The NFL handed out punishments in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal on Wednesday. As expected, the punishments were significant. Saints head coach Sean Payton will be suspended for a full year. Former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, now in the same role with the St. Louis Rams, will be suspended indefinitely, according to Pro Football Talk.

That could be a problem for the St. Louis Rams, a team counting on new leadership to rebuild after years of losing football games.

Williams was expected to get hit the hardest by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. With Payton out for a season, it stands to reason that Williams could be out even longer. How and when the NFL decides on a specific length for Williams' suspension remains to be seen. The league's Competition Committee has a conference call set for 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. TST will be sitting in on the call. Ostensibly, they are supposed to talk about rule changes ahead of the owners' meeting. I suspect there will be other questions to field.

The Rams have capable replacements in place for Williams. Assistant head coach Dave McGinnis is a former head coach and defensive coordinator. He could step in for Williams.