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***Official 2009 Oakland Raiders Offseason Thread*** (1 Viewer)

Whiplash Inc.

Footballguy
Thought the Raiders Head Coaching situation is deserving of its own thread. :lmao:

Cable stakes his claim

By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer

Sunday, December 28th, 2008 at 1:32 pm in Oakland Raiders.

Raider Nation, Cable’s your guy.

There is simply no other conclusion Al Davis can reach than to remove the “interim” from the job title of Tom Cable and make him the head coach of the Raiders for 2009 and beyond.

All Cable did was step in to the most impossible job situation in the NFL and deliver the hope of real progress in the last two games of a lost season.

A 31-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday at Raymond James Stadium was the most rousing Raiders sendoff since 1999, when they embarked on a three-year run of AFC West titles with a 41-38 overtime win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

It so happens that the coach that day, Jon Gruden, so jubilant at the Chiefs demise at Arrowhead, was the one who walked off the field Sunday with the knowledge that his team lost four straight games to end the season and is out of the playoffs at 9-7.

That Chiefs game happens to be the only time since the Raiders came back from Los Angeles in 1995 that they won a game after Dec. 1 outside of the state of California.

To put it mildly, the Raiders have gone into a turtle position in the season’s final month, which makes what Cable has done all the more impressive.

Considering the mess Cable walked in to, a disaster which former coach Lane Kiffin and Davis share equal blame, he couldn’t have done much more.

After back-to-back losses to San Diego and New England, Cable may have been the the only one who believed it when he insisted he saw progress. It’s hard not to believe him now.

When the clock ticked to zero against the Bucs, Cable thrust his arms into the air in victory. Right next to him was unrestricted free agent Nnamdi Asomugha, doing the same thing.

It’s worth noting that Asomugha has seen nothing like the last two weeks since he joined the Raiders in 2003, the start of their six-year demise. Punter Shane Lechler, who played a key role keeping the Bucs in bad field position, surely saw a difference as well.

If Davis makes Cable the head coach, Asomugha, all but out the door mentally and looking for a way to force a trade if franchised, may suddenly want to stay on and enjoy the ride. It could give Lechler second thoughts as well.

If Davis picks anyone else, it’s simply another change _ one coming after back-to-back games the likes of which haven’t been seen since the AFC championship game season in 2002.

Neither Bill Callahan in Year 2, Norv Turner, Art Shell or Kiffin ever had teams which were more resilient and tough for eight consecutive quarters of football.

Cable promised to be a “no excuses” coach, and it was never more evident than in beating Tampa Bay.

Asomugha was inactive with a neck injury, leaving Stanford Routt as the starter along with Chris Johnson and return specialist Justin Miller as the third corner.

Justin Fargas and Darren McFadden came into the game injured and couldn’t finish.

So what happened?

Michael Bush, who has been reluctant to embrace playing fullback, went out and made his case for being a tailback with a 177-yard, 27-carry, 2 touchdown performance that carred him to exhaustion and beyond.

Perhaps the most important reason to keep Cable is that under his watch, JaMarcus Russell validated his No. 1 pick status in the last two games of the season.

Think back to the day Kiffin was given the boot via overhead projector, and Davis saying that he thought Russell was a special player who needed to be turned loose.

With Cable has head coach, Russell grew up in his last two games. First was a nearly flawless performance in a 27-16 win over a Houston team on a four-game winning streak.

The win over Tampa Bay brought with it a different lesson. Russell survived a big interception, returned 85 yards by Sabby Piscatelli, that led to a Bucs touchdown and a 24-14 lead.

He brought the Raiders right back, with the help of a 43-yard pass interference penalty engineered on a halfback option pass call made by Cable.

I talked with one player this week in casual conversation who was making a case for Cable staying on, in part because of his ability to keep the team together “after Lane quit on us.”

I’m guessing the postgame locker room will have no shortage of Cable supporters. I’m also guessing he’s got one one back home named Al Davis, watching on television.

