The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Raiders head coach Tom Cable has officially named JaMarcus Russell his starting quarterback.

Raiders coach Tom Cable made the unstunning declaration during a conference call, all while lamenting how Jeff Garcia’s calf strain kept a true quarterback competition from breaking out in training camp.

It’s not that Cable wanted Garcia to beat out Russell. The job was Russell’s to lose. It’s just that Cable hoped Garcia would use his experience and fiery attitude to spur Russell to greater growth.
This is the season Russell has to step up and stop relying on the excuse that he’s still learning. He’s entering his third year and while Oakland doesn’t have the greatest line in which to play behind, Al Davis has surrounded Russell with more than enough playmakers to be effective.

I don’t think the Raiders are expecting Russell to post a 100-plus QB Rating and lead the league in touchdowns. But they do expect him to look more comfortable in the pocket, not overthrow his receivers by 20 feet and most importantly, to work hard and be a leader.

According to the National Football Post, Oakland assistant coach Randy Hanson will turn over medical records on Friday at the request of authorities investigating an incident that occurred at the Raiders’ facilities in which Hanson’s jaw was broken, presumably by head coach Tom Cable.

The alleged assault took place Aug. 5 after Cable informed Hanson he would no longer be involved with coaching defensive backs on the field and would be relegated to film work, the source said. Cable had been working to reduce Hanson’s role for months, the source said. Cable said that Hanson had been confusing the Raiders’ defensive backs, and Cable held a closed-door meeting with the cornerbacks and safeties and just himself. That led to a meeting between Cable and Hanson in Hanson’s room, and later a meeting with coaches after Cable had instructed Hanson not to come to practice.

In the meeting among coaches that included Cable, defensive coordinator John Marshall, defensive backs coach Lionel Washington and assistant defensive backs coach Willie Brown, Cable allegedly came at Hanson from behind as he was verbally contesting what Marshall had said.

In the meeting among coaches that included Cable, defensive coordinator John Marshall, defensive backs coach Lionel Washington and assistant defensive backs coach Willie Brown, Cable allegedly came at Hanson from behind as he was verbally contesting what Marshall had said.

According to the source, Cable knocked Hanson out of his chair and up against the wall and into a cabinet. Cable and Hanson fell to the floor, where Hanson was choked, the source said, and Cable was pulled off Hanson by the other men before Cable went after Hanson again.

“Cable said, ‘I am going to kill you, I am going to kill you,’ as he was choking him,’’ according to the source, who also said furniture in the room was damaged.

Granted, this is just speculation and nothing has been proven yet, but if any of the above is true, it’ll be interesting to see how the league punishes Cable. According to the article, Hanson can be a pain in the ass, but that doesn’t mean he deserves to have his jaw broken and his life threatened.

Cable notified Hanson that he would only be breaking down film in the future, which is why Hanson doesn’t mind cooperating with authorities because he knows he won’t be allowed to return to his former position. There will probably be an investigation and Cable could face a felony charge. I’m just speculating, but after that, the league could step in and either fine or suspended him, or both.

This situation is far from over for Cable.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that wide receiver Chaz Schilens broke a bone in his left foot.

Schilens was hurt cutting on a route. There was no contact on the play. He hopped it to the locker room and emerged after practice on crutches.

Schilens did not say how long he’d be out. When asked if he’d play Sept. 14 against the Chargers, he said, “God does miracles,” which is another way of saying it’d take a miracle.
As for Raiders coach Tom Cable, he said “nothing happened” when asked about the Randy Hanson incident before resuming his no-comment stance.

This is a serious blow to the Raiders’ passing game, as Schilens was having a great camp and was quickly emerging as quarterback JaMarcus Russell’s go-to guy.

In Oakland’s preseason opener last Thursday against Dallas, Schilens caught five passes for 52 yards. He demonstrated good speed and pass-catching ability to go along with his great size (6’4, 225 pounds) and if the performance was any indication of how he would fair this season, Schilens was set up for a breakout year.

The Raiders have given no timetable for how long he would be out for, but chances are he’ll miss the first couple weeks of the season.

According to a report by Nancy Gay of AOL Fanhouse, Raiders head coach Tom Cable fractured the jaw of defensive assistant Randy Hanson during a fight early in training camp. But Cable denies that punches were thrown and ESPN.com is reporting that Hanson suffered the jaw injury when Cable flipped him out of his chair.

That’s backed up by what former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. Jeremiah’s “reliable source” said that Hanson broke a facial bone when his cheek hit a cabinet in a team meeting room when Cable flipped him out of his chair.

Jeremiah also wrote on his Twitter page that Cable reacted when Hanson spoke profanely to defensive coordinator John Marshall. Cable rebuked Hanson, then pushed his chair, which caused the injury.

There seems to be little doubt that something did take place between Cable and Hanson, but the details are shaky. There apparently was an argument between the two coaches and physical contact did occur, but it appears that Gay’s original report that Cable punched Hanson seems to be false.

Regardless, it’s hard not to appreciate this kind of news coming out of Raiders’ camp. I would question whether or not a report like this was true anywhere else, but not in Oakland.
Al Davis has to be loving himself some Tom Cable right about now.

According to a report by the National Football Post’s Michael Lombardi, Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell’s work ethic continues to be called into question.

2. The work ethic of quarterback JaMarcus Russell is still being questioned by many who have worked with him in the past and are working with him now. After he issued a call to his teammates to practice and finish the OTA days strong, he then disappeared and was AWOL on the last day. Russell must learn that talent alone is not going to make him successful. Dedication to becoming a better player is what he needs.

Assuming this report is true (I’m not at Oakland’s practice facility everyday), Russell is in for a wake up call soon enough. I guarantee you if Russell isn’t busting his ass, Jeff Garcia (who the Raiders signed in the offseason) is. Garcia might be an aging vet and limited on the field in terms of arm strength, but he’s incredibly feisty and wants to play.

Russell isn’t long for the NFL if he won’t work. It’ll be interesting to see if more reports like Lombardi’s come to light over the summer once training camp begins.