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Looking back on the 2009 NFL season, Oakland Raiders coach Tom Cable thinks he had a pretty good team. At least, at every position other than quarterback.During his press conference on Monday, Cable was reflecting on how the 2009 season has gone. And when he was asked specifically about the lousy play of quarterback JaMarcus Russell -- and whether he thinks the Raiders would be a playoff team if they could have gotten average production out of their quarterback -- Cable said he thinks it's obvious that Russell was the one keeping the team out of the postseason.
"Without even asking that question, you know that we would have," Cable told the reporter who asked him if the Raiders would have been in the playoffs with an average or above-average quarterback.
Two questions arise in response to Cable's claim:
1. Is he right that the Raiders would be in the playoffs with an average quarterback?
2. Is it smart for a head coach to offer such pointed, public criticism of his quarterback?
I think the answer to the first question is probably no. The Raiders are 3-3 since Cable benched Russell, and although .500 is better than they were playing with Russell under center, it isn't good enough to make the playoffs. The Raiders have plenty of problems besides just Russell, including one of the league's worst defenses. An average quarterback wouldn't get them into the playoffs.
But I think the answer to the second question is yes -- it is smart of Cable to call Russell out. Russell completed just 47.8 percent of his passes this season, with three touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He's been nothing short of terrible. It's time for someone to hold him accountable, and it's good for the Raiders that the "someone" is the head coach.
Raiders owner Al Davis has coddled Russell since selecting him with the first pick in the 2007 NFL draft, and that coddling hasn't gotten him anywhere. It's time to get tough with Russell, and Cable's comments were a message that if they're both still in Oakland in 2010, Cable will demand that Russell start playing like a franchise quarterback.
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