We have to be honest here. You don't see many "Cable again in 2010" banners or T-shirts at Raiders home games. Mostly that's because Tom Cable's future as Raiders head coach is uncertain, unless you're certain the team should try someone new.
Then again, you or someone you know might believe him to be the right guy to lead the Raiders out of their pitch-black funk. To that segment of the team's fan base we say: You should buy party hats for your next mixer.
Seriously. If you are inclined to tout Cable as a long-term solution to the Raiders chronic head coaching conundrum, what happened Sunday is your Exhibit A. The Raiders won a game, shockingly and in shocking fashion — scoring 10 points in the final 33 seconds to beat the AFC North-leading Cincinnati Bengals, 20-17.
The victory had its roots in the Raiders' previous game, a ghastly loss to Kansas City. Cable benched quarterback JaMarcus Russell in that one, then decided to leave him benched against Cincinnati. Every good thing that happened Sunday flowed from that decision.
Russell's replacement, the heretofore unheralded Bruce Gradkowski, provided all manner of upgrades, tangible and otherwise. He was competent, decisive and communicative. He gave the team an energy and optimism that has been missing all season.
More concretely, he led the Raiders 80 yards for the tying touchdown, which came on a 29-yard pass to Louis Murphy with 33
seconds to play. Then something really incredible happened — the Raiders, who have become geniuses at committing game-losing mistakes, forced the Bengals to make one instead.
Backup tight end Brandon Myers forced and recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. That set up Sebastian Janikowski's game-winning field goal, and a triumph of the body and spirit that had Cable's fingerprints all over it.
"I just think there's some energy and some belief that we still have something to play for," Cable said when asked to explain the unlikely comeback. "We're still playing for each other, we're still trying to straighten out this football team. It's not been easy. It's been very difficult, quite honestly, but days like this make you feel like you're making strides that way. I just think we've got a lot of guys who care about what goes on this season."
Let's start with that. Caring hasn't always been a given with the Raiders. Then-coach Lane Kiffin gave up on the team before training camp in 2008. Randy Moss gave up on the team early in his two-season stay in Oakland. In 2003, Charlie Garner and Charles Woodson were deactivated for the season finale after showing up late for the game.
Ten games into what almost certainly will a seventh consecutive season of double-digit losses, Cable has the Raiders still caring. If that seems like a low bar, so be it.
But it goes beyond that. Cable is both dogged and pragmatic regarding his desire for the team to improve, and in his belief that improvement is possible. He keeps the sugarcoating to a minimum (his praise of rookie receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey would be a notable exception). He doesn't acknowledge the organization's, um, peculiarities out loud. But he knows. And he knows we know.
When you ask him why he did something, he generally has an answer that indicates he gave the matter some thought. He is unabashed about his love for the job. Where Kiffin was duplicitous, where the 49ers' Mike Singletary exudes righteous bluster, Cable seems real.
"You know, I'm the one guy, I think, in the universe that thinks we are headed in the right direction," he said. "So, today, it's a step in the right direction. I'm very excited and proud of our football team, but let's do it again."
The Gradkowski thing is especially impressive. Once upon a time, Norv Turner benched Andrew Walter for Marques Tuiasosopo. After one game, he was informed by Al Davis that he would be unbenching Walter for the next game. That's life in Raiderland.
That Cable was able to ice Russell, Davis' prized top-of-the-draft pick, indicates either a) Davis' trust in Cable's judgment, b) Davis' disgust with Russell or c) both. Either way, it suggests Cable has achieved a status in Davis' eyes unparalleled by any Raiders head coach since Jon Gruden.
Add it all up and you still wind up with baby steps, possibly in the right direction. Maybe that leaves you unmoved. Or maybe it's the inspiration you need to order up a whole mess of T-shirts.
Contact Gary Peterson at gpeterson@bayareanewsgroup.com.
