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Tom Cable: Pro’s & Con’s
Published: July 16, 2009
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“Just win baby” is the motto.
Tom Cable knows that he has been given an opportunity. He realizes that he has to win now. He stated last February that the Raiders would make the playoffs in a bold attempt to motivate his team.
Will his attempt be successful?
Recent offseason moves have the Raiders in a QB controversy between Jamarcus Russell and journeyman Jeff Garcia. Fullback Lorenzo Neal was also added to bring depth and experience to a team in desperate need of direction.
On the defensive side Greg Ellis has been added for some extra punch.
New coaches have been added to the fold to replace former excuses within the Raider organization.
Are these the puzzle pieces Coach Cable implied the Raiders needed in order to make a playoff run?
This article will focus attention on new Head Coach Tom Cable and the abilities he brings to the table. Here are pro’s and con’s of the Raider’s newest field general.
PROS
Honesty
Tom Cable is an honest man. Last season Lane Kiffin was characterized by owner Al Davis as a “flat out liar”. Mr. Davis can rest assured that Coach Cable is a man of high moral character. He will support his players and his players will support him. He will be direct with the media, and that will help the media to be direct with him.
Motivated
Cable is motivated to perform. He understands that the Raiders are in need of leadership. He is providing that example to his players and is attempting to build with the concept of team in mind.
He has shown an ability to improve an Offensive Line who was less than disciplined in previous seasons. He now will attempt to engage all 53 players, and motivate then to play as a unit.
Work Ethic
He is going to do what he does as best he can. I have no doubts as to his intention to improve his football team. He will spend as much time as is needed to feel as though he did his job. This characteristic will be best exemplified by his teams play on the field on game day.
Professional
Coach Cable is a pro. He will show an ability to act according to the rules set by the NFL. His football team will model this behavior and act as men. His team will be assignment sound and he will command respect in the locker-room.
The Raiders are desperate for a leader. Tom Cable will do his best to be this leader.
CONS
Play Calling
There should be no argument as to Coach Cable’s biggest weakness. He is a below-average play caller. The play calling within his game plan is based on gut feelings and hunches.
He is an emotional guy and that makes for emotional choices. He would be best served as a Head Coach/Offensive Line Assistant. His inability to recognize his deficit as a play caller will prove to be his biggest mistake. Look forward to the possibility of the Coach removing himself from this responsibility prior to season’s end.
Confidence
Currently, the recent performance by the Oakland Raiders leaves much to be desired, and this has players basically avoiding the media whenever possible. Answering questions as to why this team has been unsuccessful can be tiring, especially when no one seems to have the answers.
Cable does not have enough confidence in his ability to turn the ship in a positive direction. His prediction in February that Oakland would make the postseason was a desperate attempt to inspire his men.
Confidence in oneself is best displayed through silence, and while I realize some will disagree with me on this portion of the article, I feel that Cable lacks the confidence needed to lead this young and inexperienced team. The man has no swagger.
Last season the struggling team had only one direction it could go after early season disappointments, and to give all the credit to Coach Cable could prove to be a mistake.
Defensive Knowledge
Tom Cable lacks knowledge on the defensive side of the ball. In his entire career, he has only coached Defensive Line, and that consisted of one season at Cal State Fullerton in 1990. This leaves little for him to judge within his staff concerning a side of the ball which is just as if not more important than his specialty, the Offense.
Adaptability
Tom Cable specialty is his Zone Blocking System. While the Raiders have had success the past two season under Cable’s direction, they have not had success in the win-loss column. While the Raiders have been in the Top 10 in rushing the past two seasons, they remain toward the bottom in scoring. This is directly related to our lack of adaptability within our scheme.
Zone blocking deteriorates inside of the red zone when the space decreases and the amount of men increase inside the zone concept. Cable’s failure to implement a man blocking system as means of counteracting the predictability within the current scheme will have the Raiders finding it difficult to find the end zone again this season.
In conclusion, the Raiders have a man who is a very gifted player coach. He has the skill set to work toward being an average professional level Head Coach if he had the time.
However, time is an issue here, and with his limiting abilities including play calling and an adaptable scheme, two very important things in today’s NFL, they could prove to be the two main reasons Cable will be unsuccessful. I see the Raiders playing respectable football under Coach Cable while only totaling five wins again this season.
