Robert Meachem
Encyclopedia
Robert Meachem is an American football
wide receiver
for the New Orleans Saints
of the National Football League
. He was originally drafted by the Saints 27th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Tennessee
.
North Mabee Boys & Girls Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma
. Joining the legacy of "Mabee Babies," coaches saw star potential in Meachem at an early age. He later attended Booker T. Washington High School, where he was a teammate of Felix Jones of and Mark Anderson, both active players during the 2010 NFL season, and was named a high school All-American by Parade
and SuperPrep reporting services. Meachem was also a point guard
on his high school basketball
team, which won back to back state titles in 2001 and 2002. Once with his AAU
team, the Tulsa Jammers,
, where he garnered rave reviews upon arriving in 2003. He was part of a heralded recruiting class with receivers Jayson Swain
and Bret Smith
. Meachem, however, redshirted the 2003 season after suffering a knee injury in preseason practice.
Meachem caught 25 passes for 459 in 2004 as a redshirt freshman. He returned to play in all 13 games (zero starts) and led the team with 459 yards on 25 catches (18.4 average) and four touchdowns. Meachem was the only Vols receiver with 100 yards in a game that year. Meachem's first career reception occurred in the game against UNLV
, which was a 35-yard score.
Meachem appeared in all 11 games in 2005, with two starts
, and again led the team in receiving yards with 383 on 29 catches (13.2 average) and two touchdowns.
2006 was Meachem's breakout year. Along with David Cutcliffe
's return to Tennessee as offensive coordinator
in 2006, Meachem, Swain and quarterback Erik Ainge
all turned in career seasons. In the November 25th game against Kentucky
, Meachem had 116 receiving yards, pushing his total to a new school record of 1265 yards in a single season. Meachem also totaled 11 scores, a career best. He also had six 100 yard games that season. He ranked fourth in the nation with an average of 99.85 yards per game receiving and ranked 24th nationally with 5.46 receptions per game. He led the team with a career-high 71 catches for a school single-season record 1,298 yards (18.3 avg) to lead the SEC, including 11 touchdowns. He recorded two solo tackles, gained 16 yards on a kickoff return and 12 yards on a punt return. In 37 games at Tennessee, Meachem started 15 times. He caught 125 passes and became the sixth player in school history to gain more than 2,000 yards receiving, totaling 2,140 yards (17.1 avg) with 17 touchdowns. All this earned him an all SEC, consensus All-American selections. Meachem decided to skip his senior season and enter the 2007 NFL Draft
.
, Meachem was selected by the New Orleans Saints
. Meachem signed a five-year deal worth $11.3 million in base salary and incentives with $5.71 million guaranteed.http://www.saintsgab.com/2007/07/24/meachem-signs-five-year-deal-with-saints/
Robert underwent knee surgery and was unable to play in his rookie season.
However, Meachem was once again inactive for the Saints' opener against Tampa Bay.
On September 14, 2008, Meachem caught his first pass in the NFL, a 19 yard touchdown pass against the Washington Redskins
. http://www.fantasysp.com/player/nfl/Robert_Meachem/89620
In week 4 against the San Francisco 49ers, Meachem got the chance to see more game time due to number 1 Receiver Marques Colston
sidelined with a broken thumb. In this game, Meachem had only 2 receptions, his first a 47 yard touchdown grab, his second a 52 yard flea flicker catch with a defender draped all over him.
Meachem ended week 4 with 2 receptions for 99 yards and the Saints got the win over the 49ers. Meachem finished the season with 12 receptions for 289 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had a 24.1 yards per catch.
On December 6, 2009, after Kareem Moore
of the Washington Redskins
intercepted Drew Brees
, Meachem tore the ball out of Moore's grasp and ran it for a touchdown. In the same game, Meachem caught a 53-yard touchdown pass with 1:19 left in regulation, tying the game at 30. The Saints won 33-30 in overtime to improve to 12-0.
's Minute to Win It
in an online exclusive episode playing to win money for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater New Orleans.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was originally drafted by the Saints 27th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
.
Early years
In elementary school, Meachem played football for The Salvation ArmyThe Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
North Mabee Boys & Girls Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
. Joining the legacy of "Mabee Babies," coaches saw star potential in Meachem at an early age. He later attended Booker T. Washington High School, where he was a teammate of Felix Jones of and Mark Anderson, both active players during the 2010 NFL season, and was named a high school All-American by Parade
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
and SuperPrep reporting services. Meachem was also a point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
on his high school basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team, which won back to back state titles in 2001 and 2002. Once with his AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
team, the Tulsa Jammers,
College career
Meachem attended the University of TennesseeUniversity of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, where he garnered rave reviews upon arriving in 2003. He was part of a heralded recruiting class with receivers Jayson Swain
Jayson Swain
Jayson Swain was a wide receiver for the Chicago Bears. He attended the University of Tennessee. Currently, he is back in Knoxville, Tennessee co-hosting a radio sports talk show on ESPN Radio Knoxville 1180 AM called "The Swain & Rucker Show."-High school:Swain was born in Chicago, Illinois, but...
and Bret Smith
Bret Smith
Bret Smith is an wide receiver for the Kansas City Command of the Arena Football League. He played college football at Tennessee.-High school:...