Davis usually takes his time with these things, but if he’s smart, he’ll satisfy the Rooney Rule in short order and make Cable his coach.

More to come later this afternoon . . .
I can't really put it any better than Jerry McDonald did, so I copied his post here. I say, in the best interest of the franchise and at the very least for the sake of continuity for our young players, give Tom Cable the Head Coaching gig and let's see what he can do. I haven't been so excited about a Raiders win in quite a while.

Go Raiders!

Discuss. :shrug:

 
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I want to keep him.

Not because I think he's the next great coach, per se. But he wants to be here. That's huge.

My reasons:

1. let's face it: Any coach we hire is gonna be either a retread, or a Gruden or Kiffin, a young guy looking to use Oakland as a springboard to a "better" gig.

2. We maintain continuity, which JaMarcus needs.

3. Cable staying means the Zone Blocking System stays. He's made great strides with the O-line, Mario Henderson with three nice weeks in a row at LT, Gallery is a stud LG, and the running game improved after early struggles this week.

4. Players seem to dig him, he already has their respect.

 
keep him for one reason. russell has looked decent & REALLY REALLY REALLY doesn't need to learn a new system.

 
Agreed. I don't think Cable is a football genius or a going to be a great coach but he seems to have the support of the players and is letting the young guys play and more times than not putting them in a position to succeed.

His play calling is also the perfect balance between the run only philosophy of Kiffin and the pass happy playing calling of Greg Knapp the first 3 games (?) after Kiffin got fired. He uses the run to open up the passing game and he's showed when it comes to the passing game he's willing to give Russell the chance to make plays. He's also not afraid to gamble with trick plays which is needed to keep the defense honest. I believe he's also learned not to get too tricky as the season progresses.

Overall, he's seems to be a solid coach who shouldn't mess things up while he's here and may actually turn out to be the coach to guide the Raiders out of this funk when given full control during the off-season. I can't really think of any negatives to keeping him for another season given how the Raiders finished the season. With him on board we keep a strong running game, Russell doesn't have to learn a whole new offense, and the O-line has looked much imporved during his tenure and the pass blocking has be decent the last month as well.

The only change I'd like the Raiders to make is to get rid of Rob Ryan. He's proven that he can't get this defense in shape... time to get him out of here.

 
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Ten different HCs in the last twenty years (if you count Shell twice) must be some sort of NFL record. I don't know if Cable is "the answer," but this team (especially JaMarcus) needs some consistency.

 
Ten different HCs in the last twenty years (if you count Shell twice) must be some sort of NFL record. I don't know if Cable is "the answer," but this team (especially JaMarcus) needs some consistency.
Exactly. And Cable truly wants the be the guy here. And Cable, in practice, is a yelling, cussing coach, so the defensive guys like him, and his work with the O-line has earned him the respect of the offensive guys. His O-linemen would jump off a bridge if he told them to.
 
Color me not all that encouraged.

They were horsecrap against San Diego and New England.

Worse, they were horsecrap against a TERRIBLE KC team when they should have built momentum off the Denver win.

They beat a mediocre Houston team and a sliding Tampa team.

Not sure if Cable is the answer but, as massraider pointed out, he may be better than a retread or some hotshot.

Glad I don't have to make the decision.

 
You can never guess what Davis is going to do, but Cable may end up with the job and it would make some sense.

1) He's going to come cheaply

2) No proven option is going to want to head to Oakland

 
They beat a mediocre Houston team and a sliding Tampa team.
Both teams that were considered better than they were. I don't really get how you can pooh-pooh ANY wins by this team, especially when the season was considered lost a while ago. Cable had them playing hard till the end of the season, that's the important part to me, certainly more notable than losing to a much better Pats team.
 
I was hearing rumors that Al likes Jim Harbaugh and may want him to become the next head coach. If he wants to go the route of bringing in a young guy with no NFL head coaching experience again, he could go with Harbaugh (assuming he is interested in the gig).

