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NFL Q&A with Robert Meachem

INTERVIEWED BY JOHN ROHDE

One of the most remarkable plays in the New Orleans Saints’ remarkable season came from wide receiver and Tulsa native Robert Meachem.


Read more: NewsOK

In the closing seconds of the second quarter two weeks ago at Washington, Redskins free safety Kareem Moore intercepted a Drew Brees pass. During the return, Meachem stripped the ball from Moore and in one fluid motion returned it 44 yards the opposite direction for a game-tying touchdown. The Saints improved to 12-0 that day with a 33-30 victory in overtime.
Meachem talks about that magical sequence and the Saints’ magical season with The Oklahoman:
Let’s start with your crazy fumble return against the Redskins. Have you ever been involved in a play like that before?
"I think I did it once in middle school. That’s probably last time I did it.”
Take us through that play. Was it like slow motion to you, or did it happen so fast it’s tough to remember exactly what happened?
"When I saw him coming my way, I was thinking, ’How can I get this thing back?’ If I could just keep him in front of me, I had a chance if he didn’t fall down. If he had fallen down, they would have kept the ball.”
Did you get a bigger rush out of that play, or your 53-yard touchdown catch (with 1:19 left in regulation) that sent the game into overtime?
"I just get a rush out of us winning. It really doesn’t matter how we win as long as we win.”
How would you describe this season?
"I would describe this season as faith. If you have faith in yourself and the Lord, you can do anything you put your mind to. That’s what I was always taught since childhood days and I’m just trying to carry it on.”
You sat out your rookie season in 2007 with a knee injury. Last year, you had 12 catches in 14 games. They were explosive plays (24.2 yards-per-catch), but I’m sure you wanted to make more than you did.
"I couldn’t run the way I wanted to because of my knee. My coaches knew that. They’d try to get me in on certain plays where I wouldn’t have to do as much. The plays might have been big plays, but we didn’t end up winning the game (an 8-8 record), so it wasn’t enough.”
What was your reaction to being taken 27th overall in the NFL Draft by the Saints?
"I felt great. It was a dream come true. All I could think about was Drew Brees and all the receivers. I didn’t have to come in and try to be a star. I could just come in and be me.”
Drew Brees is pretty good, huh?
"He’s even better than people realize as far as the receivers. The things he does to get you the ball, he makes it so much easier.”
Is (tight end and Ada native) Jeremy Shockey truly nuts, or is he more stable than that?
"Jeremy Shockey is a down-to-earth guy. You’ve got to love him. He’s going to be himself. At times when he should be jovial, he’s jovial. At times when he should be mad, he’s mad. He’s human and a lot of people have a misperception of him because of what he does. He’s a hyper guy with a lot of emotion.”
Do you think about Oklahoma much?
"I come home (Tulsa) quite a lot when I get a chance. Most of my family is still there.”
Why Tennessee coming out of Booker T. Washington? Why not stay in-state?
"I wanted to go to a school with a good receivers program and history. At Booker T., I played a lot of wingback and tailback as well as wide receiver, but I didn’t really know how to be a wide receiver. Tennessee was known as Wide Receiver U, so I always thought, ’Why not go there?’”
Do you like Lane Kiffin as the new Tennessee coach? Could you have played for him?
"I think I could have. He came from the NFL (Oakland Raiders), and that’s where 95 percent of the players want to get to is the NFL. He’s a great coach for them. He has a great system and I feel he can get them to where they want to be.”
Who has crazier fans, the Vols or the Saints?
"Oooh, that’s a tough call. I’d have to say the Saints fans. They come from everywhere. One week we played in London and we didn’t realize we had that many Saints fans over there.”
The effects of Hurricane Katrina are still everywhere in that region, aren’t they?
"It was a tough deal for them and us winning all these games has brought the life back to all these people. I think a big win like (the Super Bowl) would really bring up these people.”
Does carrying the emotion of an entire territory add to your pressure to win?
"There’s no pressure. The pressure is on all those people in Iraq fighting a war. That’s pressure. All we’ve got to do is have fun and play a game. Those people fighting in the war, we’re actually playing for them, too.”
You were a good basketball player in high school. Do you miss hoops?
"Basketball was my first love. I had to choose football my sophomore year in high school. A lot of friends I grew up with only played one sport, and that was basketball. I knew I’d have some scholarship offers in football.”
Describe your game as a basketball player.
"I could be like Jason Kidd or Chris Paul on the court. I could distribute the ball to them.”

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