Saints' 2010 Breakout Player of the Year . . . Not Who You Would Expect

Who will be the Saints' 2010 breakout player of the year?

Pierre Thomas? Reggie Bush? Devery Henderson? No, no, and no. The man that will turn heads and hog stats will be Robert Meachem. I can already hear the chuckles of the non-believers and members of the Pierre Thomas fan club.

It will be Meachem, though, who will be playing in his second season with the Saints.  I won’t be quoting stats, comparing him to former greats or even speaking of other slow starters at the position, because by and large, none of that really matters. What I will speak of is why he is capable of progressing, and why Sean Payton thought enough to keep him.

To make the scoffers happy, we’ll start by mentioning what Robert doesn’t do well.

He’s slow to learn the playbook. While the Saints' offense is complex, it is safe to say that Meach has not caught on as fast as he likely should have. He has a tendency to blow assignments and run the wrong route. With an offense as reliant on timing as the Saints, this is a considerable problem.

He makes poor reads on the defense, not recognizing the blitz. Nothing brings about the wrath of Brees like the failure to notice a defense ready to attack. Finally, and most noticeably, he has had some problems with dropping the easy pass; however, I would attribute this more to wanting to do more with the ball after the catch and just plain being a young wide out.

All are very good reasons why someone is ineffective as a receiver at the NFL level, but they are all acceptable for young receivers. The fact is, the flashes of potential he has shown allude to the type of player he is capable of becoming.

Meachem has demonstrated an amazing ability to not only catch the deep ball, but shield defenders in such a way that only he could make that catch. Some professional wide receivers go their entire career and don’t learn that.

Let’s also not overlook his size, speed and run after the catch ability. I know some defensive backs who are well aware of what a stiff arm from Meach feels like.

One of the biggest reasons he will see more looks, though, is his excellent work as a blocker. Sean Payton has often touted his capabilities in that department, something many receivers across the league lack in and is the leading cause of five-yard runs turning into 50-yard scampers.

Sean Payton sees all of these things. He understands that Meachem has the qualities and techniques that cannot be taught and is deficient in the areas that can. Compound that with the extra looks he’s getting this off season while Colston and Moore recover, and it could make for a very interesting September. While I do not expect him to dethrone the likes of Colston or Moore, don’t be surprised if at the start of the season everyone is saying, "Devery who?"