New Beginnings!

As we enter the 6th week in the 2008 NFL season, we also enter into a new era for the Oakland Raiders.

The Tom Cable era.

This might just be a 12 game experiment, or it could end up being the biggest suprise of the season. I do not believe that Al Davis really thinks that Tom Cable is his head coach for the future, and it stands to reason that Cable is just the transition guy, who is going to help ride out the storm of 2008. After that, who knows what silly sap is going to come into Oakland to play puppet to master puppeteer Al Davis.

Whatever the objective, the time is now for Tom Cable. He may not have the head coaching experience, and he may not be expected to do much, but if he plans on a second season under helm, he has to seize the day NOW.

Tom Cable was brought in to Oakland to coach the offensive line last season. There is no doubt that Cable has helped, what was one of the worst offensive lines in the history of the game, in 2006. he brough a whole new gameplan, and made this line, one of the best for the running game. The passing coverage still needs some work, but as any work in progress, strides are being made. The point is that Cable knows how to coach. Whether he can do it on a much larger scale or not, is yet to be seen.

I have been watching and listening to Cables interviews, and I really like what he has to say. He is fully aware of what direction that this team needs to continue in, and what needs to be addressed.

Cable spoke of three things that need to be priority in Oakland

1. Get better on third downs.

2. Get better in the redzone.

3. Finish the game in the fourth quarter.

Coach Cable spoke about not needing to worry about the other teams, or how to beat them. What the Raiders need to do is learn how to play our game, get some wins, and then learn how to handle winning. It has to be one thing at a time, and in that order.

I could not agree more. This team needs to establish an identity and a set gameplan. We need to learn how to play with each other, and how to do it well. Once we can do that, the wins will come, and when they come, that will be when we need to learn how to keep the ball rolling.

Coach Cable also spoke about getting to know all of the players on a personal level. Some coaches could care less about what is happening in a players life off the field, as long as it doesn’t affect his play on the field. Cable believes that knowing your players on a personal and professional level, will greatly help create more of a family environment within the team, which will help the team become one. Becoming one, will make the players want to play for each other.

Once again, I completely agree. Unity is not something that should be held lightly. Unity is what makes you strong, and powerful, and unity must be had from the top down. When Lane Kiffin was in charge, he tried to bring that unity to the team, but when it doesn’t involve the man directly above him (Davis), it doesn’t work. It is in my opinion, that everyone has to be on the same page. Fron the owner down to the waterboy, and I believe that Coach Cable would agree with me on that.

All signs point to the Raiders having some function within a disfunctional family, and the future of this team will not be known right away, but I believe that we are still heading in the right direction, and Tom Cable might just be a nice suprise.

As we head into the 6th week, we are set to play the New Orleans Saints out in New Orleans, and that will prove to be our first big test. The keys to this game will be exactly what coach Cable said, third down conversions, redzone efficiency, and playing a full 4 quarters. The rest will be left to chance.

I believe that it might take a week or two for the Raiders to settle in to this change, and the road trip to New Orleans will most likely end in a loss, but the idea will have to be heard, and the progress will have to be made. If we can take these steps, and do it as a unit, I don’t see why we cannot win a lot of games this year.

First things first. Fix the mistakes, unite the team, and start getting those W’s!

Tremblay

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