RealClearSports: Big One hits Bay Area football

in ,
By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- It was a 7.1. Not on the Richter scale, on the Goodell scale. The San Andreas and Hayward faults were silent. The football fault lines opened.

At Instability Central, it isn't only the land that moves, it's the people.

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2011

RealClearSports: Raiders Playing It by the (E-mail) Letters

in ,
By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Jason Campbell is the quarterback the Washington Redskins traded to the Oakland Raiders so he wouldn't sit on the bench behind Donovan McNabb, who has been told to sit on the bench behind Rex Grossman, who was unwanted by the Chicago Bears even though he helped them get to a Super Bowl.

You still with us? Is McNabb still with the Skins? Campbell very much still is with the Raiders, who with two games left in the season still are in the chase for the playoffs.

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2010

RealClearSports: Tom Cable Unleashes Emerging Raiders

in ,
By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

ALAMEDA, Calif. - As of the moment, Tom Cable is the coach of the Oakland Raiders and Wade Phillips is no longer the coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Or exactly the opposite of what we believed a few weeks ago might be the situation.

Read the full story here.
RealClearSports 2010

SF Examiner: New year, new message for Raiders

in ,
By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

NAPA — Slogans they got. You’re familiar with “Commitment to Excellence,” the words if not the results. Now the Raiders are presenting players T-shirts that in effect sneer at the derision the team unfortunately has earned in recent years.

“The Affirmation, Champions,” one motto begins, on the front and then switches to the back. “We are going to win the AFC West and then after the Super Bowl.” My, my.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2010 SF Newspaper Company

RealClearSports: Cable's Troubles Becoming Unacceptable

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By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

OAKLAND -- No one's ever judged this region by what might be called normal standards. The Bay Area, Northern California, was settled by Spanish missionaries, who were pushed out by pioneers looking for gold, with a lot of frontier justice on the side.

The edge of the continent may have put a limitation on movement -- this is as far west as you can go without a ship or a surfboard -- but there never has been any limitation on ideas, no matter how irrational or unpopular.

Almost anything is acceptable. Almost.

This situation with the man who coaches the Oakland Raiders has all but reached a point of unacceptability, with people who don't know exactly what happened screaming "Off with his head'' and those in a position to find out the details saying very little.

Oakland is one city south of the Protest Capital of the World, Berkeley, or as the late columnist Herb Caen called it, "Berserkeley.'' It was an Oakland native, Gertrude Stein, who said of the city, upon returning to find her old home had been razed, "There is no there, there.''

These days, with Tom Cable being accused of everything except that recent mechanical failure of the Bay Bridge, the one that closed the structure for eight days, there is plenty there.

Too much for Cable and the Raiders organization.

The Raiders have a bye this weekend, which, when you're 2-6 for 2009 and haven't had a winning season since 2002, might be viewed as beneficial. Instead, it's proving just the opposite, since media that might be focused on the team's troubles instead are concentrating on Cable's.

And they are many.

During camp in August, up at Napa in the middle of the wine country -- where else would a Nor Cal team train, anyway? -- Raiders assistant Randy Hanson incurred a broken jaw during a meeting of the coaching staff.

He accused Cable of causing the injury, either, as the story goes, by shoving him out of a chair in which he had leaned back, or punching him in the jaw.

After an investigation, and surely deliberation, the district attorney of Napa County declined to press charges, maybe because he didn't believe the case was strong enough, maybe because Napa didn't want to aggravate the Raiders and chance losing them to another city.

For a few days after the announcement, the Raiders' subject matter dealt with the ineffectiveness of third-year quarterback JaMarcus Russell and other paranormal items. Then on its "Outside the Lines'' program last Sunday, ESPN provided the revelation that some 20 years ago Cable had hit his ex-wife and early this year smacked a girlfriend.

The Raiders contended they were blindsided by ESPN, a network the team contends harbors a grudge against it. But to the credit of the Raiders -- meaning owner Al Davis, considerably more sensitive than his critics want to believe -- and chief executive Amy Trask, the allegations were not taken lightly.

