The Puppet Master: Will Al Davis Allow Tom Cable to Coach?

After the mid-season departure of Lane Kiffin, Tom Cable was made interim head coach of the Oakland Raiders. The former offensive line coach finished the season with a 4 -8 record; pretty good considering he took the job mid-season. During the offseason Al Davis officially made Cable leader of the silver & black. It will be interesting to see how this selection by Al Davis will workout. It is no secret that owner Al Davis plays a significant role in his teams offensive and defensive strategy. Will Cable have free reign to make play calls and personnel decisions? Or will he serve as Davis’s puppet?

Cable, a former offensive line coach for the Raiders, has a knack for creating a dynamic running attack. He served as offensive coordinator at the University of Colorado in 1999 and at UCLA in 2004-2005. In both cases he significantly improved the teams offensive numbers. However, in his only stint as a head coach at the University of Idaho his record was a frightful 11 – 35.

On defense John Marshall replaces Rob “The Mob” Ryan. Myself and other Raider fans will surely miss Ryan. Watching Ryan run up and down the sidelines screaming at officials was just about the only thing that made me smile on Sundays. The guy even looked like the Oakland Raider logo.

Marshall, who served as defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks the past two years, will hopefully bring toughness to a Raiders run defense that was abysmal last season. Furthermore, Raider fans can take solace in the fact that Marshall employs a heavy pass rush into his scheme; something that was lacking from Ryan’s units.

So the question remains, will Al Davis trust Tom Cable and his staff to guide the team, or will he still be in charge? Judging by the Raiders recent draft classes I firmly believe that Al Davis will be calling the shots. For better or worse, Davis has been known to draft players that possess superior speed over players with decorated college careers. The decision to draft Darius Heyward-Bey over Biletnikoff award winner Michael Crabtree is a prime example of this logic.

The Heyward-Bey selection makes me cringe. As a Raider fan I am sick of watching Al Davis draft picks become poster-boys for NFL busts. Every April I feel like someone kicked my dog. The days of throwing the ball 50 yards down field every down have disappeared faster than Davis’s hairline. Defensive backs are too good, and I’m sick of watching JaMarcus Russell fail because he’s forced to throw low-percentage passes.

So please Al, let Cable call the shots this time. You don’t have the experience to be an NFL coach in this day and age. Let’s just see if he knows what he is doing. And if it doesn’t work out you can fire him. At least you have experience doing that.