 
I was hearing rumors that Al likes Jim Harbaugh and may want him to become the next head coach. If he wants to go the route of bringing in a young guy with no NFL head coaching experience again, he could go with Harbaugh (assuming he is interested in the gig).
Just one man talking, but my guess is Harbaugh uses the Raiders as leverage to an extension with Stanford.
 
No. 16 said:
The only change I'd like the Raiders to make is to get rid of Rob Ryan. He's proven that he can't get this defense in shape... time to get him out of here.
Oddly enough, I see Ryan's fate being closely tied to Cable's. I think if Cable stays then so will Ryan. Otherwise it will be another full housecleaning, with a few Al loyalists left on the staff.Of course if the wild rumor of Parcells coming to Oakland comes to pass, all bets are off.
 
No. 16 said:
The only change I'd like the Raiders to make is to get rid of Rob Ryan. He's proven that he can't get this defense in shape... time to get him out of here.
Oddly enough, I see Ryan's fate being closely tied to Cable's. I think if Cable stays then so will Ryan. Otherwise it will be another full housecleaning, with a few Al loyalists left on the staff.Of course if the wild rumor of Parcells coming to Oakland comes to pass, all bets are off.
Never gonna happen. Parcells is too smart to do something like that. I thought the O-line played better when Cable was just the line coach, but this team has looked a little better since Cable took over. Al won't get rid of his "yes" men, especially if they don't demand a high salary.
 
I saw Chris Mortensen reporting this morning that Giants OC Kevin Gilbride will interview with AD later this week.
Raiders Offense-TM- Raiders Dec. 29 - 2:25 pm et ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that the Raiders are currently in the process of requesting permission to speak with Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride about their head-coaching job.This shows there's no guarantee that interim coach Tom Cable will be back despite Oakland's relatively strong finish to 2008. Mort expects Gilbride to interview for the job. Cable is scheduled to meet owner Al Davis soon.Source: ESPN.com
 
2009 Oakland Raiders Schedule

HOME

Baltimore

Cincinnati

Philadelphia

Washington

AFC East team

AWAY

Cleveland

Pittsburgh

Dallas

NY Giants

AFC South team

Five 2008 playoff teams. Looks pretty tough.

 
2009 Oakland Raiders Schedule

HOME

Baltimore

Cincinnati

Philadelphia

Washington

AFC East team

AWAY

Cleveland

Pittsburgh

Dallas

NY Giants

AFC South team

Five 2008 playoff teams. Looks pretty tough.
Because we are playing the NFC East. Who knows, last year this time, the Jags were considered a tough 2008 opponent.
 
Schefter on Total Access says we may look at Gilbride, Fassel, and Hue Jackson. Cable has a lot of support in locker room, and in the front office.

I'd say it's about 60/40 we keep him.

 
Checkout time in Alameda

from Inside The Oakland Raiders by Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer

By the time reporters were summoned to the locker room, there was already a line of cars waiting at the security gate, with many players having already packed their belongings and getting a head start on the offseason.

A handful of stragglers remained, and the good vibes coming from their first two-game win streak to end a season since 2002 were still in evidence.

“My four years here, winning that last game is something that we haven’t done, so by doing that it just shows this team is capable of doing great things,” linebacker Kirk Morrison said. “We felt we should have had a much better record already this year, but the last two games just really showed us that we have an identity, it just so happened it happened at the end of the season.”

Having played closed with impressive back-to-back games, and taking into account the turnarounds this season by Miami and Atlanta, the brave talk of 2009 sounded more reasonable than foolish.

“I think the challenge next year is to come in and be a playoff team and play like we did the last two weeks,” left guard Robert Gallery said. “This game is so much mental that when you get on a roll and things just carry on. You start believing in stuff, believing in what you’re doing and things are going to work out good.”

Said linebacker Thomas Howard: “You never know who’s going to be here as far as players. But the players who are here next year nd the coaches who are here next year will still have that good feling and that good vibe. I think we learned how to play together and come together.”