"We will undertake a serious evaluation of this matter,'' read a release from the Raiders. "We wish to be clear that we do not in any way condone or accept actions such as those alleged.''

This was not good enough for the National Organization for Women, which demanded Cable be suspended while the allegations are checked out. It wants NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who has spoken about fairness, to make a statement about Cable.

Earlier in the week, asked about his future, Cable insisted, "I'm coach of the Raiders, and I think my future is to be coach of the Raiders.''

Al Davis does not like firing coaches, despite all the coaches he has fired, and he likes even less dismissing them during the season, having done that only twice, Mike Shanahan and Lane Kiffin, over the past 40 years.

But this uproar over Cable is an embarrassment. It may even become a distraction, although the players, worried about their own futures and paychecks, invariably ignore everything except trying to keep the opposition from making a touchdown while making some touchdowns of their own.

Cable conceded he did slap his first wife, with an open hand, not a fist, and has regretted it. He said he did not strike any other female.

A team as bad as the Raiders, groping for any reason to be optimistic, hardly needs the current scenario, a coach under fire for reasons other than his record, and even the folk of Northern California wondering what is going on.

Any moment, we may all go over the edge.

As a reporter since 1960, Art Spander is a living treasure of sports history. A recipient of the Dick McCann Memorial Award -- given for his long and distinguished career covering professional football -- he has earned himself a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the PGA of America for 2009.

SF Examiner: Allegations against Cable have caught Davis’ attention

in ,
By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

SAN FRANCISCO — Al Davis is watching. That should be understood. He may be 80 and hurting physically, but nothing gets past him. Including this embarrassing business with his coach, Tom Cable.

We know Al’s philosophy of sport, the idea of just winning. Not that he’s any different from the rest of us. As Red Smith wrote decades ago, you’re not going to field a team of choirboys. Not if you want to be successful.

You use who you can, when you can. Get them out of bed sick, get them out of jail, get them on the field.

Al Davis, however, has a social conscience, supporting the less fortunate, especially former players. He often talks tough. He doesn’t talk nonsense.

The statement from the Raiders, meaning from the desk of Al Davis, that they are aware of the allegations against Cable, accused of striking an ex-wife and a former girlfriend, “and will undertake a serious evaluation of this matter,” is proof Davis is not taking the issue lightly.

Not dismissing it with the commentary, “We’re just thinking about the season,” which is what we usually get. Along with suggestions any criticism of the Raiders is a conspiracy hatched by the NFL.

In one of the more unusual interview sessions, Cable on Monday stood behind a podium to be confronted by a house divided by gender.

The male reporters were more interested in the progress of quarterback JaMarcus Russell, or rather the lack of. The females asked Cable about the allegations against him and how he felt about anger management.

His repetitive answers referred to a statement released in the wake of ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” program on Sunday — a short while before the Raiders lost to the San Diego Chargers 24-16 — that Cable physically abused the women.

This after the Napa County district attorney said he would not pursue charges against Cable over the incident in August in which a Raiders assistant coach claimed the coach broke his jaw.

Cable’s response to “Outside the Lines” said that more than 20 years ago, during the marriage to his first wife, Sandy Cable, he learned she had committed adultery and he “slapped her with an open hand,” and has regretted it. He denies striking ex-girlfriend Marie Lutz earlier this year.

When Cable was asked by a woman reporter Monday, “Can you tell us what Al Davis has said?” he answered, “We have not had a discussion.”

They have now. You can be certain. And whether Cable’s position as coach is in jeopardy because of the allegations, as opposed to being in jeopardy because of a 2-6 record, one need only read the release from the Raiders.

“We wish to be clear that we do not in any way condone or accept actions such as those alleged,” the Raiders’ statement said. “There have been occasions on which we have dismissed Raider employees for having engaged in inappropriate conduct.”

Not surprisingly, the Raiders sent out another release insisting “during the past year ESPN engaged in a calculated effort to distort the truth about the Raiders.”

That can be ignored. No one, the Raiders, the NFL, the public, can ignore what the team calls “the allegations” against Cable.

