cause during the Saints' 24-14 win over Arizona.

Meachem looked like a Bourbon Street tap dancer as he caught a short throw from Tyler Palko over the middle and eluded at least six defenders on his way to the end zone.

"Well, coach C.J. (receivers coach Curtis Johnson) always tells us to keep blocking and our receivers just kept blocking for me. Linemen, running backs, everybody was blocking down the field and I was able to get in the end zone," he said.

The look of relief was evident on Meachem's face as he spoke to reporters after the game.

"Man, it's a dream come true. The whole year has been. The good Lord has been good for me and my teammates and coaches told me to just keep fighting, keep a positive attitude and just keep working hard. Hard work pays off. Right now I've got a great deal of relief, but you got to keep on pushing, keep on fighting and you've got to build from you did today to the next game," Meachem commented.

Patten, the mentor, was like a proud father.

"I am extremely happy and excited for him. I feel like he's my kid," said Patten. "All the time we spent together in the offseason and just the positive reenforcement, to see it come to fruition tonight, to see it pay off for him, just to see how excited he was. It's 90 percent confidence. Once you prove to yourself that you belong, the rest takes care of itself and I honestly think that the type of game he had tonight, that's just going to prepare him more to become what we expect him to be."

Late in the second quarter, Meachem made what he believed was his most challenging catch of the evening, acrobatically laying out to grab a 49-yard pass from quarterback Mark Brunell at the Cardinals' 3.

"I couldn't really see the ball. I lost in the lights a little bit," said Meachem.

Coach Sean Payton offered high praise to his young receiver.

"He had some big plays for us. Just the catch he made on the post was outstanding. Later on, he comes back with a big third-down conversion and the run after the catch for the touchdown. That was real encouraging. He's worked extremely hard. There's parts of his game he's still improving on, but it was good to see him play with some confidence."
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