As a graduate of the University of Tennessee, I'm very happy to talk about the Saints' hottest player right now. Though it might be hard to believe, that player is actually (former Vol) Robert Meachem.
His first two years with New Orleans were far from "hot". He has struggled with adjusting to the league, and he's also experienced a few injuries. This just might be Meachem's make-or-break year, as fans in the Big Easy might begin to lose patience.
Here's a bit I found on the Saints' official blog, The Saints Beat.
"If we were busting out our "Who's Hot" award today, I'd give it to third-year receiver Robert Meachem. Meachem made at least two spectacular catches while consistently getting open and reeling in the ball. His best catch came on a deep ball against new cornerback Jabari Greer, who would have been flagged for pass interference on the "tight" coverage if it were a real game.
Later in practice, Meachem landed hard on his shoulder after making a terrific diving catch on a deep ball behind cornerback Tracy Porter. It took him a few seconds to get up and get the feeling back in his fingers, but he made it back into the huddle just fine.
Saints analyst Bobby Hebert went so far as to call it Meachem's best practice to date as a Saint. Both Coach Sean Payton and Brees said Meachem's confidence has continued to grow, and he's taking advantage of getting the extra reps while starting receivers Marques Colston and Lance Moore are recovering from injuries."
Later in practice, Meachem landed hard on his shoulder after making a terrific diving catch on a deep ball behind cornerback Tracy Porter. It took him a few seconds to get up and get the feeling back in his fingers, but he made it back into the huddle just fine.
Saints analyst Bobby Hebert went so far as to call it Meachem's best practice to date as a Saint. Both Coach Sean Payton and Brees said Meachem's confidence has continued to grow, and he's taking advantage of getting the extra reps while starting receivers Marques Colston and Lance Moore are recovering from injuries."
Although Meachem was taken in the first round of the '07 NFL Draft, he still might have benefitted from sticking around for his senior year with the Vols. On that note, Erik Ainge could have benefitted a lot from that too. Meachem definitely has the talent to succeed with the Saints. The question for this year is simply, will he step up or not.
It's very possible that he could earn the #2 receiver spot for New Orleans this offseason. If he could pull that off, it would be huge! I'd love nothing more than to see Robert Meachem do the "new Tweeter end-zone dance" in the Georgia Dome this season.
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