Considering the Saints finished 26th in total yards allowed and 30th against the pass during their 7-9 season in 2007, most of the attention will be on the defensive side of the ball when training camp gets under way next week.

After all, major improvement on defense will be a key if the Saints expect to have a chance at returning to the playoffs. But on the other side of the line of scrimmage, the wide receivers will get their share of scrutiny as well.

Not that there's anything wrong with the Saints passing game after they finished third in the league a year ago, but who contributes after starters Marques Colston and David Patten will be the real question.

Robert Meachem, a first-round draft pick in 2007, was inactive for all 16 games a year ago after having knee surgery in June. He struggled to catch up in training camp, but only late in the season showed the ability that made him the 27th overall selection earlier that spring.

Now healthy, Meachem has had a solid offseason and will take on a trio of veterans -- Devery Henderson, Terrance Copper and Lance Moore -- to see who steps in as the third receiver.

It would seem Henderson and Moore would have the inside track, but both went through periods of inconsistency a year ago while serving in that role. That could serve Meachem well if he is as healthy as he was when he ran around in the spring without a brace on his knee.

"You don't see the gimp and he's healthier, which has helped him," Saints coach Sean Payton said of Meachem earlier this spring. "This off-season has helped him."

While Moore and Copper help their chances by playing on several special teams, Meachem is much more confident this year and is ready to challenge for playing time -- and possibly a starting role if the soon-to-be 34-year-old Patten can't duplicate his solid season of a year ago.

"My expectations are always high," Meachem said. "I feel like every time I touch it, I want to make a big play. I want to do whatever it takes to help this team win. I have to prove something to my coaches and my teammates and just let them know that I was a first-round draft pick and why I was a first-round draft pick."

CAMP CALENDAR
Players reported July 23; the first practice was July 24 and camp closes Aug. 12. The Saints will also hold three joint practices with the Houston Texans at the Saints' Metairie, La., training facility Aug. 13-14.

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