Link the original story! Its actually pretty good. And always better than some bs re-write. (pro tip - rewrites always link the original article within the first paragraph!)
Rookie Cameron Meredith earning trust in Bears' receiving corps
The moment Cameron Meredith's career path turned to football was when Illinois State coach Brock Spack went to then-offensive coordinator Luke Huard with a complaint.
"I said, 'Coach, he's a really good athlete, he's long, and I've got one of the best athletes standing next to me on Saturdays,' " Spack recalled. "That's not good."
Meredith was a redshirt sophomore and backup quarterback late in the 2012 season when the Redbirds were preparing for the FCS playoffs. It wasn't clear if he'd have a shot at the starting job in the future, so the team experimented with him at wide receiver in practice. When spring ball rolled around several months later, Spack requested Meredith begin catching passes full time instead of throwing them.
"At first, I didn't want to let quarterback go," said Meredith, who was given a few days to mull it over. "It wasn't me that believed I could do it. It was everybody else, all the outside people like my family, my friends. 'You make this move and you might be able to make something happen.' "
Five games into his rookie season after joining the Bears as an undrafted free agent, and after only 14 college starts, Meredith is scratching the surface as a wide receiver, one Jay Cutler found for three big plays on two touchdown drives in the closing minutes of the Bears' comeback victory over the Chiefs on Sunday.
On a 10-yard gain with 1 minute, 16 seconds remaining, the 6-foot-3, 207-pound Meredith extended with both arms to snatch a throw that was less than two feet off the ground before diving out of bounds. He also made gains of 18 and 20 yards in the rally.
Meredith credits years of catching shotgun snaps for helping him make the transition as a natural receiver. The most difficult adjustment was learning to run routes, especially for a big guy. Spack said Meredith was raw in 2013 but just kept improving.
Spack made sure longtime friend Jeff Shiver, a Midwest scout for the Bears and former neighbor of Spack's when he was coaching at Purdue, was aware of Meredith. Scouts were coming to the Normal, Ill., campus to see tight end James O'Shaughnessy, a fifth-round pick of the Chiefs, and Spack suggested they look at Meredith.
At the Northwestern pro day, Meredith was timed at 4.42 seconds in the 40-yard dash, faster than most anyone expected, and that opened eyes. He had predraft workouts for the Browns and Colts, and the Bears invited Meredith, who attended St. Joseph High School, to their local pro day before the draft. That's when he really got on their radar, dropping his weight to get in and out of his breaks.
"His athletic ability was very apparent," Bears wide receivers coach Mike Groh said. "You've got all kinds of ranges of players and skill levels. Clearly, he was one of the better guys we've had in here for the three years I have been here."
Everyone in the building was in agreement on Meredith, but the Bears were unlikely to draft another receiver after using the seventh overall pick on Kevin White. Meanwhile, Meredith had high hopes that he would be selected after catching 66 passes for 1,061 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior.
On Friday, the second day of the draft, Meredith was out to dinner with an uncle and his friend when his phone rang.
"The person called and said they were (Bill) Belichick and it was near the last pick of the third round," Meredith said. "The guy said, 'We're taking you with the next pick.' "
Meredith sat in disbelief watching the screen as the Patriots selected Oklahoma defensive end Geneo Grissom 97th overall with the third-to-last pick of Round 3.
"They had the second pick in the fourth round the next day and so I was thinking, 'OK, maybe it is tomorrow,' " Meredith said, not yet deflated.
He called his agent, who made some calls, and they quickly figured out Meredith was the victim of a twisted prank.
"That just fueled the fire for me even more right there," Meredith said. "I wanted to make it."
He was solid in the offseason program and had a productive training camp and preseason, no doubt benefiting from White's absence and, more recently, injuries to pretty much everyone ahead of him on the roster.
The thing is Meredith received a signing bonus of only $6,000 and when undrafted rookies hit a ceiling, teams discard them quickly. so he must continue to produce and impress, whether it's in games or at practice after Alshon Jeffery returns.
"Every day, that jump in competition and learning how to screw it down on every single rep is part of the growing process," Groh said. "Just press him every single day for more."
Spack surely wishes he could find more players on the Redbirds sideline to turn into big-time producers.
"He's an impressive guy," Spack said. "Now the ball is in his court."
Meredith seems to understand that, admitting, "I am by no means where I need to be."
He's at wide receiver. That's why he's still playing football.
-- Brad Biggs
