Well, the Raiders have finished 8-8 and for many fans of the Raider Nation, it was bittersweet.
Winning over Kansas City on the road to reach their final win, you had to wonder what the sidelines held for the Oakland Raiders.
Before the fourth quarter even started, ESPN, citing "league sources", said it was unlikely that Tom Cable would return, starting a wave of speculation. Maybe this source was Nancy Gay of Fanhouse, a well-known hater of the Raiders...whoever it was, NFL Network sent their own hater, Michael Lombardi, to issue his own statement, trying to say that at 17-27, the Raiders were not happy.
Really? Is Michael Lombardi and Nancy Gay inside the Oakland organization? No...like in many cases before, these spinners of myth like to pretend, they know what Al Davis will do or will not do. After all, how many weeks in a row did they tell us last year that Tom Cable was out as coach for the Raiders, only to see him time and time again go back to work in Alameda?
Right now, the only problem Oakland has is what to do with two-head coaches.
While Tom Cable has helped the Raiders get rid of the "loser" attitude over the last few years, this season's turnaround in offensive ability and winning rested on the shoulders of Hue Jackson. While Tom tried to act as the sage of calm, with an occasional outburst, Hue's method of stirring the fight within the players has turned heads. Darren McFadden, for one prospered at this change, and the arrival of Jacoby Ford and the eventual development of Jason Campbell more than doubled the offensive output from last year.
What the problem becomes is how Oakland will address this problem.
For some, you have to keep Tom Cable. The players respond to his instruction, he's a likable guy and hey, he just led the team back to .500. He seems to know how to talk to Al Davis and managed to lock Al in his hotel room long enough for the Raiders to draft properly last year.
The downside to this, is unless Al can offer Hue Jackson incentive to stay as a Offensive Coordinator, Hue will probably take a promising job in another city.
The second option is letting Tom Cable go, rejoin a college program, and elevate Hue Jackson to the Head Coach position. The upside to this is that Hue would be able to handle both tasks, coaching and offensive duties, without a problem. The downside, is that Cable could become an opponent, in similar fashion. While I double Tom Cable is cut from the same tree as Shanahan or Norv Turner, it looks like the option would be the waste of a good coach.
Of course, the last two things that happen is that both coaches stick around, Al Davis tries for one more year, and the Raiders make the playoffs.
Or, worst case possibility, Tom Cable is fired, but at the same time Hue Jackson becomes the head coach in Denver...Cable is ticked, and we have to go find another coach that will tolerate Al Davis.
Let's hope for the best...go Raiders!
Alicia Keys Tyra Banks Vanessa Hudgens Sarah Michelle Gellar Olivia Munn
No comments:
Post a Comment