Tom Cable Waits For Verdict

With this loss to the Ravens to close the season, the Raiders finish 5-11. That ties the best they have done since the Super Bowl season. Four of the five wins were against playoff teams and the defending champion Steelers and the other was a come from behind thriller at Kansas City. The Raiders also had two close games with the Chargers this year. But they have been blown out too many times: New York Giants and Jets, Broncos, Texans, Cowboys and they lost at home to the Redskins and Chiefs. But is that all the fault of Tom Cable. What do most of the losses have in common? Who was at QB? JaMarcus Russell.

  The Raiders were 2-7 with Russell starting and then they fell out of a close game with the Redskins when Russell entered. Lately Russell has been somewhat better than he was earlier this year. The last two times he has played he beat the Broncos at Denver and was okay against the Ravens. He did throw another INT and lost another fumble in the Ravens game but he had no run game to help him and he had descent passing numbers. He completed 9 of 14 for 102 yards with the two turnovers.

  Also, the Raiders had injuries haunt them. Robert Gallery missed significant time with two seperate injuries, Chaz Schilens missed half the season with a training camp injury and Gradkowski missed the last 3 1/2 games with two injured legs. Heyward-Bey missed the last few weeks but he was a non-factor in his rookie year so his injury wasn't as effective. It may have helped because it gave Murphy, Higgins and Schilens more passes their way.

  But Tom Cable doesn't get to say it was all Russell's fault. Cable failed to utilize the 3-headed rushing attack of Fargas, Bush and McFadden. Instead of a true committee, we saw McFadden crashing inside the tackles mostly and we barely saw Michael Bush for most of the year and he had the best numbers. Cable also waited too long to replace Russell with Gradkowski who gave this team an instant make-over and revised this team. And the positions coaches he brought in like Sanjay Lal for wide recievers. Is Tim Brown looking for a job opening because we can make that one.

  Bottom line: Tom Cable did some great things in the 2009 season and some terrible things. He attacked an assistant, then beat the Eagles. He was accused of hitting women, then beat the Bengals with a man who could be the franchise savior (knock on wood.) Momentum would swing like a tetherball going around and around then reversing directions. The Raiders couldn't win consecutive games but would pull off major upsets between the losses. I say keep the Cable guy for next year unless we convince Jon Gruden or Bill Cohwer. Those are the only two guys I would allow to break up the continuity of the team and staff to rebuild their way.

  Change is needed on this staff.  Cable needs an offfensive coordinator who can help run the offense.  He also needs an assistant head coach to help with game plans and film study.  Cable could improve his play calling with these needs filled.  If he has less to worry about he can get better at what he has to do. 

  But only one man's opinion matters in the Raider Nation: Al Davis.