Oakland Raider Football 101: Zone Blocking System
Published: June 10, 2009
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We all know The Oakland Raiders and Al Davis are a Man to Man team, defensively. When it comes to the offensive side of the ball, Tom Cable and company employ the Zone Blocking scheme or system.
This article will uncover the advantages and disadvantages of the Zone Blocking System. The ZBS (zone blocking Scheme/System) is about blocking men in a particular area (Zone) and letting the running back choose the hole with his vision. Made popular with Terrell Davis and the Denver Broncos in the 90’s, the ZBS was around in some form prior but didn’t yet have the label.
There are two types of Zone run plays, inside and outside, with a third being a designed cutback off of each of these ideas. In theory, the ZBS, is for your smaller quicker more athletic Offensive Lines, taking advantage of their ability to get their hands on defenders who essentially use their bodies as a poles while the ball carrier gets through the hole.
Many times there will be a “combo” block/Double Team on the LOS (line of Scrimmage) which allows for two Offensive Lineman to block a Defensive Lineman while scraping off to get a pursuing Linebacker and/or Safety.
The play Action pass can also be a valuable weapon off of the Zone/Stretch idea as it has a long developing run play fake which occupies the attention of Linebackers and Safeties and allows for WRs and TEs to find open space in the secondary. Peyton Manning is a master of this type of play action pass.
The advantage of the ZBS is no two plays will be blocked the same.
Essentially, the Offensive Line blocks men wherever they are at the point of attack. Another advantage to a successful ZBS is the cutback, called in the huddle or not, in which the RB can reverse his field and cut back against a Defensive End who is taking a pass rush track or even spying the QB on his play action fake.
A big advantage is that the ZBS can be used in almost any Offensive Set or formation. Typically, the Zone play will be run out of a two TE set or one TE set. It can be ran out of an Ace back set or a Two back set. Many times the Offense will flex their O-Line or TE split to create even more space for a particular zone play, especially for inside and cutback zone running plays.
The ZBS is designed for a smaller, quicker TB who has the skill to access the front and find a hole. A TB who has an ability to be patient is an effective weapon inside of this Offensive concept.
One disadvantage of the ZBS is many times the depth of the TB will give away this type of play, as the running back must line up at 7+ yards in the backfield to have room to let the blocking develop as well as give him space to find his track or even to allow for his cutback.
The running back’s alignment is so deep it would be useless in pass protection in a drop back concept. Another big disadvantage of the ZBS is that the ZBS begins to deteriorate in side of the redzone. Zone blocking has problems when the men inside an area become outnumbered. With the space decreasing inside of the redzone, the defenders increase and therefore allow for a greater probability of a break down.
The Oakland Raiders have had success employing the ZBS in the past few seasons under the direction of former Offensive Line and current Head Coach Tom Cable. Raider opponents have had no issue allowing a better than average running game in between the 20’s only to let it curl up and die inside the redzone.
If the Raiders are dead set on continuing to use onlythe ZBS, then the Play Action passes must increase in order to keep NFL Defenses honest. If the Raiders are to improve in the redzone within their running game, some Man Blocking ideas such as Power and Trap would be effective plays to add to the playbook.
Offensive plays which pull a guard, tackle, or center from time to time can be a useful change-up to the ideas inside the ZBS. I believe that this season will begin to show that the ZBS is nothing more than an idea, and should not be used as an entire end all concept for any particular team. NFL teams are all very keen to ideas and unless you run them all, and execute them very well you become predicable and essentially unsuccessful.
You can all believe what you want to believe. I know that if the current trend in the NFL of quicker Defensive Lineman continues to increase, then the success of the Zone Blocking System will decrease.
NFL teams like the ZBS because it keeps the Offensive Lineman on his feet, and can be practiced without having to hit or be padded up. It allows for fewer injuries, which has a huge affect throughout the entire team. I believe that the ZBS is a valuable tool for any Offense, but to use this tool as your only weapon simply does little except make you a predictable entity for improving NFL defenses.
If Tom Cable and The Oakland Raiders continue along this course they will find themselves in the top 10 in rushing each year, while somewhere near the bottom in scoring. Adding some Man blocking schemes not only will improve the production of the Raider Offense but just might also add a few more wins to the total at season’s end.