If those allegations are at the point of “he said, she said,” remember the only thing that counts is what Al Davis says.

Art Spander has been covering Bay Area sports since 1965 and also writes on www.artspander.com and www.realclearsports.com. E-mail him at typoes@aol.com.

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No revenge for Tom Cable, just victory

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OAKLAND -- He’s a rough-hewn sort, which is what an offensive line coach is supposed to be. But now Tom Cable is a head coach, of the Oakland Raiders, and his appearance, background and recent problems have not fit the image that some prefer.

We’ve heard it all. Tom Cable is Al Davis’ tool. We’ve written it all. Tom Cable is just filling space until he’s fired.

The last few days, with the Raiders getting crushed the previous weekends, with the accusations that Cable punched one of his coaches, the news and the rumors had been particularly nasty. A season on the brink? It  was a season in the sink.

So when the unexpected took place Sunday, when the Raiders sacked Donovan McNabb six times, when the Raiders held an opponent without a touchdown for the first time in 43 games, when the Raiders upset the Philadelphia Eagles, 13-9, Cable could have extracted a measure of revenge.

Could have pointed out we know less about football than about conjugating verbs, less about football than about restaurants in Barcelona. Could have gloated and said hey, he knew what he was doing all along. Which very well could be the situation.

He knew they could play, that it wasn’t a matter of tactics and strategy but of competition. And if deep down he was burning from all the words hurled his way, he wouldn’t be letting us in on the revelation.

“I think this makes a statement,’’ Cable said, making his own statement, “that we have good enough players, we have a good enough football team, and it’s a matter of whether we go out and fight for it. And today we fought to win. We deserved to win. We beat a good team.’’

What that makes the 2-4 Raiders, ending a three-game losing streak, is a legitimate question. In the NFL, good teams lose and bad teams win, if in either case not consistently, which is why they’re either a good team or a bad team.  And why the Raiders can get battered one week by the New York Giants, 44-7, and then the next week defeat the Eagles can be attributed to the “Any Given Sunday’’ Sunday.

But if the Raiders with their few hours of success satisfied a Coliseum crowd announced at 49,642, Cable was waiting for new answers. Like whether this was just the Eagles acting as if they would have been better off taking a swim in the Atlantic or whether the Raiders actually deserved to be a member of the NFL.

“The biggest issue in the locker room,’’  Cable insisted, and correctly so, “is how we handle this. How do we grow? . . . How do we turn it around and make it consistent, grow from it?’’

Cable had been telling us the Raiders were “about to turn the corner,’’  although you wondered if the corner were at Telegraph and 51st or one of the intersections of the Champs-Elysees. So Sunday he did give us a little post-game reminder.

“I said to you guys time and again,’’ was Cable’s instructional commentary, “stop looking to write negative things or worry about the BS. ... We’re developing a team and an organization that has struggled to win the last few years, and you don’t flip a switch to that overnight. Don’t wake up the next day and everything is rosy and ready to go. There’s a process.’’

On Sunday, the process included quarterback JaMarcus Russell, as taunted as Cable, connecting on 17 or 24 passes for 224 yards and, on a great catch and excellent blocks by rookie Louis Murphy, an 86-yard play for the game’s only touchdown.

The process included the defensive line chasing down McNabb and holding the Eagles to 67 yards rushing. “We got home after the Giants game,’’ said defensive end Trevor Scott, who had two sacks as did Richard Seymour, “and asked, ‘Is this what we want?’ We can’t be playing ball like that.’’

The process included Justin Fargas rushing for 87 yards on 23 carries and then on third and one, with 2:02 on the clock and the Eagles out of timeouts, JaMarcus Russell  throwing to Gary Russell for the ultimate first down.

“It was coming,’’ said Cable of JaMarcus’ play. “He’s been throwing balls much better.

“Our defense played pretty good, (and) we had enough of a run game to eat up the clock, maintain drives and keep them off the field. We went out and said, ‘Enough. Let’s play.’ There were no magic words.’’

Just for the first time in a month, a magic ending.

