Camp countdown: Can Tom Cable, Jason Campbell make Raiders respectable again?
Article By Unknown on 8th July, 2010
Steve Corkran, Sporting News correspondent
This is the 27th in a series of team-by-team breakdowns that will run on SportingNews.com before the start of training camp.
Since taking over as the Raiders' head coach in 2008, Tom Cable has amassed a 9-19 overall record. Coach Tom Cable is fond of saying he can see the mountaintop and that the Oakland Raiders are on the verge of cresting the summit.
After seven years of scaling that proverbial mountain, it's enough to make one wonder if the mountain Cable is talking about keeps growing as the Raiders progress toward their goal of getting back to the Super Bowl. "The next step is to be a playoff team," Cable said. "We have changed the attitude. We've cleaned up the locker room. We're all pulling for each other in the same direction now and we've become very competitive. "We're losing games that we shouldn't. We've got to win a little more on the road; we've got to win more period. Those things, if that's what you accomplish next, then you become a playoff team. That's the goal, period." There is a legion of people skeptical of the Raiders' chances of scaling that mountain. If the Raiders are to win more than five games for the first time since their 2002 Super Bowl season, it will be with many of the same players who played pivotal roles in last year's 5-11 season. What's new Offense: After finally talking owner/G.M. Al Davis into cutting draft bust JaMarcus Russell, Cable can move forward with new QB Jason Campbell. First-year offensive coordinator Hue Jackson has a good feel for Campbell, and they are working every day to get up to speed with the offense. Jackson is credited with the rapid development of Carson Palmer and Joe Flacco in previous college and pro stints. Campbell is far more accurate than Russell, more mobile and has more experience. Defense: The Raiders traded...
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Since taking over as the Raiders' head coach in 2008, Tom Cable has amassed a 9-19 overall record. Coach Tom Cable is fond of saying he can see the mountaintop and that the Oakland Raiders are on the verge of cresting the summit.
After seven years of scaling that proverbial mountain, it's enough to make one wonder if the mountain Cable is talking about keeps growing as the Raiders progress toward their goal of getting back to the Super Bowl. "The next step is to be a playoff team," Cable said. "We have changed the attitude. We've cleaned up the locker room. We're all pulling for each other in the same direction now and we've become very competitive. "We're losing games that we shouldn't. We've got to win a little more on the road; we've got to win more period. Those things, if that's what you accomplish next, then you become a playoff team. That's the goal, period." There is a legion of people skeptical of the Raiders' chances of scaling that mountain. If the Raiders are to win more than five games for the first time since their 2002 Super Bowl season, it will be with many of the same players who played pivotal roles in last year's 5-11 season. What's new Offense: After finally talking owner/G.M. Al Davis into cutting draft bust JaMarcus Russell, Cable can move forward with new QB Jason Campbell. First-year offensive coordinator Hue Jackson has a good feel for Campbell, and they are working every day to get up to speed with the offense. Jackson is credited with the rapid development of Carson Palmer and Joe Flacco in previous college and pro stints. Campbell is far more accurate than Russell, more mobile and has more experience. Defense: The Raiders traded...
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