by Dave GoldbergFiled under: 49ers, Bengals, Broncos, Browns, Cowboys, Dolphins, Panthers, Raiders, Redskins, Texans, Titans, Vikings, NFL Injuries, NFL Coaching, NFL Analysis
When Tom Cable, a little-known offensive line coach, was hired as coach of the Raiders to replace Lane Kiffin four games into the 2008 season, the hiring was viewed as just another bizarre Al Davis hiring, even more bizarre than hiring Kiffin, then 32 years old, the year before. When Davis fired Cable Tuesday night after going 8-8, the first non-losing season for Oakland since 2002, the reaction was the opposite.
"I can't go through another head coach," Raiders punter Shane Lechler, who has been through six in his 11 seasons, told CSN Bay Area, calling the firing a huge setback for the team that could cost them free agents like offensive lineman Robert Gallery and running back Michael Bush. That's to be seen, because the free agent market is a total unknown until the union and the league agree on a labor deal.
The heir apparent appears to be Hue Jackson, the offensive coordinator, which would at least provide continuity. It also saves Davis a lot of money -- Cable would have been due $5 million next season. But as Lechler points out, it shakes up a team with a core of young players that went 6-0 in the AFC West last season and seemed finally to have found some stability.That's only one of a series of developments on the coaching front in the three days since the regular season ended. Some of it has to do with the uncertainty over the labor situation, which makes some teams wary of making changes before they know what the financial landscape looks like.
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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/01/05/dirty-half-dozen-the-coaching-carousel-and-the-rooney-rule/
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