RealClearSports: With Raiders, Nothing Ever Changes

in ,
By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

OAKLAND -- The coach said he is to blame. "To me, this is on Tom Cable,'' explained Tom Cable. No less is it on Al Davis, the man who hired Cable. Al Davis, who repeatedly has proclaimed, "I am the Oakland Raiders.'' So maybe Al Davis is to blame.

The Raiders are a team with convoluted priorities. They can't stop the run, but management put much of its effort in stopping a former player turned critic from attending practice.

They can't get the ball into the end zone, but in the post-game locker room they can get into the face of a journalist asking a legit question.

The Raiders are 1-2 after three games. It's going to get worse. They play at Houston, but then they play the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and San Diego Chargers. It's going to get worse, but after the last week, in a way, it couldn't get much worse.

The 23-3 loss on Sunday to Denver, in Oakland, almost was incidental. A game, a defeat. It happens.

What also happened was a Raiders assistant reportedly told the police in Napa, where the team holds camp, that Cable punched him and broke his jaw on Aug. 5.

What also happened was CBS analyst Rich Gannon, the last person to play quarterback for a Raider team with a winning record, was banned from the team facility for knocking the current quarterback, JaMarcus Russell.

What also happened was Lowell Cohn, a columnist from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, asked Richard Seymour, the guy the Raiders obtained in a trade from New England, whether he was assessed a personal foul for pulling the hair of the Broncos' Ryan Clady. Seymour grew belligerent, and a Raider official then started arguing with Cohn.

What also happened was the Raiders were some 18,000 seats short of a sellout, so there was no local television of the game in which the Broncos gained 372 yards to Oakland's 127.

Paranoia runs deep. Stole that line from Buffalo Springfield, a rock group that was together briefly in the late 1960s. That was a time when the Raiders used to be successful, a time when Davis didn't worry about what was written or said, just about his team performing.

Al is the creator of the phrase "Just win, baby,'' which in effect proclaims, who cares what the rest of the world thinks, just get more points than the other team. These days, however, the Raiders management, if not the athletes, care about the wrong things.

Russell, the quarterback, is in his third season. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft. He's big, strong and throws interceptions. But he was Davis' selection, so he'll remain as a starter, maybe improving, maybe not.

Presumably Cable will remain as head coach. He's also Davis' selection, installed last season when Lane Kiffin was uninstalled.

Cable is either a cockeyed optimist or delusional. "We're just around the corner from where we want to be,'' was his comment. "It's right there in front of us.''

Right there behind him is the training camp incident. According to NFL.com, defensive assistant Randy Hanson told police he was struck by Cable, and the result was the broken jaw. Hanson's attorney, John McGuinn, called it "a classic case of felony assault.''

The Raiders are a classic case of incompetence. They haven't had a winning year since 2002, when they went to the Super Bowl and Gannon was their leader. But now he's persona non grata because Rich said the team "should just blow up the building and start over.''

Gannon finally was allowed on the property, after CBS whined to the NFL, and he definitely was at the Oakland Coliseum to watch the Raiders get pummeled by the Broncos. Probably had to choke back a few giggles.

But the Raiders are no laughing matter. Since '02, six plus seasons, they've had five coaches and 25 wins, no more than five in any of the six full seasons. When Russell threw his two interceptions in the first quarter against Denver, the fans, the faithful, started booing and never stopped.

"I have to have faith in the guy,'' said Cable of Russell. "His growth has been extreme regarding his work effort. He's just not consistent. He's part of the 10 percent of the team that has to bring his level up to the 90 percent which is performing.''

Then the coach pointed out, "Everything can be fixed, and if not it has to be changed.''

With the Raiders, little's been fixed, if anything, and nothing ever changes.

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© RealClearSports 2009

[ArtSpander.com Exclusive] Raiders end a demoralizing week

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OAKLAND -- Another one of those days for the Oakland Raiders, with mistakes mounting and pressure building, and a post-game confrontation. A perfect conclusion, if you will, to another one of those weeks.

