Wilson: Cable says Raiders were hindered by Russell

Oakland Raiders coach Tom Cable suggested that his 5-10 team might have made the playoffs if not for quarterback JaMarcus Russell's well-documented struggles under center.

When asked if the Raiders might have succeeeded without losing so many games before Russell was benched, Cable had a quick answer.

"Without even asking that question, you know that we would have," Cable said.

And Cable plans to start Charlie Frye on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens to wrap up the season.

"I think this is a big game for this team," Cable said. "And as I said when I made this switch initially, (it gives) us the best chance to win."

So as to not seem like he was bashing Russell too much, Cable called the former top overall draft pick "a really, really classy kid."

"I'm convinced that he has the tools to do it," Cable said. "Every human being has choices to make, and the choices you make kind of dictate who you are and what you become."

Cable also said that Russell needs to devote himself toward improvement.

"He has to learn how to take care of business on a daily basis consistently and prepare himself and take care of his development as a quarterback," Cable said. "We'd be here forever to discuss all those things. There's a lot of them, but all the great ones have that, and you want to impress upon him to become that."

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