It has to be hard for a Charger to not beat himself up at the moment.
After losing three straight in dramatic and ridiculous fashions, they’re 3-4 and fast-forwarding to the “what happens next year,” portion of the season.
That’s why even though wide receiver Robert Meachem dropped a sure touchdown pass in Cleveland, he’s trying to retain his joy for the game.
It’s not easy to have fun, but he thinks it’s necessary to prevent bearing down so hard they snap from pressure.
“I’ve committed that sin time after time after time,” Meachem said, via Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego. “You hear about your coach, and they talk about firing your coach. You don’t want to be somebody that got your coach fired. You don’t want to be somebody that they talk about your quarterback because they said the year before he threw this many picks and all the sudden now, five picks or nine or however many he threw, three of them were for me.
“That plays a part in your mind because I love my quarterback. I love what he does. I love how he approaches the game. I love how competitive he is. And if he throws a bad ball, he gets on himself, and I love that about my quarterback, so I’m trying to make sure I do everything in my power to make sure my quarterback is happy.
“But he can’t be happy if I’m not happy. If I come in the huddle all long-faced, he looks at me and his vibe might change. I’ve got to come into the huddle like, ‘Let’s go. All that other stuff is behind us. One play at a time.’”
Meachem could have made them all happier if he’d have caught that pass in Cleveland, or done a little more. He was supposed to be the replacement for Vincent Jackson, and has so far failed to resemble the kind of impact Jackson’s had in Tampa Bay.
The idea of keeping things light has some merit, but at the end of the day, Meachem making a play would help as well, and help all those people he loves hang onto their jobs too.