RENTON When the Oakland Raiders decide to fire a guy for bad behavior, what does that say?
Yes, team owner Al Davis is certifiable. He would fire an angel for being over the maximum count in wing feathers. Or, since encountering an angel is extremely unlikely for Davis, let try this: He would fire the devil for giving the late NFL commissioner, Pete Rozelle, water and a towel.
But that doesnt mean Davis is incapable of making a point or two.
Around the time Tuesday that Cable agreed with head coach Pete Carroll to become the Seahawks new assistant head coach with command over the offensive line before the current O-line coach has been dismissed Davis was spending a good part of his season-ending, press-conference diatribe in Oakland explaining why he fired Cable despite leading the Raiders to an 8-8 record, their best season since 2003.
Davis claimed that Cable had lied to him for failing disclosing allegations of domestic abuse against him by two ex-wives and a girlfriend, as well as taking his then-girlfriend to accompany him on a team road trip, a violation of protocol with nearly all NFL teams.
In a much-chronicled training camp episode in August, 2009, Cable also was said to have punched out his own assistant coach, Randy Hanson, during a hotel-room meeting, breaking his jaw. Hanson later sued Cable and the Raiders, but prosecutors said there wasnt enough evidence to win the case.
The episode prompted ESPN to look into his history, discovering claims by three women with whom he had relationships that he had physically abused them. Cable admitted to the episode with his first wife, Sandy, and offered a written apology.
The lawsuits included the Raiders, so Davis used the clubs legal costs as an excuse to dock $120,000 of his pay. Cable is suing the Raiders to regain the money.
The fact that it was Davis who was leveling the latest complaints about Cable made them easily dismissable, simply because it came from Davis, whose eccentrism in managing his team has only grown wackier as age, poor health and bitterness overtake him.
But if Daviss little fiefdom had checked out Cables background, the Raiders wouldnt have been in this mess in the first place. Besides which, Davis could have fired him after the Hanson episode.
But Davis held off being indignant until after his team fell out of the playoff hunt.
The Seahawks? Well, they did check out Cable, and didnt discover any impediment to his hire.
Weve done our due diligence to understand the background, said Carroll Wednesday in his final press conference of the season. I feel that this is a good time for him to come to us. Hes going to get supported. Hes going to be reinforced as he moves ahead to do all the good things and the right things and live the life that he wants to live in the manner that he wants to live it.
Not sure what all that means, but Carroll didnt seem to think it necessary to suggest that the Seahawks even wagged a finger under his nose and made him promise to behave, or even indicate on the coachs behalf that he was sorry for the damage he has done to three women. Carroll just chose to blow off any discussion about the mans very public personal history.
What Carroll does know about Cable was that he was on the other sideline on Halloween in Oakland when the Seahawks were given their most physical beating of the year.
Apart from a passel of injuries in the 33-3 defeat, what stood out from that game was that the Raiders rushed for 239 yards, a 6.1 yards per carry average that included four runs of 30 yards or more.
Thats exactly what Carroll wants from his offense, and exactly what he didnt get in his first season. Its exactly why offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates was fired, and exactly why the new OC will be taking orders from Cable.
He has a very deep commitment in what he does in the running game, and how he coveys that message to his players, Carroll said. You add with that a toughness (and) and standards that I think will really elevate us to a level that will help us tremendously.
In case it wasnt clear, the Seahawks just hired the meanest available sumbitch in the valley. And hey, hes from our valley, or at least Snohomish High School, from where he graduated.
Seahawks fans who dont care about anything but wins may prefer to dismiss Cables transgressions in light of his potential aid. Carroll seemed so confident that most people wont know or care that they didnt even bother to address it in a forthright way.
Maybe Cable has recognized his abusive ways and has taken steps. We dont know. But theres a part of the constituency that will be very uncomfortable with Cables background. To ignore a history of domestic violence, particularly on the part of a top manager, only compounds the long-term problem of ignorance.
Sports-figure conduct has taken a bad turn in Seattle recently. On the same day Cable was hired, Mariners outfielder Milton Bradley was arrested in southern California on a felony charge of threatening a woman with death or serious harm.