More checkout day news, notes and analysis:

– Order up another gross of footballs. Tom Cable is big on awarding game balls, and the magnitude of the season-ending win over the Bucs made for a long list.

Cornerback/return speicalist Justin Miller, pressed into action in the secondary with Nnamdi Asomugha out, got one. So did Morrison (13 tackles), defensive tackle Gerard Warren and defensive end Jay Richardson, who were cited for “mirroring” Garcia and keeping him in the pocket.

Special teams game balls went to Shane Lechler and Jonathan Holland (kick coverage). Michael Bush got one for 177 yards on 27 carries, as did lead blocker Luke Lawton and the entire offensive line.

Next up were wide receivers Jonathan Holland and Chaz Schilens, bringing the total to 15.

Finally, game balls went to the entire coaching staff because “they stuck together, all of us, and we did it the right way at the end.”

There are 18 coaches listed on the Raiders staff _ meaning Cable awarded 33 game balls.

– JaMarcus Russell ducked in and out of the locker room, declining comment. Cable had plenty to say about his quarterback, however.

“Look at JaMarcus Russell’s development in the last six weeks, other than the San Diego game. You should write something like how far the guy came, how much of a leader he is becoming. One of the things that was a real joy for me yesterday was to hear the offensive line on the sideline talk to me about his leadership in the huddle.

“When we got down by 10, the first thing he did was back out in the huddle and say, `Hey, we got this. Everybody just chill out.’

– Bush said he hoped his performance put to rest thoughts that he should play fullback.

“I hope so. I really do. I hope I proved a lot by running the ball but at the same time I feel like I did a good job in the preseason when I had a chance to,” Bush said. “But you never know. This year we had a lot of injuries at the fullback position but hopefully I’ll just shy away from that.”

Bush said he hopes he returns along with Justin Fargas and Darren McFadden and that they work out an equitable rotation.

Cable said he wasn’t surprised, particularly after Bush’s first two runs, which he described as “as violent as I’ve seen in a long time.”

With McFadden hobbled with an ankle injury and Fargas spraining an MCL, Cable said he told running backs coach Tom Rathman, “We’re OK. Let’s just ride him and we’ll be fine.”

As for the halfback/fullback dilemma, Cable said, “You have to understand. We didn’t have any fullbacks. Our top two guys were hurt and they were out for the season. Under those circumstances I do think that was his role this year for this football team. What the future holds for him, we’ll see. Those guys come back healthy and we’ll find out bu it’ snice ot have a guy that can do both and certainly he’s proven he can do both.”

– Punter Shane Lechler is a free agent, and Cable conceded the possibility of seeing him elsewhere is troubling.

“To lose anybody that impacts ag ame lik eh does on a consistent basis is a huge blow,” Cable said. “When free agency starts, we’ll get into all that, find out wihat his intentions are, what his wishes are . . . we’ll do everything we can to make sure he’s a Raider.”

– As was the case in the postgame locker room, Cable continued to get support from his players.

“I like the things he’s done and the way he’s approached it and the way he’s handled us as a team and treated us like men and rasied the expectations for us,” Fargas said. “He didn’ tlet us settle for less. That was evident in the way we played the last two games. I’d like to see him come back. He has a lot to offer this team and it would be good to give him a full season and see what he can do with it.”

As bleak as things looked following a 34-7 loss to San Diego and a 49-24 defeat against New England, Cable’s approach never wavered.

“It could have gone down the drain there, but we got it turned around, and I think a lot of it is how coach Cable handles things, challenges everybody,” Gallery said.

Morrison didn’t want to get into the coaching issue, but noted of Cable’s approach, “He has no ego.”

– Howard said defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was pleased at the way the Raiders finished the season and conceded no one knows who will be running the Raiders defense in 2009.

– Cable said none of the injuries which caused players to leave the game _ Fargas with an MCL sprain, McFadden with an ankle sprain, Marquis Cooper with a hamstring strain and Tommy Kelly with turf toe _ were serious.

