A Charger For The Falcons To Beware: Robert Meachem

It's fair to say that nobody's thinking much about Robert Meachem these days.

Meachem was a fairly well-regarded wide receiver during his early days in New Orleans, where his combination of speed and hands seemed to augur well for him. After five years with the Saints—seasons in which averaged well over 15 yards a catch and put up 23 touchdowns, but never caught more than 45 passes—Meachem moved on to the Chargers. He was expected to give Phillip Rivers a speedy target, and perhaps a new true number one receiver.

That simply hasn't happened. Meachem has been held to two catches for 49 in the first two games and has been a non-factor. Depending on who you believe, he's either out of sync with Rivers or just not that great.

I think it would be dangerous to dismiss him. The Chargers don't lack for weapons--Antonio Gates is terrific, Malcom Floyd is solid, Dante Rosario is a red zone threat and Eddie Royal is dangerous in space. That's not even mentioning Ryan Matthews, who may be returning this week. But when Meachem is playing well, and really playing well, he's perhaps one weapon too many, and certainly one of the fastest and most capable receivers on the field.

I trust the Falcons to prepare for every contingency, especially now with Mike Nolan in charge of the defense. They have experience with Meachem, but I still believe he'll be a tough once he gets going. The Falcons need to watch out for the guys with the potential to do big things.

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