by SHELDON MICKLES; Advocate sportswriter; , The Advocate

"Marques always tells me, 'Today, it's time for you to be a star,'" said the modest Meachem, who's had his ups and downs since the Saints made him their first-round draft pick in 2007. "I always say, 'Yeah, OK, whatever.'"

However, Meachem sensed something was up when Colston said it just before Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers. What was different, Meachem said, was the way Colston said it.

"I knew he was kind of down... he was having symptoms of the flu, and I knew I had to do my best to step up," Meachem said. "So I just said a prayer and I took it from there."

Meachem, who was already being thrust into the role of the third receiver behind Colston and Devery Henderson because Lance Moore was out with a sprained ankle, suddenly had to take on an expanded

role for the NFL's top-ranked offense.

He handled it well, catching five passes for a team-high 98 yards in a 30-20 win over the Panthers. His five receptions were a career high and he was just 1 yard off matching his best game as a pro.

While Meachem played well overall, his two receptions in the second half were huge.

His 54-yard catch and run for a touchdown on the final play of the third quarter tied the game at 20-20 and a 21-yard grab on their next possession set up John Carney's 40-yard field goal that gave the Saints

the lead for good.

The touchdown was the third this year and sixth in the past 1? seasons for Meachem, who had to patiently wait for his chance with the potent Saints offense because of a knee injury that ruined his rookie season. But Sunday's score was a big moment for the soft-spoken 25-year-old.

"It was a big play and Drew (Brees) put the ball where only I could get it," Meachem said. "I caught it and ran and scored, and we all celebrated because we tied the game up.

"But we all knew it wasn't over because Carolina has a great team. We asked our defense to go get us a stop and they got us a stop, actually two, so everything was good for us at the end."

Things are certainly good for Meachem, who was viewed as a bust by some fans after his first season. But the speedy former Tennessee star got a chance in 2008, catching 12 passes for 289 yards and averaging 24.1 yards per catch with a long of 74 yards. Through eight games this season, he's topped both totals with 13 receptions for 296 yards.

"I'm encouraged with how Robert's playing," Saints coach Sean Payton said Wednesday. "We have to continue to find ways to get him the Football. He's a guy that has great speed, he's powerful and he's playing with more and more confidence.

"The challenge each week is finding opportunities for him. In the second half last week there were some big plays he made, certainly, and it was good to see."

For Brees, Meachem is another capable receiver to plug into the offense along with Colston, Henderson, Moore and tight end Jeremy Shockey.

"He's always been one of these raw talents, but now he's becoming a little more polished and there are a lot of things he does extremely well," Brees said. "He's another guy that I have a lot of confidence in.

"I love his mentality and the way he approaches work every day. He has really learned how to be a professional. He learned that from some of those other wide receivers and being around the veteran guys on our team. I see his role ever-increasing as we go along here."

Payton said Meachem is showing the skills that he displayed at Tennessee when the Saints made him the 27th overall pick in the 2007 draft - namely a player that was explosive after the catch.

"To his credit, he has gotten better each year and has been able to incorporate new things into his skill set," Payton said. "He can run and he has become a lot better receiver rather than just a target. That has helped him a lot."

As a result, Meachem said Sunday's game finally made him understand what Colston was telling him all along: that it would eventually be his time.

"I'm glad I got the opportunity," Meachem said. "Now, I just have to keep progressing. I can't go backward. I've got to go forward."

Saints at Rams

WHEN: Noon, Sunday

WHERE: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis

TV: Fox

RADIO: WYPY-FM, 100.7

Copyright 2009 Capital City Press All Rights Reserved
	Terms & Conditions     Privacy Copyright © 2009 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.