Tom Cable is changing Raiders culture. For better or worse.
Tom Cable may be exactly what the Oakland Raiders need.
I had to think about it a moment before I realized that Cable, who allegedly punched out Raiders defensive assistant coach Randy Hanson, is going to get what he wants out of this franchise — for better or for worse. I’m leaning on better right now for a couple of reasons.
- Wacky Al demands not only respect, but full efffin loyalty out of his employees. You can’t sneeze without permission from this dude. It’s that serious. And with a personality like that — a demigod as Tim Kawakami notes — you need to have a strong personality in order to deal with the rest of the organizational players. Hanson, who was notedly a disturbance last year for Lane Kiffin and who Kiffin wanted to fire at one point, is a victim of the territorial warpath. Cable is the big dog in the club house. He’s marking his spot and all possible traitors are not welcome.
- The Raiders need balance of its craziness. The fans are crazy. Al is, well, Wacky Al. But the players and coaches have always been pretty sane, sans Bill Romanowski. Coincidentaly, last time they went to the playoffs, Romanowski was still playing. This infiltration of craziness within the locker room — the I have a bigger penis than you do attitude — is actually leveling the playing field with all of the other pressures that go on in Oakland. I wrote a long time ago that you have to have a certain nuttiness to want to coach the Raiders. You saw how there was no other real candidates for this position. That’s because Cable is crazy enough to want it. Good for Wacky Al, good for Raider Nation.
What may ruin all of this fun and nuttiness is this investigation the NFL is opening into the altercation? WTF!?!? So people can’t punch people out anymore? Even if they deserve it?
Of course, Cable denies it all. Do you believe him? I don’t. You’ve got to be crazy to want to coach the Raiders. Plain and simple.
