By JOSH DUBOW
AP Sports Writer
ALAMEDA, Calif.(AP) -- When Tom Cable was hired as interim coach
of the Oakland Raiders last year, owner Al Davis memorably
whispered to a subordinate that he did not know much about him.
Davis needed a media guide biography before introducing him.
Just over 13 months later, the Raiders have learned quite a bit
about their coach - much of it troublesome.
From the allegations this summer that Cable assaulted defensive
assistant Randy Hanson and broke his jaw, to other disturbing
charges that surfaced in the past week that Cable has a history
of violence toward women, the portrait being painted of the
Raiders coach has been mostly negative.
Less than two weeks after being cleared of possible criminal
charges in the Hanson case, Cable was accused of assaulting
women over the past two decades. His first wife, Sandy Cable,
and former girlfriend, Marie Lutz, told ESPN that the coach
physically abused them at various times during their
relationships.
Cable acknowledged striking Sandy Cable with an open hand, but
disputed allegations that he punched her. Cable said the
altercation happened more than 20 years ago and was the only
time he's ever touched a woman inappropriately.
The latest accusations led the Raiders to issue a statement
earlier this week saying they would undertake a "serious
evaluation" of the charges. The statement ominously noted that
employees had been fired in the past for misconduct, raising the
possibility Oakland could be ready to make a second straight
in-season coaching change.
The players say Cable is holding up amid the allegations and
calls for his suspension or firing, staying focused on his job.
"He's a steady guy," offensive lineman Robert Gallery said. "He
loves football and he doesn't really get fazed. Obviously he's
had his own issues, right or wrong, he's dealt with them the
right way. He's here to win games. He's doing everything he can
in his power to help us win games. He hasn't changed a bit."
Cable met with Davis earlier this week to discuss the
allegations and the struggles of the football team, but said his
job status was not discussed.
"We didn't even talk about that," Cable said. "We talked about,
like you're supposed to, the team, personnel moves, the second
half. Those are not issues for us to discuss. There's no need to
right now. Right now it's about trying to turn it around and get
us on track."
That is no easy task as the Raiders reached the midpoint of the
season with a 2-6 record for the sixth time in the past seven
years. This has been the darkest stretch ever for the once-proud
franchise, with losses on the field being rivaled only by the
controversy off it.
Since going to the Super Bowl following the 2002 season, the
Raiders are an NFL-worst 26-78, giving them as many losses in
the past 6 1/2 seasons as the team had in Davis' first 20 years
with the franchise.
Cable is the fifth coach during that stretch, having taken over
on an interim basis from Lane Kiffin four games into last
season. Wins in the final two games of 2008 helped Cable keep
what he called his "dream job."
His first full season at the helm has been more of a nightmare,
with the team's struggles and the accusations he has faced. When
asked to grade his performance at the midway point of the
season, Cable gave himself a "C-plus, at best."
"I'm not an excuse guy, but I think not having enough people
healthy on offense has really hindered us," he said. "I think I
have to take responsibility of being 2-6. So that's the bottom
line."
The Raiders have been without starting receiver Chaz Schilens
all season, and missed running back Darren McFadden and starting
offensive linemen Gallery and Cornell Green for big chunks.
But it's hard to put all the blame for the lowest-ranked offense
in the league on injuries. Oakland has scored just three
touchdowns in the past six games and failed to reach 200 yards
of offense in five of eight games this season. JaMarcus Russell
has failed to develop into a franchise quarterback.
The Raiders drafted Russell first overall in 2007 because his
strong arm was supposed to revive the vertical passing game
Davis loves so much. He played sparingly as a rookie because of
a lengthy holdout, and was not allowed to open up the attack
much last season.
But with the addition of speedy rookie receiver Darrius
Heyward-Bey, this season was supposed to bring back memories of
Daryle Lamonica to Warren Wells or Ken Stabler to Cliff Branch.
Instead, Heyward-Bey has only five catches midway through the
season and the Raiders have shown no ability to throw the ball
deep. According to STATS LLC, Oakland has thrown just two
completions and five interceptions on 33 passes that have gone
at least 21 yards downfield.
"We have got to push it in terms of throwing," Cable said. "We
have to have three or four substance plays throwing the football
every day to win in this league, and you can't shy away from
that. You can't say you're going to run it every time. You have
to do that in order to win in this league."
Despite all the struggles, Cable has remained optimistic, saying
that the players and scheme were in place and it would just take
confidence to get the Raiders going again.
He has insisted the team was close to breaking through even
during its roughest patches, and remains steadfast in his belief
even now.
"I think you can see the top of the mountain now, but we're not
there yet," Cable said. "But you can see it now."
The question remains whether Cable will still be there when the
Raiders reach it.
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