Some losses hurt more than others. Oakland’s 38-31 loss in Jacksonville Sunday will leave a mark, partly because the Raiders held a ten point lead midway through the third quarter.
At 6-7, the Raiders need to win out and hope for the Chargers and Chiefs slump. In the meantime, Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports points towards trouble bubbling beneath the surface in Oakland. Asked why the Raiders threw on two key consecutive fourth quarter plays while Kyle Boller was in the lineup, Cable essentially blamed offensive coordinator Hue Jackson.
“I don’t know. That is not for me to decide right now,” Cable said.
Cole reports Cable was angry when Al Davis brought in Jackson to be the offensive coordinator and call the plays. Sources close to Jackson tell Cole that Cable has tried to “undercut” him since.
“Jackson has been so unhappy with the situation that associates have been pushing him for a number of openings in the pro and college ranks,” Cole writes.
The Raiders have already won more games (six) this season than they have since 2002. They have scored 118 more points on offense than they did all of last year.
Despite the on-field improvement, the Raiders still haven’t shaken the off-field drama that has plagued the organization for years.
UPDATE: Cable denied any problem and said he and Jackson “shared a laugh” over the column Monday. Then Cable flipped Jackson out of his chair.