Tag: Tom Cable (Page 2 of 7)

      Controversy already brewing in Oakland regarding quarterback position

      September 20, 2010 /
      Oakland Raiders Head Coach Tom Cable adjusts his headset during play against the St. Louis Rams in the fourth quarter at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California on September 19, 2010. The Raiders defeated the Rams 16-14. UPI/Terry Schmitt Photo via Newscom

      Following the Raiders’ 16-14 win over the Rams on Sunday, a game in which Bruce Gradkowski gave Oakland a lift after Jason Campbell was benched in the second half, head coach Tom Cable wouldn’t commit to any quarterback for Week 3.

      Here’s what he said in his post-game presser (from the Oakland Tribune):

      “(I) made the switch at halftime at quarterback, basically to just give the team a lift, felt like we needed to change up a little bit and my job is to win games and do whatever it takes to do that.’’

      He said the Raiders “weren’t in rhythm, weren’t in synch,’’ and when asked what it meant for the rest of the season said, “ I’ll worry about all that tomorrow, really. I want to go look at it. But today was about winning this game, what did it take to do that, that was the right choice, obviously, and it worked out, and Bruce came in and gave us a lift.’’

      But here’s what the team said he said:

      Included in the quote sheet distributed by the team was this sentence from Cable: “Today was about winning the game, it does not necessarily mean Campbell is replaced as the quarterback for the rest of the season.”

      That’s not what he said, so why would the team try to pull a fast one on the media and attempt to put out a fire that hasn’t even started yet? What Cable said was fine – he didn’t want to make any decisions regarding the quarterback position for next week. And why would he? His backup just earned him a victory when his starting quarterback failed him. Why commit to anything?

      Al Davis loved JaMarcus Russell, but Cable didn’t. Russell wasn’t cut sooner than he should have because Davis was protecting his investment. Now Campbell is Al’s investment (he was the one that orchestrated the trade with Washington) and once again there appears to be a conflict of interest.

      It’ll be interesting to see how Cable handles the situation this week and whether or not Campbell lines up under center next Sunday in Arizona, or if it’ll be Gradkowski. Something tells me Al would prefer it to be Campbell.

      External Sports, NFL

      Raiders deny interest in Terrell Owens

      May 19, 2010 /

      Despite an ESPN report stating that they had internal discussions about signing the free agent receiver, Raiders head coach Tom Cable is denying that the team is interested in Terrell Owens.

      “We really haven’t had any discussion about that,” Cable said. “We’ve got a good, young receiving corps, it’s never been a point of conversation.”

      “I think we did what was best for our football team, that’s the only thing that really matters here,” he said. “Why, why not, this or that, it doesn’t matter any more. What matters is we move forward as a football team and we did what we think gives us the best chance to succeed.”

      Al Davis has always acquired talent with reckless abandon, but Cable’s second quote indicates that the Raiders are going to be smarter when it comes to bringing in new players.

      For the first time in a long time, the Raiders have had direction this offseason. They dumped JaMarcus Russell, acquired Jason Campbell, had a productive draft (where the player selection actually made sense) and now appear to be staying away from players that don’t fit. Are we seeing a change in philosophy in Oakland?


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Report: Raiders prepared to release Russell

      April 27, 2010 /

      It appears that the end is near for JaMarcus Russell in Oakland, as the Raiders are preparing to release the NFL’s all-time biggest bust.

      From ESPN.com:

      John Clayton just said on ESPN’s “NFL Live” that the Raiders are preparing the process of cutting quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

      Clayton said it is not a matter of if, but when Russell will be cut. He also said the team could release Russell before Oakland’s minicamp, which runs Friday through Sunday, and that there is no trade market for him. The Raiders will save more than $6 million if they cut Russell this year.

      I wrote about this topic in more detail yesterday, which you can read here. But the long and the short of it is that Jason Campbell is the starter and the best move for the Raiders is to cut their losses and move on with Russell. He would be nothing shy of a distraction, including for owner Al Davis.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      For the Raiders and Davis’ sake, Russell must be released

      April 26, 2010 /

      There is no quarterback controversy in Oakland. There is no, “let’s see how things go” or “let the best man win” philosophies being taken by the Raiders.

      Make no mistake about it: Jason Campbell is the Raiders’ starting quarterback. But just because he’s the new front man in Oakland doesn’t mean that Al Davis’ love affection for JaMarcus Russell’s raw skills aren’t still there. Even though reports have surfaced that Russell is tipping the scales at 300 pounds, as long as he and his big arm remain on the roster then Davis will always be intrigued.

      That’s why Davis should release Russell immediately. Why should he tempt himself by keeping the No. 1 overall bust on the roster? As soon as Campbell loses a couple games, Davis could get the JaMarcus Russell itch and demand that head coach Tom Cable put him back in their lineup.

      That said, Cable is the X factor in this situation. He proved last year that he was willing to bury Russell under Bruce Gradkowski, Charlie Frye and an old Nintendo controller on the Raiders’ depth chart. Therefore, chances are if Campbell doesn’t pan out it will be Gradkowski that gets the nod over JaMarcubust.

      But that’s just one more reason to flat out release him and move on. Davis put together a nice draft for the Raiders and managed to acquire a starting quarterback with experience for practically nothing. He should continue moving his team forward by releasing one massive mistake and putting it behind him.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Cable seeking other jobs outside of Oakland?

      January 25, 2010 /

      One of the more interesting storylines so far as the NFL heads into its offseason is the one brewing in Oakland regarding Tom Cable’s job.

      ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last week that Cable’s job is secure for now and that he would coach the Raiders in 2010. But now Jason La Confora reports that Al Davis still hasn’t decided whether or not to retain Cable as his head coach. Now reports are surfacing that Cable has already begun to look for jobs in other cities.

      From the National Football Post:

      All last week, there was speculation that current Raiders head coach Tom Cable might be interested in an offensive line position with another team. In fact, one team was calling around looking for recommendations on him. That doesn’t happen if the coach is secure.

      If Cable has already begun to look for other jobs, it’s not a bad idea on his part. Davis has always done things his way, which usually means he makes rash decisions before thinking things through. He could fire Cable at any point this offseason if he finds a replacement that he likes.

      I can already tell that this is going to be a great storyline throughout the offseason. Of course, whenever Al Davis is involved in something, it always makes for interesting news.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

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