An unidentified Huskies basketball player is subject to a police investigation for an alleged sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl. Last summer, the Mariners acquired a pitcher from Texas, Josh Lueke, unaware that he served time for a sexual assault. Hes still on the roster.
Usually, it is unwise to connect the dots among unrelated events to make some sweeping generalization. So we wont. But it does seem reasonable to ask of Cable that when he arrives in town, he be direct and honest about his past. Its the kind of accountability he’s famous for demanding from his players.
If for no other reason, he should be straight so his head coach doesnt have to talk in circles.
48 Comments
Holy cow! Well looks like Drama time in Seattle. Art, I hope this works out for the team.. I have doubts, hope it doesn’t mess up a team thats starting to come together again.. A long time Raider fan..
Cable’s past is none of our damn business. If we didn’t live in a misandrist community that acts like the apocalypse is at our doorstep any time any female might have suffered, we wouldn’t be forced to endure pseudo-journalistic drivel like this.
Certainly agree with the “misadrist community” comment. Seattle is the ultimate women’s town–perhaps in the world. Really. Most of the men are women, many of the women are a cross between a man and women, or what I call a She-He, thus leaving very few men, let alone any that actually will stand up to the misadrist onslaught. That said, Cable does come with some baggage and it would not have hurt for it to at least have been addressed in the sense of spouting some words that no one really means anyway. Even Al Davis does that.
Cable in some respects has already addressed this issue when he was head coach at Oakland. He admitted problems with his first wife and denied the other so-called transgressions. Absolutely no charges to my knowledge have been filed, police investigations or NFL investigations. That tells me that there probably is not alot there if anything. In my mind it is a great hire and I was hoping PC would look to him to come in and coach the O-line.
Your the one talking in circles Art. Making a generalization and then saying it is unwise to do so. Horrible article
“He’s going to get supported. He’s going to be reinforced as he moves ahead to do all the good things and the right things and live the life that he wants to live in the manner that he wants to live it.”
Knowing Pete, that means Cable will be sent to anger management and/or other counseling if Pete feels the situation calls for it.
lol!!!
a mans past is relevant if it includes an assault on a subordinate. Even if there was not enough evidence to press charges, it is clearly a red light and should have been enough for the hawks to look elsewhere for an offensive line coach.
Cable has been a loose cannon. Before he got to Oakland , when in Oakland, and now without a doubt I believe he will be in Seattle. He is his own biggest fan, has anger problems, and respects no one. Can a tiger change his stripes ? I think not.. I hope he does for your teams sake, but won’t hold my breath. Good luck in 2011… As for your article Art, You nailed it.
Al Davis was an idiot for firing Cable. Successful season? Can him! And start all over again. The Raiders won’t be good until Davis is gone.
Actually the Raiders are better than the Seahawks right now, and the fact that they decided not to pick up an option should tell you something. Nobody came knocking on his door and it seems as if the Seahawks surely settled on this hire.
Your 50% correct.. Davis needs to retire, he did many good things.. those days are gone …Say good night AL !
Hey Big Art, It ain’t the color or private life of the mouse.. “It’s Can it Catch Mice?” I’ve met U Art, a ways back, at an ol’ Sonics game when I was managing Sugar’s… I have enjoyed Ur Musings and paycheck filler throughout the years. But Art …. U and I both know he is a PREMIUM OFFENSIVE LINE COACH @ the very least… a Major upgrade. Sincerely, Rosco Randall aka RaiderPastDeath
WOW, if Rosco’s talking about the old Sugar’s on Aurora I’m way more impressed with Art hangin’ there than any of this Cable BS. No Seattle fan wants to see our teams or players in the news for all the wrong reasons, but we do want our football players to play smash-mouth ball. Cable’s a very good hire and I trust Pete’s not going to let his past off the field drama distract from the team. I also don’t expect him to put up with any future off the field drama from Cable. If he gets out of line again he’ll be out of here faster than you can say Jeremy Bates.
Yes, law-school graduate Rosco Randall is talking about the old Sugar’s on Aurora.
