Robert Meachem is being brutally honest with himself.
Meachem, who signed a four-year, $26 million contract with the Chargers last offseason, caught just 14 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns in his first season in San Diego. The underwhelming season marked the worst of Meachem’s six-year NFL career and caused the veteran receiver to take some time and reflect on his performance.
The 28-year-old receiver knows he didn’t play well in 2012, and he was very critical of himself during an interview on XTRA Sports 1360 in San Diego on Monday.
“What did you do last year?” Meachem reflected. “To yourself, you’ve got to totally be honest with yourself and look yourself in the mirror. You sucked last year. So now what are you going to do? Are you going to be the same guy as last year or are you going to be a new guy?”
His struggles got him so down, in fact, that he needed some harsh words from his wife Shea to whip him out of his funk.
“‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself,'” Meachem said, quoting his wife. “She just put it like that. She was honest. She was just saying, ‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself and go play your ball. Go do what you do. Go have fun and enjoy the game again.’”
Philip Rivers and new Chargers head coach Mike McCoy are hoping that Meachem is a “new guy” this year, as Rivers is going to need a receiver to step up opposite Malcolm Floyd to make the offense work. Last season, Floyd led the team with 56 receptions, but the next closest receiver was Danario Alexander with just 37.
With so much uncertainty in the Chargers’ receiving ranks, there’s a clear void for Meachem to fill this season, and he seems up to the task.
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Photo via Facebook/Robert Meachem