. Meachem, however, redshirted the 2003 season after suffering a knee injury in preseason practice.
Meachem caught 25 passes for 459 in 2004 as a redshirt freshman. He returned to play in all 13 games (zero starts) and led the team with 459 yards on 25 catches (18.4 average) and four touchdowns. Meachem was the only Vols receiver with 100 yards in a game that year. Meachem's first career reception occurred in the game against UNLV
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada-Las Vegas is a public, coeducational university located in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. The campus is located approximately east of the Las Vegas Strip. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of...
, which was a 35-yard score.
Meachem appeared in all 11 games in 2005, with two starts
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
, and again led the team in receiving yards with 383 on 29 catches (13.2 average) and two touchdowns.
2006 was Meachem's breakout year. Along with David Cutcliffe
David Cutcliffe
David Cutcliffe is the head football coach of the Duke University Blue Devils. He is best known for coaching Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning at the University of Tennessee, and Manning's younger brother and fellow Super Bowl Champion Eli at the University of Mississippi...
's return to Tennessee as offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
in 2006, Meachem, Swain and quarterback Erik Ainge
Erik Ainge
Erik Douglas Ainge is a retired American football quarterback formerly of the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jets in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
all turned in career seasons. In the November 25th game against Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, Meachem had 116 receiving yards, pushing his total to a new school record of 1265 yards in a single season. Meachem also totaled 11 scores, a career best. He also had six 100 yard games that season. He ranked fourth in the nation with an average of 99.85 yards per game receiving and ranked 24th nationally with 5.46 receptions per game. He led the team with a career-high 71 catches for a school single-season record 1,298 yards (18.3 avg) to lead the SEC, including 11 touchdowns. He recorded two solo tackles, gained 16 yards on a kickoff return and 12 yards on a punt return. In 37 games at Tennessee, Meachem started 15 times. He caught 125 passes and became the sixth player in school history to gain more than 2,000 yards receiving, totaling 2,140 yards (17.1 avg) with 17 touchdowns. All this earned him an all SEC, consensus All-American selections. Meachem decided to skip his senior season and enter the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
.
New Orleans Saints
With the 27th pick of the 2007 NFL Draft2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
, Meachem was selected by the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
. Meachem signed a five-year deal worth $11.3 million in base salary and incentives with $5.71 million guaranteed.http://www.saintsgab.com/2007/07/24/meachem-signs-five-year-deal-with-saints/
Robert underwent knee surgery and was unable to play in his rookie season.
However, Meachem was once again inactive for the Saints' opener against Tampa Bay.
On September 14, 2008, Meachem caught his first pass in the NFL, a 19 yard touchdown pass against the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. http://www.fantasysp.com/player/nfl/Robert_Meachem/89620
In week 4 against the San Francisco 49ers, Meachem got the chance to see more game time due to number 1 Receiver Marques Colston
Marques Colston
Marques Colston is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft as a supplemental compensatory pick. Following the trade of receiver Donté Stallworth, Colston was inserted into the starting lineup for week 1 of...
sidelined with a broken thumb. In this game, Meachem had only 2 receptions, his first a 47 yard touchdown grab, his second a 52 yard flea flicker catch with a defender draped all over him.
Meachem ended week 4 with 2 receptions for 99 yards and the Saints got the win over the 49ers. Meachem finished the season with 12 receptions for 289 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had a 24.1 yards per catch.
On December 6, 2009, after Kareem Moore
Kareem Moore
Kareem Moore is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
of the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
intercepted Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
, Meachem tore the ball out of Moore's grasp and ran it for a touchdown. In the same game, Meachem caught a 53-yard touchdown pass with 1:19 left in regulation, tying the game at 30. The Saints won 33-30 in overtime to improve to 12-0.
Media Appearance
Meachem is a contestant on NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Minute to Win It
Minute to Win It
Minute to Win It is an American prime time game show on NBC hosted by Guy Fieri. Contestants take part in a series of 60-second challenges that use objects that are commonly available around the house....
in an online exclusive episode playing to win money for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater New Orleans.