Meet the new Raiders coach, same as the old Raiders coach, even if it took more than a month for managing general partner Al Davis to settle upon Tom Cable.
Davis promoted Cable from offensive line coach Sept. 30, the day he fired Lane Kiffin and named Cable interim coach. Cable will be introduced as the team's permanent coach this afternoon at the Raiders' Alameda headquarters, the team announced Tuesday.
The search began Dec. 29, one day after the Raiders' season ended. Green Bay Packers assistant head coach/linebackers coach Winston Moss and New York Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride were the only other candidates Davis is known to have interviewed.
Cable's ability to keep his players' focus through the end of a sixth straight losing season last year no doubt played a huge role in his keeping the job.
He inherited a 1-3 team that soon dropped to 3-11 and showed signs of another dismal finish. However, victories over the Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the final two games gave the Raiders five victories, or as many as they had in any season from 2003-07.
Cable said at season's end that the Raiders were on the right track and not far from being a playoff contender.
For that to happen, Cable likely will have to do something only Jon Gruden and Bill Callahan accomplished since 1994: get the Raiders to win more than eight games.
Mike White, Joe Bugel, Norv Turner, Art Shell and Kiffin all failed to reach the nine-victory mark in a season. Davis fired each coach. Callahan was fired on the heels of a Super Bowl appearance in his first season by presiding over a 4-12 team in 2003.
Kiffin hired Cable before the 2007 season to be his offensive line coach. After Kiffin was fired, Cable also continued to coach the offensive line.
Cable stripped departed offensive coordinator Greg Knapp of play-calling duties after only four games and took on the task that Kiffin held the first four games. However, it's believed Knapp's replacement will be entrusted with calling the plays.
It's conceivable Cable today will reveal his choices for offensive and defensive coordinator. Ted Tollner and John Marshall, respectively, are considered the leading candidates.
League rules mandated that Davis interview at least one minority candidate before he hired a coach. Bringing in Moss satisfied that criterion.
Davis also met with Gilbride along the way. Others such as former Giants coach Jim Fassel and former Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick approached Davis about the prospect of interviewing.
In the end, Davis felt most comfortable with Cable, who has an established relationship with Davis, is familiar with the returning players and would provide continuity for a franchise that has seen its share of instability.
Davis settled upon Cable long before now. According to several people familiar with the process, Davis instructed Cable to perform the duties associated with being the coach and evaluated Cable's performance to make sure he had the right man.
Cable's contract expired Jan. 13, but he interviewed prospective candidates for assistant coaching vacancies, presided over the day-to-day affairs at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., last month and stepped up his preparation for the 2009 season.
