Although the Raiders have been dragging their feet a bit in the pursuit of a new head coach, interim head coach Tom Cable looks to be the guy. Unfortunately though for Cable, Al Davis' reluctance to move forward with the promotion isn't going to help his confidence any.
Cable should be a shoe-in for head coach because unlike the majority of the other available coaches, he wants to work for Al Davis. He can be Davis' yes man, while also commanding some respect from the players. After Cable had a few weeks to semi-adjust to his new role, the team responded to their new coach and began to show some desire and promise. If he's able to put together a decent staff and have a whole off-season to prepare, who knows... maybe the Raiders will show us something different next year.
Apparently Cable could be very close to a deal with the Raiders because it's been reported that he is presently interviewing people for his staff while at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. It could be that he just likes to be prepared, or he and Al may know something we don't.
Tom Schefter of the NFL Network writes:
"Tom Cable is a prime candidate, and quite possibly the prime candidate to become the Raiders' head coach. Cable and Raiders owner Al Davis have talked regularly, and Cable must feel pretty good about his chances. His actions say as much. Cable is at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., interviewing assistant coaches for his staff in the event that he does land the job. It could be that Cable is just being prepared and thorough - or it could be that he and the Raiders are getting closer to a deal."