 
I can't think of one reason for Nnamdi Asomugha to return. How often in a player's career are they an unrestricted free agent? How often do you go out and command that sort of attention and salary? Of course OAK has to place the franchise tag on him to prevent him from walking without getting anything in return.

Should be interesting. However, with Al Davis at the switch, I have little faith that the moves will be the right ones.

 
please god, not gilbride. please.
As a Chargers' fan, I can tell you, this is a very wise post. I'm shocked that the Giants and Eli have anywhere near the kind of success they have enjoyed recently with Gilbride even remotely attached to any kind of decision-making.
 
please god, not gilbride. please.
Is anybody bothered that they're potentially leaving Cable hanging for a month? Al's got a guy that wants to be there, works cheap and knows how the organization "works." Al should fulfill his Rooney obligation tomorrow and hire Cable before the year's out...
 
please god, not gilbride. please.
Is anybody bothered that they're potentially leaving Cable hanging for a month? Al's got a guy that wants to be there, works cheap and knows how the organization "works." Al should fulfill his Rooney obligation tomorrow and hire Cable before the year's out...
I guess from Al's perspective it's not like Cable is a hot commodity for another head coaching gig, so kicking a few tires couldn't hurt.
 
Raiders narrow list of coaches

(12-29) 22:14 PST -- The offseason was but a day old and already a group of potential Raiders head coaches has emerged.

Raiders owner Al Davis will begin interviewing candidates this week, a team source confirmed Monday.

The list is expected to include Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, Raiders advance scout Paul Hackett and Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, according to team sources.

Former Giants coach Jim Fassel has openly lobbied for the job and went so far as to send Davis a letter expressing his interest.

As usual, Davis will decide the next coach, and "he wants to move quickly," club spokesman John Herrera said.

Interim coach Tom Cable remains very much in play after finishing the 5-11 season with two straight victories, two sources said on the condition of anonymity.

A day after the Raiders (5-11) rallied from 10 points down in the last 10 minutes to win at Tampa Bay 31-24 in the season finale, Cable tried his best to deflect questions about his job prospects to the performance of his players. They won back-to-back games for the first time in more than a year.

Cable has an agent, Don Yee, but the coach said that when it's time to meet, it will just be Cable and Davis. He said no meeting had yet been scheduled.

"It's what his vision is and where he wants to go," Cable said. "That's all I can say about it. I don't really know any more."

As for the competition, ESPN first reported the Raiders will seek permission to interview Gilbride, a former Chargers head coach and an offensive coordinator with five NFL teams.

The Giants have a first-round bye in the playoffs, giving Gilbride a small window for an interview this week if the Giants grant permission.

If Gilbride is their man, the Raiders couldn't hire him until the Giants' season ends - which could mean February if the defending Super Bowl champions return to the title game.

Herrera wouldn't deny the report but said the Giants have not been contacted "to my knowledge. I don't know anything about it."

Hackett was head coach at USC from 1998-2000 and served as the Jets' offensive coordinator from 2001-04. He joined the Raiders in the past offseason.

Harbaugh was a Raiders assistant from 2003-04 and has maintained a good relationship with Davis. Stanford recently offered him a contract extension, but he has yet to sign it.

The Raiders must interview at least one minority candidate to comply with the NFL's so-called Rooney Rule. Wide receivers coach James Lofton has interviewed for the job two other times and was considered for the interim position when head coach Lane Kiffin was fired Sept. 30.

Cable, 44, finished with a 4-8 record. Asked if he felt he had done enough to get the job, Cable said, "I'm not going to talk about that today." He credited the team with going 3-3 down the stretch after winning just one of its first six games on his watch.

The Raiders had their final meetings Monday, took exit physicals and cleaned out their lockers. Several voiced support for Cable.

"He raised the expectations for us," running back Justin Fargas said. "That was evident in the way we played the last two games. I'd like to see him come back. I think he has a lot more to offer this team. It would be good to give him a full season to see what he could do with it."

