St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is on the shelf for a while, serving an indefinite suspension for his role in running a bounty program with the New Orleans Saints. Williams is out completely this year, and the NFL, specifically discipline czar Roger Goodell, will revisits Williams' case for reinstatement next year. The question for the Rams is what they plan to do once Williams gets a ticket out of his professional purgatory.
Team owner Stan Kroenke told the Post-Dispatch at the NFL owners meetings earlier this week that Jeff Fisher will revisit Williams' status once the league makes a decision about reinstatement.
Kroenke's quote to the PD:
I think Jeff hired Gregg because he thought he was good at the job. Gregg is certainly remorseful. I think he is taking steps to openly show his remorse. But what we have to do is take care of the Rams, and we believe that Jeff is the right guy to do that. So I'm not worried about it.
That would be evaluated at that time. You couldn't evaluate it now.
In Williams' absence, Fisher, assistant head coach Dave McGinnis and defensive backs coordinator Chuck Cecil will handle the defense. All three have defensive coordinator on their resume.
Firing Williams would be a needless move. Serving a suspension, he is not being paid. Based on Fisher's comments and their history together, I'd say the odds favor Williams stepping back into the coaching world with the Rams. Like anyone that's been punished and served their time, the guy deserves a second chance.