Rich Gannon was in the house Sunday, working with CBS-TV, observing and commenting on a game that the Raiders’ head coach understandably called disappointing, because it was. In fact, it was worse than that. It was demoralizing.

That’s the very same Rich Gannon who threw five interceptions for the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII, or three more than JaMarcus Russell threw Sunday for Oakland. The very same Rich Gannon who had been banned from attending Raiders practice at the end of the week because he had knocked Russell for, well, doing what seemingly Russell can’t stop doing, missing receivers.

The Denver Broncos, however, didn’t miss a chance to take advantage of the Raiders, aka Team Chaos, winning 23-3. Yes, the game was that one-sided. For proof, consider this: Denver's total offense was 372 yards. Oakland's was 137 yards.

It’s all coming apart for the Raiders, even after three games. The battle with Gannon is indicative. Nobody likes criticism, but it is part of pro sports. You ignore it and try to improve. But the Raiders, for whom this seemed to be a season of enlightenment, are not improving. They lost a game Sunday, got routed. They lost their cool.

Richard Seymour, the guy who was supposed to help a defensive line desperately in need of help, the guy the Raiders obtained from New England a couple of weeks back in exchange for a first-round draft pick, the guy who didn’t want to report, got called for a personal foul early in the third quarter. He was caught pulling the long braids of Ryan Clady.

When columnist Lowell Cohn asked Seymour about the incident, he not only refused to answer but demanded Cohn leave the locker room, He would not, leading to a Raider official getting in Cohn’s face. What the Raiders need is for some of their defensive linemen to get in the opponents’ face. Or for Russell, the overall No. 1 pick in the 2007 NFL draft, finally to play like the overall No. 1 pick in the draft. Rather than to make Gannon look good by JaMarcus making himself look bad.

This one wasn’t on local TV. This was one had a crowd announced at 45,602. Row after row of seats in the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, capacity 63,132, were unused. Or the booing for Russell, particular, and the Raiders in general would have been louder. And it was plenty loud.

Quarterbacks are always blamed. Long ago, Daryle Lamonica was mistreated verbally when he had a bad day for the Raiders. Across the bay, the booing of the 49ers’ John Brodie was historic. And yet, the derision for JaMarcus is notable. And unrelenting.

“I’m not really going to get into that,’’ said Russell. He had two interceptions in the first quarter. He was sacked three times. Eventually, he completed 12 of 21 for 61 yards, but only three of those completions were in the second half.

“Some plays you can’t control,’’ said Russell. “Because of a lot of coverage we had check-downs and had to stay (in the pocket) longer. Other than that I thought I did all right. The second interception, the receiver got knocked down, and I thought it could have been interference.’’

Then he made a concession that raised a question about the Raiders direction. “We didn’t show up on certain plays,’’ said JaMarcus.

The defense was on the field far too long, in part because it cannot halt the run -- the Broncos rushed for 215 yards -- and in part because Russell had the two interceptions and Darren McFadden lost a fumble. Three turnovers. And only 23 minutes and 45 seconds of possession time, compared to the 36:15 of the Broncos.

“We were not very sharp on either side of the ball,’’ Tom Cable, the Raiders’ coach, conceded. “Third down was an issue on both sides of the ball. We got outplayed, and that’s the bottom line here.’’

Cable said he hopes the booing “ticks off’’ his players, who should be no less ticked off by the result. “We have to play better,’’ said Cable. “The fans deserve better. I feel like we’ve got to keep moving forward. We’ve got to help JaMarcus be at his best.’’

The Raiders, contended Cable, in his first full season as coach, had been “making strides.’’ But in this game, all they made was a mess of things.

“We didn’t practice very well during the week,’’ he said.

They didn’t play very well on Sunday. But it would be like pulling hair to get the reasons why.

Raiders coach: 'I did a bad job'

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OAKLAND -- This was the third preseason game, the one teams play to prove they are ready. After watching what happened to the Oakland Raiders on Saturday, one must wonder: ready for what?

All the Raiders’ failings, real or presumed, were on display at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the inability to stop the other team -- in this case, the New Orleans Saints -- the inability to do anything on offense (although when you don’t have the ball, that’s understood) and the continuing agony of repetitive penalties.

