Saints' Gregg Williams Says He Doesn't Trust First Round Pick Robinson

If you ever doubted that the NFL is a cold, hard business, look no further than Lynell Hamilton for an example.

Signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2008, he scored a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals, their first playoff opponent, on the way to a Super Bowl victory.

After the Saints opted not to re-sign Mike Bell in the offseason, Hamilton became the obvious choice to spell Pierre Thomas in 2010. He drew rave reviews for his training camp performance. However, on Wednesday morning, fate dealt him a bad hand when he tore his ACL.

The Saints waived Hamilton this weekend, although it is unlikely anyone will sign the three-year veteran, and he will likely be a Saint again next year. The team said late last week that they were looking for another running back, but they replaced Hamilton's spot on the roster with LSU's Harry Coleman, leaving P.J. Hill and Chris Ivory to battle for the third running back slot for now.

As for Ivory, he rambled 40 yards on a draw in Saturday's afternoon practice but later appeared to fumble after a six yard gain. On a team that stresses the mental aspect of the game, it is unlikely that Ivory can afford anymore turnovers as Hill has a solid special teams reputation.

Speaking of the mental aspect of the game, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams expressed his displeasure Saturday with first-round pick Patrick Robinson, a cornerback from Florida State.

Said Williams to reporters Saturday morning: "Patrick has a lot of skill. Right now, he doesn't know how to play. Right now, I don't have any trust in him. He's got to take the next step up in pro football. He doesn't know how to take care of his body. Right now, he's my whipping boy."

Robinson said later he's not surprised by Williams' comments and acknowledged he needs to learn the Saints' defensive system better. His performance on Saturday was a mixed bag, but he did breakup a Drew Brees to Jeremy Shockey pass in the end zone on the final play of a two-minute drill, preventing a sure touchdown.

On his radio program, WWL Radio analyst Hokie Gajan asked rhetorically, "Can you tell me of an outstanding play Patrick Robinson has made in this camp so far?"

"To say Patrick Robinson has stood out (the answer is) no, but on the other hand, you don't just throw your No. 1 pick out there to get a bunch of reps unless you've got to have that guy playing," added Gajan. "The Saints are in position where he doesn't have to play. They've got enough good corners out there as it is."

Which begs the question many Saints fans asked after the selection of Robinson, "Why draft a cornerback when you had pressing needs at defensive line and linebacker with the departure of Scott Fujita?"

As for the strongside linebacker position, the Saints have discovered Fujita's replacement for now from an unlikely candidate- Scott Shanle. Speculation had centered around Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Troy Evans, Stanley Arnoux, and Jonathan Casillas as Fujita's eventual replacement. Gregg Williams hinted at a linebacker-by-committee approach.

On Saturday, Shanle was lining up as the starting stongside linebacker with Casillas replacing Shanle on the weakside, at least for now. Casillas had 10 tackles and one sack in the pre-season opener against the New England Patriots.

Williams spoke glowingly of Shanle following the morning workout.

"Scott (Shanle) may be one of the most underrated linebackers in the National Football League. Scott Shanle can do it all for us. He can play all three positions...He can rush...He can cover...He can play physical. He's a strong, stout man on the line of scrimmage but his flexibility allows us to do an awful lot of things."

Added Williams: "And what I don't think people realize is his how well he runs. He can cover any back out of the backfield...I'm not afraid to have him lineup and cover wide receivers in a game, especially the big, tall matchups."