While Sugars had its moments, I would like to have seen The gang get it together at the Rose Garden, on Lake City Way. Truly a remarkable establishment. Alas, Both Sugars and the Rose Garden are now el foldo. Where are they all going now?
Seems like Bates was let go for a football reason, and that Cable is here for the same. Can’t say I agree with it, but it’s not my team. But Art is right to call Cable out, and Carroll for hiring him. Lots of eyes on this situation in the near future. To me he sounds like a bully, even when he was with the Raiders, who likes to throw his considerable weight around, both literally and figuratively.
I kinda figured there would be a lot of hoopla surrounding Cable’s hire, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt for now. More important to me is his ability to get our offensive line in shape. I think every man on the line could improve a great deal with Cable’s guidance.
First of all get your story straight. Cable wasn’t fired, Cable had a 2 year contract with an option for a 3rd and 4th year that would have paid him over 5 million dollars which the Raiders opted- out of. There was no firing!!! At least Davis didn’t fire Cable after the Randy Hanson beat down and Cable should be thankful for that. The Raiders didn’t need another firing at the end of the 2009 season.
But after one of the women that Cable abused while he was head coach of the Raiders was suing the Raiders that was costing the Raiders in legal fees, that broke the Camels back on the decision to opted-out on Cable and let him walk. Cable cost Davis more than 120,000 that Davis is withholding from Cable pay and there’s not a thing Cable can do about it. Davis is not the bad guy here, Cable is.
Is Cable a good offensive line coach? he is if the team runs a zone blocking scheme in the running game that calls for littler more athletic linemen which is no good in the passing game. On the other hand the zone blocking scheme works from the 20 yard line to the other 20 yard line but not in in the red zone. Also Cable’s offensive line gets a boat load of penalties.
Is Cable responsible for the thrashing that the Raiders gave the Seahawks this year with over 200 yards in rushing? No, offensive coordinator Hue Jackson was because he had total control of the Raiders offense and went back to the power blocking scheme inside the red zone. In the beginning of the year Jackson said they would go with the power blocking scheme inside the red zone. The Raiders also went with bigger linemen this year under Jackson. Darren McFadden and the rest of the Raiders running attack credits Jackson for being the 2nd best running team and one of the top scoring in the NFL not Cable. So don’t get your hopes up to high Seahawk fans when it comes to Cables offensive line, they lead the league in penalties year after year and fail to get into the end zone.
Very superficial analysis, but thank you for opening the door.
The Raiders actually employed much less zone blocking this year than in the years past. And the size of the o-line is not that much different from previous years either. The Raiders always had one of the larger o-lines in the business, that is the way Al runs his team -> CB and OL first. The blocking scheme was in place before Hue joined the team, but the “QB” (I use the term loosely)and the conservative play calling were the O’s demise. Addition by “QB” subtraction and outstanding running by McFadden and Bush this year contributed as much to the success as anything else beyond the o-line.
On a personal note, Cable’s domestic violence incidences have been investigated and nothing came of it. He made a mistake when he was young and owned up to it (hey, I don’t claim to know what provoked the incident, but his ex did make a statement that she harbored no ill feelings toward him – that is good enough for me to give him a second chance). Given his behavior since joinnig the Raiders, I give him the benefit of the doubt over other the other ambulance chasers until proven guilty. So should you.
I believe he turned the corner on a personal level and think he will turn out to be a great addition to the Seahawks.
DR
Yes, Cable like smaller more athletic linemen, heard him say it in a interview. A few linemen he brought in were just that. Davis likes big linemen. The dude that Cable brought in from the 49ers at LT that was cut, was his name Harris? less that 300 pounds but quick in his feet and the Raiders center the Samoan fella also little. Little athletic linemen that can move down field blocking, but often they get thrown a round in the passing game and also in the red zone.
Your right Phil..Cable took the credit for Jackson.
Tom Cable was a successful coach in Oakland despite the insanity of Al Davis and was never given the kind of talent on the “O” line to make the playoffs. The players loved him, enough said. Congradulations Tom “Curly” Cable on landing a job in Seattle, you are too good for the likes of Al Davis.
