For Robert Meachem, his first year as a professional football player was one giant malady, save for Draft Day in April. New Orleans took him with the 27th overall pick, higher than many draft experts expected. And then his season took a nose dive. He showed up to offseason training overweight. He injured his ankle in training camp. He had surgery to repair a damaged meniscus in his knee. In the end, when 2007 swept into 2008, Meachem was the only one of 32 2007 first-round picks not to play a single down his first season. He wasnt on the active roster at all. So Meachem did what any other first-rounder would do. On second thought, he did the exact opposite. He went to 12-year veteran David Patten for help. From a humility standpoint, that takes a lot for a kid of that stature, Patten said. When youre a first-round draft pick a lot of times this day in time, lets be real, they come out cocky, Im the man, I know it all, Ive already got it down pat. For him to humble himself and come to a guy and be like, Hey, I need you to help me make it to the next level, help me do whats expected of me. Thats the foundation. Thats where it starts. Before you can learn anything and get better, you have to humble yourself and be willing to learn. more
