Tom Cable Staying As Coach: Lesser Of Two Evils?

As soon as the time ran out on the Raiders, Tom Cable's name came up for Black Monday's firing squad.

Sure enough, Jim Zorn was gone in Washington. The Bills, going 6-10, didn't stop at one coach...the team fired everyone in the coaching ranks.

Tom Cable, as it now stands, is still the coach for the Oakland Raiders. How long that job title is his, however is anyone's guess. Off a Pro Football Talk article, linked to Steve Corkran, had reported several people close to the owner as Al "is inclined to fire Tom Cable". Of course, this is the great thing with speculation, being that no one truly knows what goes on inside Al's head.

What it does mean, for the Raiders, is having to balance the pros against the cons, of replacing Cable.

For the Pros, you have a coach the players love, to a man. Several have voiced their support for Tom and replacing him would simply cause the team to go backwards, not forward.

You have already seen all the dirty laundry that can be thrown at this guy. Do you think ESPN will make a series on Tom Cable's wives for next year? Doubtful, but this distraction was a one-and-done episode...hitting another assistant? After Randy Hanson's brush, I don't think anyone else would be that foolish.

Cable's coaching staff is already in place. Replacing Tom, would likely start a whole new process of migration of coaches, that may or may not work in Oakland, thus the new coach may not work as well, as the present issue. Al Davis may like to win and win now, keeping Cable may be the best option for Al.

Finding a coach who is willing to tolerate Al being Al. A lot of people thought the world of Kiffin, until it was announced that Kiffin wanted to bolt early. Anyone who has listened to Cable, knows Cable is just where he wants to be coaching a team he has worked hard with. If you think getting that sort of loyalty is easy, by waving money, it isn't.

Now, the primary ...

About the Author