Linebacker Kirk Morrison called Cable "a guy with no ego." He said Cable is not concerned with "getting 500 yards on offense or shutting people out. His thing is, 'Let's just go find a way to win the football game.' "

"The guy lives for football," guard Robert Gallery said. "He's a good motivator. I like everything about him. I like the system. I hope he's the head coach."

The Raiders have had five head coaches since their Super Bowl season of 2002. None has won more than five games in a season.

Cable said it took him longer than he had expected to change "the culture of negativity" that had gripped the team. "I thought I could come in and just grab it and beat it up and take it out," he said. "And it didn't work like that. And that's really the only thing that I regret - just how long it took to get their mind-set changed."

 
I'm not a Raider fan but I live in L.A. and we get STUCK watching a ton of the Raider games, yes I need Direct TV. It would be nice to see them actually be competitive for a change. They should keep Cable just for the sake of continuity. That move would benefit the team better than any draft pick.

 
Adam SchefterRaiders coaching search a mysteryPosted: December 30th, 2008 | Adam Schefter | Tags: Kevin Gilbride, Oakland Raiders, Tom CableIt’s not to say that the Raiders will not reach out to interview Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride for Oakland’s head coaching job. But as of midday on Tuesday, they still hadn’t, despite multiple reports that they had.The Giants haven’t heard anything, Gilbride hasn’t heard anything, and a Raiders official said Tuesday the team had not reached out to Gilbride.What is known is that interim head coach Tom Cable is one of the top candidates, if not the top candidate, for the job. He added two items to his resume this season that Raiders owner Al Davis loved. Cable beat Broncos coach Mike Shanahan to help keep Denver out of the playoffs, and he beat Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden to help keep Tampa Bay out of the playoffs. A coaching candidate cannot impress Davis any more than that.Another certainty about the Raiders coaching search is that it is not going to drag on the way it has in other years. Davis does not want a prolonged search. He wants to move forward as quickly as possible. But even wanting to do that has not included a call to Gilbride, at least as of yet.
 
You can never guess what Davis is going to do, but Cable may end up with the job and it would make some sense.1) He's going to come cheaply2) No proven option is going to want to head to Oakland
Jim Fassel may not be seen as a great coach but he did lead the GMen to a Superbowl and he publicly stated he would be interested in the job. The market is flooded right now with Superbowl winners like Cowher and Shanny, great coaches like Marty, even rumors of Parcells and Reeves have been uttered. Some retread like a Fassel or Denny Green would probably take the opportunity of Oakland and they don't have horrible track records.
 
Does it really matter?Doormats as long as old man river is running the show.
Exactly, Al will not allow a coach to bring in talent to push the guys that are on the team, just like he did to Kiffin and we will be stuck with average players at key positions that do not have to bust their butt for a position because they know the guy behind them sucks and can't take his job. Al = worst owner in any sport. That hurts me to say that because for so long he was the greatest but he is stuck in the 70's and all he is doing is killing the team. The Emperor will not rise again, the dark side has been defeated.
 
Adam SchefterRaiders coaching search a mysteryPosted: December 30th, 2008 | Adam Schefter | Tags: Kevin Gilbride, Oakland Raiders, Tom CableIt’s not to say that the Raiders will not reach out to interview Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride for Oakland’s head coaching job. But as of midday on Tuesday, they still hadn’t, despite multiple reports that they had.The Giants haven’t heard anything, Gilbride hasn’t heard anything, and a Raiders official said Tuesday the team had not reached out to Gilbride.What is known is that interim head coach Tom Cable is one of the top candidates, if not the top candidate, for the job. He added two items to his resume this season that Raiders owner Al Davis loved. Cable beat Broncos coach Mike Shanahan to help keep Denver out of the playoffs, and he beat Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden to help keep Tampa Bay out of the playoffs. A coaching candidate cannot impress Davis any more than that.Another certainty about the Raiders coaching search is that it is not going to drag on the way it has in other years. Davis does not want a prolonged search. He wants to move forward as quickly as possible. But even wanting to do that has not included a call to Gilbride, at least as of yet.
praying this true
 
Al will make his decision based on whether he thinks it makes him look brilliant. (Before the results come in).

