St Louis Rams Bountygate Report: Fisher Will Not Name New Defensive Coordinator

Jeff Fisher stated yesterday that the St. Louis Rams will not name a defensive coordinator in 2012 following the Bountygate related suspension of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, as reported by Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

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I'm not going to name a defensive coordinator. Most likely it will be a collective effort. But we have a lot of things we have to sort out as you can imagine.

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In response to the Williams suspension and the obvious implications for the Rams, Fisher took the stage at Rams Park in Earth City.   In addition to his statement above, Fisher also expressed confidence in his remaining defensive staff members and their collective ability to install and oversee the defense in Williams' absence: 

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You know, we've got three former (defensive) coordinators in the building.  I met with the staff today. Informed the staff when we got the news and told them that we will make the appropriate adjustments and we'll move on.

We've got very talented coaches on this staff and we'll get the job done.  I've got confidence in them, I've worked with them.  I know what they're about.  

This is a defense that's very intellectually challenging.  We'll get the playbook and the scheme across to the players, and they'll be successful in it.  

I'll remind you that the playbook that Gregg has, originated in my office. So I have a pretty good feel for the defense.  At this point, I'm not at liberty to say who's going to make the calls and the decisions, but it'll get done. It'll get done effectively.

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It is hard to imagine that Williams would be back with St. Louis in 2013, even if his "indefinite" suspension is lifted after the upcoming season. 

Whether one agrees with the suspensions or not is really a moot point in regard to Wiliams' future here (or anywhere in the NFL.)  

As it stands now, the public relations hit and microscopic scrutiny that a franchise placing Williams on the sidelines would almost certainly be severe. 

In regard to any potential future for Williams as DC of the Rams in 2013 or beyond, Fisher was noncommittal (as reported in the aforementioned above-linked piece from Thomas): 

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You know, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

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Unless things change dramatically between now and bridge crossing time, it is tough to imagine a scenario where Williams marches across the proverbial bridge with the Rams going forward (if and when he is eventually reinstated by the league.) 

If there is a positive aspect at all for the Rams today perhaps it is this: at least this did not come to light during the preseason or during the regular season.  

With Bountygate surfacing early in the offseason and the punishments being made known now, St. Louis has time to recover and implement a solid plan.

Had this all come to light in Week 2 of the preseason or Week 10 of the regular season, the direct impacts on the Rams would have likely been more profound and this issue even more of a distraction than it is now. 

Moving beyond this, I am confident that Fisher and the remaining members of his veteran-laden coaching staff will unite and perform admirably minus Williams.  

Look for St. Louis assistant head coach Dave McGinnis, a former DC and head coach himself, to play a pivotal role in the implementation and execution of the St. Louis defense in the coming campaign.

Shane Gray covers the St. Louis Rams year-round. You are encouraged to check out the rest of his work here and to follow him on Twitter.