HEY IDIOT WRITER, THE RAIDERS DIDN’T FIRE CABLE. HIS CONTRACT WAS EXPIRED. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT.
Derek, If you have a job, get paid on friday, come in Monday and don’t have a job, did you retire ?
You wonder what all those folks did to upset coach Cable? Recall Elmore Leonards comments about domestic violence…
If no charges are filed is there a crime? Just wondering…
Anyone can file a civil suit about anything. We have folks in prison who have filed hundreds of civil suits.
Do we believe in second chances? Yes, but not thirds…
As a Raiders fan, I can say this was a very good hire by Carroll. As another poster said, Cable admitted his issue with his first wife 20 odd years ago and publicly apologized for it. The other incidence was a jilted girlfriend and unsubstantiated. The issue with Randy Hanson was a non-issue. The district attorney refused to prosecute Cable because Hansen told him multiple stories and his veracity was in question. There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors in the claims made against Cable, and they were long in the past. Al Davis brought them up again because Cable refused to be another of his yes men.
Shane Lechler spoke up after Cable was fired and said publicly that Cable insulated the team from Davis’ meddling. Davis was fining Cable 20k a paycheck this year for who knows what, but I suspect it’s just because Davis was pissed because he wouldn’t toe the Crazy Al line. I suspect the Raiders will lose this fight with Cable and have to write him a check.
The Seahawks got themselves a high energy blue collar coach. He will get the best out of your offensive linemen, and he will get them to play to their strengths, not to a particular system. Good luck Hawk fans, our loss is your gain.
So in the end Pete Carroll agrees with Jim Mora. we need more dirtbags around here. He just looks ornery.
Journalists often mention Tom Cable’s issues with domestic violence, but they always fail to mention an important fact: an exhaustive study conducted by Martin Fiebert at California State University, Long Beach, indicates that women are as likely as men to resort to violence during the course of an argument. This is not to excuse Cable for using physical violence against his wives and girlfriends; rather it is to point out that the women involved very likely played an equal role in how the dispute degenerated into violence. To assume that these women were innocent victims belies the evidence that is available, and erodes the quest for equality between the genders.
Josh Lueke did not serve time for sexual assault. He was sentenced to 40 days in prison for false imprisonment with violence. He was then released for time already served after he agreed to the plea.
He was facing rape and sodomy charges, but pleaded no contest to the false imprisonment with violence. The only person who knows what happened that night is Lueke himself…..
I left a Gold nugget outta my comment below… Rumors Tommy Cable is the illegitimate son of John Goodman and Curly were indeed verified at RAIDER SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH CENTER.. GODSPEED, Rosco RAIDERPASTDEATH
mMeant 2 say “my initial comment Above”
Here is some News for you. Last year with Cable running the O and using the Zone Blocking Scheme he loves the Raiders were near the bottom in the NFL in rushing. Very few if any runs over 20 yards, D Mac under Cable could do nothing, the Raiders O could not score any points and averaged around 14 points per game. The Team went 5-11 and was not very good.
Al Davis stripped Cable of his O duties and play calling and turned it all over to Hue Jackson. Jackson immediately switched away from the Zone Blocking Scheme loved by Cable using much more Power and Gap Blocking Schemes with some zone mixed in. Under Jackson the Raiders O went from 30th or so in the NFL to 9th, Raiders scoring went from 32nd in NFL to 6th, rushing went from bottom feeder to 2nd and scoring more then doubled to close to 30 points per game. Jackson, not Cable started using D Mac as he should and he became a beast.
I liked Cable but he had a team that was by far the best in the AFC West last year and that should have won the Division. The 3 game improvement I add to Jackson and the HUGE turn around he had on the O. But Cable had the team under prepared to play far to many games against inferior opponents this year. Add in all the baggage and that his contract was up and Jackson was a no brain er.
Sonny, here’s some news for you: different QB = different plays.