The final score, if incidental, was New Orleans 45, Oakland 7.

That after the Saints led 31- 0 in the first half.

After the Saints outgained the Raiders 344 yards to 60 in the first half.

After the Raiders had only 1 yard net rushing in the first half.

“This was embarrassing,’’ agreed Raiders coach Tom Cable.  “We’re all in it together. I did a bad job.’’

It was the belief of the great John Madden, who coached the Raiders before he became an icon, given a one-sided exhibition game it was better to be on the losing end so the team might pay attention to the advice and warnings that the staff would issue.

This was as one-sided as they come, but when a team has had six consecutive losing seasons, as have the Raiders, it may be difficult to find any comfort in the Madden theory.

In truth this one, played before a crowd announced as 32,585 and in a temperature that was above 100 degrees on the field, had virtually no redeeming social or athletic importance for Oakland and was terribly discomforting.

The Raiders were helpless on defense and offense.

The only time the Saints didn’t go anywhere was when they were in already the end zone.

The Saints were on offense 39 minutes 27 seconds, basically two-thirds of the game.

The Saints gained 536 yards -- 304 passing, 232 rushing -- vs. the Raiders’ 289 yards.

No, the game doesn’t count when the NFL schedule begins in two weeks, but it certainly counts emotionally for a franchise wandering in the mire since that Super Bowl year of 2002.

Now, as always, the Raiders, management that is, are calling themselves the Team of the Decades. But the last few seasons, they look more like the Team of Disaster. This game did nothing to dispel the idea.

Cable became head coach early last season when Raiders owner Al Davis dispensed with Lane Kiffin, and if nothing else it appeared Cable, a gruff, physical  sort, had the players mentally sharp.

But Saturday they collapsed, and Cable didn’t have a legitimate explanation.

“Obviously,’’ he said, “it was not a very good effort. We couldn’t get off the field on defense. And our offense was hurt by sacks and fumbles.’’

The team that led the NFL in offense last season, the Saints took the opening kickoff on Saturday and in 5 minutes 31 seconds went 80 yards for a touchdown. OK, now it was Oakland’s turn.

JaMarcus Russell completed a 12-yard pass to this year’s No. 1 pick, Darrius Heyward-Bey. Then he hit Zach Miller, and the play gained them 35 yards. Maybe the Raiders could do something. Unfortunately, what they did was fumble, when the next play JaMarcus was sacked.

The Saints recovered.  In another 10 minutes 38 seconds, the score was was 14-0. Eventually it was 47-0 before backup Jeff Garcia threw a 43-yard touchdown pass for a meaningless touchdown with six minutes remaining.

“Our biggest issue,’’ said Cable, “was we were a team without a lot of zip. On offense, we couldn’t get into a rhythm. Ball security was another issue.’’

To complete the misery, cornerback Nnamdi Ashomugha, arguably the Raiders’ best player, incurred a chipped one in his wrist. He’ll be all right. But will the Raiders?

They are supposed to be improved over last season, more efficient, more effective, and yet they certainly looked like the same Raiders we’ve come to know and not love. Somebody always screws up.

“As a football team,’’ said Cable, implying that’s what the Raiders are, “we lack attention to detail.’’

That problem is supposed to fixed by the coaches, but let us not be too harsh.

“We’ll get it corrected,’’ said tight end Zach Miller, who caught three balls for 16 yards. “I’m glad it happened in a preseason game. But I’ve never felt so lousy after any game. This was embarrassing.’’

That word kept reappearing throughout the locker room, and for good reason.

“We’ll stay the course,’’ said the coach. “This is very embarrassing to me, but we’ll stay the course.’’

Persistence is fine. A little competence wouldn’t hurt either.

RealClearSports: Raiders Controversy: Don't Ask, Don't Tell

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By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

NAPA, Calif. -- So nothing happened. If you don't include a coach with a smashed-up jaw. And a story changing by the day.