 
Al = worst owner in any sport. That hurts me to say that because for so long he was the greatest but he is stuck in the 70's and all he is doing is killing the team. The Emperor will not rise again, the dark side has been defeated.
I know some Lions fans who would like a word with you.
 
Is there a site somewhere where you can see the contract status of all the players on the roster?
Not really. The NFL Players Association has a site, but it doesn't show cap numbers, etc. USA Today has a pretty good database.A list of our FA's from blackreign.net:Chris Morris C UFACooper Carlisle G UFATony Stewart TE UFAMarques Tuiasosopo QB UFADrew Carter WR UFANnamdi Asomugha CB UFAJustin Miller DB UFARashad Baker DB UFASam Williams LB UFAShane Lechler P UFA
 
I'm wondering if Bush was showcased for a trade??? Mcfadden and Fargas seem to be the 2 guys they want.Is Bush traded??? I would think Seattle, Cincy, Cleveland, would be in the market. Bush was almost traded last season right???Do you think Al tries to get another 3rd or 4th pick for Bush. Cincy has a lot of cap space and need someone pretty bad. I can not think Benson is going to stay out of trouble a whole year. Cleveland would be another perfect spot to look at a trade. The Browns have a senior citzen in Lewis and Harrison as the guy to replace Lewis. I see that team ripe for a trade, so they can focus else where with their # 5 pick. Seattle has JJ but I'm not impressed with JJ or Morris for that matter.ORDoes Oakland hold on to him as a insurance back. Why was Al shopping him las season????
I don't think the Raiders want to move Bush, and I think they'd love to see DMC and Bush take all of Fargas' carries. Problem is, DMC was banged up all year, and Fargas knew the offense, and ran well in the ZBS. He averaged 4.7 YPC last year. Bush hasn't run like he has in the Bucs game for most of his career, college included. He's a big man, and he had the rep of running like a little man. It was very exciting to see him run like that. I don't think it's worth it to trade Bush for a 3rd or 4th rounder. Why would they? They don't gain any cap room by making the move, he's cheap.
 
I want to keep him.

Not because I think he's the next great coach, per se. But he wants to be here. That's huge.

My reasons:

1. let's face it: Any coach we hire is gonna be either a retread, or a Gruden or Kiffin, a young guy looking to use Oakland as a springboard to a "better" gig.

2. We maintain continuity, which JaMarcus needs.

3. Cable staying means the Zone Blocking System stays. He's made great strides with the O-line, Mario Henderson with three nice weeks in a row at LT, Gallery is a stud LG, and the running game improved after early struggles this week.

4. Players seem to dig him, he already has their respect.
:hifive: Oakland looked like a professional football team in its last couple of games. It IS huge that he wants to be there.

 
Al will make his decision based on whether he thinks it makes him look brilliant. (Before the results come in).
In Al's "I must be a genius" thinking, I'm guessing that Mike Martz will get some consideration.
no he won't. martz is a tard who got lucky with the personnel in st louis & has been a disaster ever since. he would KILL the one strength this team has, the running game. please god no!
 
massraider said:
Nnamdi Asomugha CB UFARashad Baker DB UFASam Williams LB UFAShane Lechler P UFA
keep these 4 & let the rest walk. & put an injury clause in williams contract.
 
massraider said:
Nnamdi Asomugha CB UFA

Rashad Baker DB UFA

Sam Williams LB UFA

Shane Lechler P UFA
keep these 4 & let the rest walk. & put an injury clause in williams contract.
Justin Miller can stay. KO man, and dime CB. I think he's an asset.From the main man Jerry Mac:

http://www.ibabuzz.com/raidersblog/2008/12...-with-harbaugh/

The Merc continues to beat the drums for Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh as a candidate to coach the Raiders.