I’ll explain it to you: even Hue Jackson wouldn’t have been able to get more out of that… “Offense” in 2009 thanks to Al’s super-QB-of-the-future (JaMarcus). What plays do you want to call when you have trouble making the C/QB exchange or passing the ball within 5 yars of a receiver? Know what happened? Defenses stacked the LOS and forced the Raiders to throw, which of course didn’t work. How many 3-and-outs did we have? How many chances were missed to set up a working play due to the inability to sustain drives? Sure didn’t help that Cable had to start Hayward-Bey or any of the other 3rd stringers at WR.
(Thank you for your insight though.)
Cable is a pretty good offensive line coach, and I think he’s a pretty good guy to have on your team. I can look past the personal issues. However, in the capacity of offensive coordinator, I think he will be sorely lacking. If you think back just a couple of short years ago, he was calling plays for the Raiders, and they were absolutely putrid on the offensive side of the ball. Hue Jackson made all the difference in the world. He deserved the top billing in Oakland. Congratulations, Seattle, Cable will do a fine job with the offensive line, but don’t expect miracles with the offense in general.
Cable is a great O-line coach. He came to Oakland under Kiffen and improved the O-line 200% in his first year. it was the biggest & best improvement to the Raiders I’ve seen in the last 16 years. As a head coach…..well….he is so-so. I am not disappointed about losing him as HC in favor of Jackson, but I was secretly praying (praying, praying, praying) that Cable would accept a step down and go back to coaching our O-line. I would have LOVED that.
As far as the off field antics……some of it I believe, some of it I don’t. Either way, Cable did a good job of keeping it off the field and not letting it affect the team.
As posted above, Cable likes Zone blocking but depending on your system in Seattle, I believe he could prove to be very successful with your team. Also as posted above….our loss is your gain.
Good luck coach Cable and to you Seahawks. I would not look forward to playing you guys.
P.S. Unless you guys are already loaded at left tackle and left guard, I predict you might be getting Mario Henderson and Robert Gallery too. Cable seems to like them for some reason LOL. As far as I’m concerned, you can have them both for a draft pick LOL
Hmmm….I recall a few years ago when we had this coach, I believe it was for one year; anyway, he was looking for a “dirt-bag mentality” player in order to create a physical game. I wonder, do we have that “dirt-bag mentality” as an assistant head coach/offensive line coach? Personally, I like the move and it follows PC’s mantra, always compete. What I am really interested in is, what these two new hires might bring with them from their previous teams i.e players.
Wow–This article is such a diatribe, especially against Cable. As a lifelong Raider fan, I think the ‘Hawks should be overjoyed with the acquisition of Cable. What is not in dispute is that Cable is one of the premier O-Line coaches. Period. The Hawks improved with the acquisition of Cable. Period.
This article begs the question, why must we continue to seek higher standards for those in the public-eye? We are all human. Frankly I don’t want squeaky clean politicians, nor antiseptic pro players or personnel. Its football for God’s sake! You don’t play nice, you smack people around, right?
Speaking of the “domestic violence” angle, it is only one data point among others. So please do your research! ESPN is notorious for “stirring-the-pot.” Anyone can make an allegation. With spousal abuse claims, you merely need to look at a spouse the wrong way. Just as quickly you can be thrown in jail, based on an ex parte motion, where you eventually lose your marriage, your children and your home. The point is, we really don’t know the merits of these allegations, do we? Legitimate claims of abuse should always be treated seriously. However, should I really believe a disgruntled Al Davis or in claims by women who previously had a relationship with Cable? I don’t think so……..
One thing is certain: we no doubt we will all hear more about the “abuse-excuse,” come Super Bowl Sunday. Why? Because all men are creeps looking to abuse women because they enjoy watching football during the Super Bowl.
Just look at the photo of Cable – he looks like the difinitive badass coach. But one could also imagine him having a few drinks and morphing into a demented, mean spirited Curly Joe Howard.
I don’t know if alcohol is the catalyst for his off field antics – but it usually is when domestic violence keeps occurring in one’s life(see any episode COPS.) So maybe Pete should give Dr.Drew a call.
