Cable to stay in Oakland: what does this mean?
A source close to the organization reported this to Schefter, as now it appears that Cable will be able to fulfill his final year of his contract for the Silver & Black.
The Raiders have not officially stated anything nor has a press release been disseminated.
For weeks since the end of the season, there has been much speculation about the future of Cable. And just recently, the Raiders began interviewing potential staffers, hiring Mike Waufle to lead the defensive line.
Hue Jackson was also brought into Oakland to interview for what has been reported by many outlets for the offensive coordinator position.
The addition of a new staffer lead many to believe that Al Davis was thinking of retaining Cable and just surrounding him with better assistants.
Davis was not pleased with the direction of the offense in 2009, particularly the lack of development in quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
As I stated in an article on January 15th, Oakland was taking their time with Cable probably due to the parameters Davis was putting for his head coach’s future.
It’s been obvious that Cable desired to stay with the club. His players lobbied for him after the 2008 season and they did once again at the end of this regular season.
Cable probably would have done anything to keep this job; even if it meant making concessions to appease Davis, whether it be giving up play calling duties, saying all the right things regarding Russell and the make-up of his coaching staff for 2010.
Next year will be boom or bust for Cable. He’ll be a lame-duck coach and will have to work for a new contract. Davis most likely won’t be as forgiven, especially if they continue their streak of 11 or more losses or cannot get production out of the owner’s hand picked draft picks.
If the losing continues and the players are not responding, Cable will be out of a job. If he can get the most out of this group and turn this ship around, we may see Cable now being in the position of strength.
Next year, wins and losses will be at a premium.
And if Cable is fighting for his life to be a coach in Oakland and Russell is forced upon him, and still not playing at a level needed for them to win, the chance of volatility and the coach going against the owner’s wishes could lead to more drama.
But how long will that last when his job could be on the line and he’ll be working for a contract?
Well, if Cable is a miracle worker and can get the Raiders back to respectability and/or challenging for a playoff berth, then he’ll be in the driver’s seat. He will have every right to make many demands and ask for a substantial raise. Oakland would be mindless to let him walk away then.
And if he succeeded in Oakland, why wouldn’t he be able to go elsewhere and do the same?
If Cable is truly back, next year will be a frantic season where every outcome to every game could have significance to the future of a coach, an owner and a organization.
ADD-ON EDIT
“We’ve never made any statement that the head coach would not be back, that has been media speculation from the beginning,” senior executive John Herrera said in a statement to The Associated Press on Saturday night after the above news circulated about Cable’s return.
“We’ve consistently stated that we’re going through an evaluation process to determine the direction that the organization needs to go. The process is ongoing and has not reached a conclusion.”