Considering Harbaugh’s silence and the fact that his contract extension wasn’t finalized before the NFL coaching carousel started spinning, maybe they’re on to something.

Perhaps Harbaugh is Al Davis’ new Sarkiffin, the chosen one to resurrect the franchise. Two years ago, Davis targeted Steve Sarkisian to lead the Raiders, then adroitly did a media bait-and-switch to Lane Kiffin, saying that young “Lance” was the man he wanted all along.

At least in this case, Davis knows Harbaugh, having had him on staff in 2003 and 2004 under Bill Callahan and Norv Turner. (If you’re a Raiders assistant for more than a year, chances are you’ve worked for multiple head coaches).

And Harbaugh has a well-documented respect for Al.

So why wouldn’t this be a match made in heaven?

These would be my reservations:

– It would be pretty slimy of Harbaugh to bail on Stanford before he ever even got them to .500. He went 4-8, then 5-7, a .375 winning percentage over two years. Made a big deal of saying it was his dream job when working on the mysterious extension.

If he’s as good as he thinks he is, Harbaugh will have chances at other NFL jobs down the line, instead of leveling whatever progress he started at the school that hired him out of a small-school job at the University of San Diego.

– For an ex-NFL quarterback, Harbaugh didn’t do much for Stanford’s quarterbacks the past two years. He brought a tough-minded, physical approach and a team that knocked heads with mighty USC for a half before talent took over.

But if Stanford could pass the ball, they would have went to a bowl game. Basically, he did for Stanford what Kiffin did for the Raiders last year. Made them a more physical opponent, but didn’t win.

Kiffin was fascinated by Al at first, had a lot of things go his way in terms of hiring offensive staff and in terms of personnel.

When Kiffin didn’t win, all the rope Davis gave the young coach tightened. Harbaugh, a rising star with an ego to match, could expect the same thing if he didn’t have immediate success.

It’s a lot different dealing with Al when you’re having tough times then when you’re the young prodigy.

Tom Cable, on the other hand, has dealt with Davis on a week-to-week basis during tough times, has already handled the situation, and at the very end managed to put together the best back-to-back games the franchise has seen in six years.

And he did it in late December, motiving the Raiders and presenting a crisp, well-coached product during a time of year where they’re usually so deep in the tank they need gills to survive.

Other coaching news regarding Raiders coaches of past and present:

– The Newark Star-Ledger reports the Jets want to interview Rex Ryan and are expected to be granted permission once the Baltimore Ravens are eliminated from the playoffs. It’s conceivable if Rex were to get a head coaching job, he could want Rob Ryan as his defensive coordiantor.

One of the Jets in-house candidates is Callahan, fired by the Raiders in 2003.

– Kiffin hired Ed Orgeron away from the New Orleans Saints as his recruiting coordinator at Tennessee. Kiffin wanted Orgeron as his defensive line coach in Oakland, only to be rejected by Davis, with Keith Millard retaining the job.

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Count me out on Harbaugh. His extension isn't taking longer because he is waiting for Al to call him. IMO, the extension is taking a bit longer because Harbaugh is using the Raiders rumor to get a better deal from Stanford. We've seen this before.

 
Al will make his decision based on whether he thinks it makes him look brilliant. (Before the results come in).
In Al's "I must be a genius" thinking, I'm guessing that Mike Martz will get some consideration.
no he won't. martz is a tard who got lucky with the personnel in st louis & has been a disaster ever since. he would KILL the one strength this team has, the running game. please god no!
I'm not saying Martz is a good choice, I'm saying he's the kind of guy Al would choose because he (Al) thinks he (Al) is a genius.
 
Quoting Macdonald from massraider's post:

"Tom Cable, on the other hand, has dealt with Davis on a week-to-week basis during tough times, has already handled the situation, and at the very end managed to put together the best back-to-back games the franchise has seen in six years."

Has it been THAT bad? :popcorn:

 

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