Oakland Raiders: Al Davis Chooses To Cut Tom Cable

The Raiders chose to decline now former head coach Tom Cable’s option. Is it a good move or a bad move?

The Oakland Raiders went out, competed and played hard for Tom Cable. The players wanted to continue to play for Tom Cable, although a .500 record wasn’t enough for Al Davis.

The Raiders had a nice resurgence in 2010. That resurgence followed some solid pick ups in free agency and one of the best draft classes in years. Tom Cable was at the helm when the Raiders ended a seven-year streak of losing 11 games per season. Tom Cable was at the helm when the Raiders went out and won all six of the games in their division, beating everyone in the AFC West twice.

The Raiders had 354.6 yards per game, 198.8 passing yards, 25.6 points per game and 410 total points. All numbers were better than Kansas City's statistics.

Hue Jackson was hired as the offensive coordinator and tasked with turning the offense around. Mission accomplished the Raiders improved from 31st in the league in total offense in 2009 to 10th in 2010. The offense and defense improved, but the offense improved the most.

This isn’t a popular decision or one that all Raider fans like, but it is Al’s decision. This isn’t to say that Tom Cable was a great coach, because he wasn’t. In my opinion, the decision is unpopular because the Raiders are building something solid in Oakland, and to do that you need continuity at the head coaching position, something that just doesn’t happen in Oakland.

Tom Cable was a solid offensive line coach, but I never felt he was ready to be a head coach. He was the third or fourth choice when he was hired; the fallback plan so to speak.

It is a move that really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. It is a known fact that Al Davis changes coaches frequently.

The Raiders are a good football team with a good mix of youth and veterans on both sides of the ball, with enough ...

About the Author