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• Rankings: Where does Tom Cable rank among Raiders coaching train wrecks?

It can't be easy working for Al Davis. Even his proponents would likely admit he's something less than a hands-off owner, and the increasing pool of Davis detractors might lean toward characterizing him as loony. So we imagine there are days when his coaches just feel like punching something. Hypothetically, of course.

Current Raiders coach Tom Cable denies he hit assistant coach Randy Hanson during a meeting earlier this month, and Chris Mortensen reports Hanson's injuries may instead have come when Cable flipped his chair.

So on one NFL hand, we have Bill Belichick's Patriots, notorious for keeping even their smallest injuries under wraps at the expense of the next week's opponent. And on the other hand, we have the Raiders, unable to keep a training camp brouhaha between coaches under wraps. This may explain a lot about the two franchises.

But on the third hand, is this incident even enough to get Cable's foot in the door when it comes to Raiders coaching train wrecks? Since John Madden exited the scene, success stories have been few and far between. And even for those who fared well on the field (Jon Gruden), things rarely ended well.

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• Groups: AFC WEST fans | 08 Oakland Raiders Nation | The Raider Nation

“

I love it! The Raiders are far more entertaining off the field than on...

” -- Nabicus

“

This guy Hanson is a perpetual malcontent. He got his comeuppance. Now Cable has a group rallying behind him. It happens to be his team. Watch out for the Raiders.

” -- randadis

“

Why not punch someone who deserves it more? Like JaMarcus Russell? That'll teach him to learn from his mistakes much faster than whatever they're doing now.

” -- IndyColts1022