But this is wine country, where the Oakland Raiders practice, and why sound like sour grapes? This stuff happens all the time, doesn't it?
It's always something with the Raiders, other than winning. They've had six straight losing seasons, hardly a reflection of that mantra, "Commitment to Excellence.''

Last year the man in charge, Al Davis, fired his coach, Lane Kiffin early on, in effect for insubordination, usually something to be dealt with in the military, not pro football. Then again, these are the Raiders.

Kiffin was replaced by a tough-guy offensive line coach named Tom Cable, who was said to have sent one of his assistants to the hospital two weeks ago with what on Monday night was reported to be a punch but now is described as a shove into a cabinet.

"I wonder,'' mused cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, as curious as anyone, "if we'll be able to get the full story or not.''

Nnamdi wasn't serious. You never get to the bottom of anything with the Raiders, other than the standings. They're the North Korea of sports.

Information is obtained from mysterious sources that hide in the mountains of Pakistan, or maybe Canton, Ohio, and must be interpreted by the State Department to determine the validity.

Secrecy always has been as important to the Raiders as throwing deep. As Cable pointed out about this he-hit-him-no-it-was-an-enraged-sparrow-flying-amok incident, "It's an internal matter.''

Except that a report filed with the Napa police describes an unnamed 41-year-old Raiders assistant being treated for a jaw injury August 5 at Queen of the Valley Hospital, maybe two miles from the team's summer headquarters. The assistant is Randy Hanson, and no, he hasn't been around for a few days.

Seemingly everybody else has. The Raiders on Tuesday and Wednesday scrimmaged their Bay Area rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, the Niners coming some 100 miles north from their training site in Santa Clara. Dozens of Northern California journalists were in attendance, drawn by the regional confrontation as well as the quest for truth.

When Cable stood up at a podium that had been placed along one sideline, he faced nine television cameras, as many microphones and notepads and tape recorders reaching practically halfway to the Golden Gate Bridge. Presidential press conferences should be as well covered.

The time-consuming introduction involved Cable's announcements of players out with injuries and comments on whether facing the Niners, who the Raiders play Saturday night in a preseason game, was more beneficial than working against teammates. Finally, the issue was raised.

And as quickly dismissed.

"Nothing happened,'' advised Cable. Something certainly was happening at the moment, a couple of dozen journalists looking at each other skeptically.

"Listen,'' said Cable, "If you want to talk about this football team and the players on this football team, I'll talk to you all day. Otherwise I'm not getting into it.''

The NFL is getting to it. League spokesman Greg Aiello said there will be an investigation to determine the facts.

Someone in the organization did concede, "Something happened, but it's being blown out of proportion. It didn't go down the way it's being reported.''

Former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah told Chris Mortensen of ESPN that a "reliable source'' said Hanson broke a facial bone when his cheek hit a cabinet after Cable flipped him out of his chair after Hanson spoke profanely of another Raider assistant, defensive coordinator John Marshall.

Cable hasn't informed the players of anything, and in that don't ask, don't tell ideology of the Raiders, they are not about to pester him for details.

"That's for you guys to talk about,'' said guard Robert Gallery. "I have no idea what happened, if anything happened. I could (sic) care less. I worry about winning games.''

Which, when you lose them season after season, is understandable.

Six years ago, during camp, linebacker Bill Romanowski punched teammate Marcus Williams and shattered Williams' jawbone. After filing a civil suit, Williams was awarded $340,000 in damages. That same season, 2003, a year after the Raiders went to the Super Bowl, head coach Bill Callahan referred to his squad after a losing game as "the dumbest team in America.''

Dumb, smart or in between, the Raiders certainly are the most contentious team in America.

"It's just another day around here,'' said running back Justin Fargas when asked how he is dealing with the latest episode. "Things wouldn't be normal if there wasn't some controversy.''

These days for the Raiders, they are very normal.

As a reporter since 1960, Art Spander is a living treasure of sports history. A recipient of the Dick McCann Memorial Award -- given for his long and distinguished career covering professional football -- he has earned himself a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the PGA of America for 2009.

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© RealClearSports 2009