Having read the original article by Art and every single comment once, I have to side with letting Pete make the decision to his best ability. The only factual information about his abuse issue is 20 years ago. He apologized, and presumably paid some kind of penalty, if nothing more than public humiliation. The victim said she was satisfied, and it all happened 20 years ago. He has not been on some remote island since then. No other charges have been brought. So he has some self control. Is it surprising that the leaders of a violent sport would have anger issues? We owe a second chance to everyone, and after 20 years the slate might even be wiped clean. He appears to be getting a bit old, and I can testify that as men get older they become pacified to some extent. Generally speaking.
As to his coaching abilities, I AM THRILLED WITH THE HIRE. Oakland demolished us. The beating’s affect lasted for 4 games or more. I hope he brings with him as many of his favorite players as he can entice to come. FA’s especially. Protect our QB, and OPEN GAPING HOLES TO RUN THROUGH. It seems to me, the good news just keeps on coming!
Welcome to Seattle Mr.Cable, and try not to beat up any civilians.
LOL! What I draw from this, is that most of these posters have issues with women. The dating scene not working for you guys? Art, maybe you could start a men’s group/drum circle to help these guys deal with their angst! In fact, we can invite Tom Cable himself!
Personally, I’m a life-long sports fan, but the jock culture who excuses this sort of thing (see Ben Rothlisberger) for the sake of winning is really twisted.
CAble is a neanderthal, as are most guys in his position. Women are to be used, and if they don’t like being used, abused.
He ought to fit right in with the mentality of the fans here – most of whom probably couldn’t get a date on Aurora Avenue.
1. His past is relevant, just as it is with anyone trying to get a new job. If you were applying to be a cop in a new jurisdiction, and the people hiring you knew you had broken the jaw of your subordinate at your last job, you don’t think that would matter?
2. The misandry comments from krakatsunda and others are so unrelated to this and completely off base. To equate the fact that a man admittedly beat up his wife and allegedly beat up a few more women to the fact that somehow society hates men is ludicrous. Would society like men better if they gave him kudos for beating women? Would that make you happier?
3. Barring any personal baggage, he is a good hire for this spot. We have a very talented pass blocker at left tackle, as well as a bunch of big athletic o-linemen who haven’t shown much production to match their physical talents. If Cable can bring some of the tough physical pounding that the Raiders found over the last couple of years it will be much appreciated after three years of the failed zone blocking finess show we’ve been seeing.
As a (former) Raider fan. a team that I have been following since 1967, I read the DA’s full statement on the Randy Hansen incident, his ex-wife’s statement, his current wife’s statement, and Cable’s statements on the three incidents. My conclusion was that the last two were bs and the first was an incident which he admitted to and seemed truly remorseful. Davis has gone from Genius Al to Crazy Al. He is a vindictive, spiteful, paranoid individual with whom I used to admire but of whom I now wash my hands. I hope he crashes and burns for his behavior with Cable, and for that reason I will now follow the Seahawks.
Have to look at his entire lifestyle. How does he treat pets, is he a generous tipper, does he play the guitar, does PS winter weather depress him. All sorts of things.
I love how “feminists” reply to statements with which they disagree by resorting grade school level insults instead of rational response. Yeah, I know: you are woman, I hear you roar but I only listen to reason. Btw, I actually do quite well with the ladies. I just don’t bother with idiots (both male and female) who care more about gender than species.
If this was a man that had been abused by a woman (happens a lot), we’d be asking what he did to deserve it! Who are the real chauvanists in our area?
good god I about wet me drawers staring at that monster above, and to think he took the hawks and used them as a feather duster to establish a point with an asetix, ya go light and you’ll tumble like bowling pins in an alley.
Folks I don’t know how many of you were watching the raiders, seahawk game that afternoon, I was impressed and so was the entire NW, Its great we got someone who is mean and wears pants instead of prosthetic’s to accentuate his manhood,if he can do what he did to us to the rest of the league then buy Chastity belts for faint of heart. NO amount of trembling on bended kness will solve our line problems, its either play with grit or just get off the field, at least here is someone to cuss at you and yell at you to help you make that all important decision, Play football, not to wet your pants