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Rookie receiver receives boost of confidence Saturday,

August 11, 2007By Mike Triplett

Saints rookie Robert Meachem's career got the kind of jumpstart it needed when he made a diving touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone Friday night during the fourth quarter of a 13-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills at the Superdome.

The first-round draft pick, who has struggled with injuries and inconsistency throughout the summer, beat cornerback Riley Swanson to the corner and kept both feet in bounds as he reeled in the 2-yard pass from rookie Tyler Palko.

Afterward, teammates ran down the sideline to congratulate him.

"That was one of the greatest feelings in the world, besides having my little girl," said Meachem, who admitted that he needed that kind of boost. "It's a big relief off my shoulders, but I still have a lot of work to do. I scored a touchdown, but it wasn't enough. I missed two balls I should have had earlier in the game. And we didn't win."

Meachem, who earlier on the drive caught an 18-yard pass on third-and-19, said he kept the touchdown ball.

Meachem said he was used to that kind of fade route because "that was pretty much all we ran" in the red zone at Tennessee. He also credited Saints receivers coach Curtis Johnson for drilling him on the play repeatedly during practice.

Meachem said his confidence has been growing throughout the Saints' training camp, but learning to be patient is the hardest thing.

"That's the biggest factor," Meachem said. "Going into college, you had to come along slow. But coming into the NFL as a first-round draft pick, everybody expects a lot out of you. And you want to prove to them that you belong on this level. So sometimes the pressure kind of gets to you."

INJURY REPORT: Saints receiver Devery Henderson, who had a terrific first half, left the game with a left hamstring injury after leaping for a potential touchdown grab in the second quarter.

Henderson said he didn't think it was a severe injury.

Cornerback Mike McKenzie slightly injured an ankle.

As expected, several banged-up players did not play: offensive tackle Jammal Brown (knee), center Jeff Faine (calf), receiver David Patten (toe), receiver Jamal Jones (knee), guard Dave Yovanovits (knee), linebacker Scott Fujita (heel), defensive tackle Brian Young (foot) and defensive end Rob Ninkovich (knee).

Tight end Billy Miller, who cut his forehead during the infamous trip to the water park Wednesday, played but did not catch a pass. Defensive end Will Smith, who missed most of the week to attend his grandmother's funeral, started and had a sack.

STARTING STRONG: Several Saints were impressive in their starting debuts. Tight end Eric Johnson caught two passes for 16 yards. Cornerback Jason David was solid in coverage and run support, despite allowing two passes down the field. Kicker Olindo Mare had his first field-goal attempt of the preseason, a 37-yard attempt in the first quarter that was blocked. He made a 42-yard attempt in the second quarter.

Most impressive was second-year safety Roman Harper, who played for the first time since a season-ending knee injury in October. Harper made four tackles, including a big hit against tailback Anthony Thomas on the Bills' opening drive.

"I was nervous at first, but getting in there and making my first tackle in nine, 10 months felt great," said Harper, who gave himself a decent grade and especially was pleased with how the first-team defense played.

EXTRA POINTS: The Saints kicked off the season with a season-ticket waiting list of 32,000 fans. . . . In addition to former Tulane quarterback J.P. Losman, the Bills' roster has plenty of Louisiana flavor. The list includes receiver Donovan Morgan, tight end Robert Royal, cornerback Chris Thompson and linebacker Thaddaeus Washington from New Orleans; and from elsewhere around the state: receiver Felton Huggins, quarterback Craig Nall, tailback Anthony Thomas and defensive tackle Kyle Williams.