| It was time. But no one other than Patrick Robinson knew it. The New Orleans Saints veteran cornerback surprised his coaches and teammates on Tuesday when he announced his retirement after 11 seasons in the NFL, telling Coach Sean Payton his heart wasn't into the game at this stage of his career. The 33-year-old Robinson was the oldest player on the roster, a former first-round draft pick who was selected when Gregg Williams was the Saints' defensive coordinator. Robinson's departure leaves the Saints even thinner at a position Saints coach Sean Payton deemed a "must" to address before the start of the regular season. Robinson's retirement is the latest in a dizzying series of personnel setbacks to rock the club since camp started late last month. Not much has gone right for the Saints of late. First, we learned that Michael Thomas' recovery from ankle surgery in June will sideline him for the start of the season. Then came news that an offseason DUI arrest could result in a suspension for Deonte Harris. Then, the news of David Onyemata's six-game suspension broke, followed shortly by the Wil Lutz's core injury and surgery. In other news on Day 11 of camp: In light of the recent spate of bad news, columnist Rod Walker makes the case that this is Payton's most challenging coaching job to date. But the veteran coach appears to be taking it all in stride so far. Amie Just has the rundown of players who missed practice on Tuesday in her daily practice notes and observations. Spoiler alert: It's long! Our Luke Johnson has the daily update on the Taysom Hill vs. Jameis Winston quarterback competition, with Hill make a positive impression with "maybe the best play of training camp" during a 2-minute offense drill. I check in to share some early observations and conclusions after the first 10 practices of camp. I think you'll be surprised by a few of them. To our paying subscribers: The fun is just beginning. The Saints’ first preseason game is Aug. 14. Stick with our team, and thank you for supporting our work. If you’re not already, please consider becoming a digital subscriber and continue to support our journalism. Click here for a special offer from us. As a paying subscriber, you'll enjoy full access to our award-winning coverage, faster-loading web pages with fewer ads and much more. Meantime, please keep reading the best Saints coverage on the planet. Cheers, Jeff Duncan | 
