Wilson: Raiders deny report that Cable is safe

In the latest bizarre twist in the Oakland Raiders' coaching saga, the team denied an ESPN report tonight that they have decided to retain coach Tom Cable as he heads into the final year of his contract.

Senior executive John Herrera told the Associated Press that the evaluation process of Cable is still not complete.

"We've never made any statement that the head coach would not be back, that has been media speculation from the beginning," Herrera said. "We've consistently stated that we're going through an evaluation process to determine the direction that the organization needs to go. The process is ongoing and has not reached a conclusion."

So, what does this mean?

Does it mean Cable is going to be fired? That's doubtful at this point, but you never know for sure.

Does it mean that the Raiders like to keep the media guessing? Entirely possible.

Could the Raiders have been annoyed that word of a decision on Cable wasn't announced by them and was leaked to the media? Very possible.

Or is owner Al Davis still weighing his options? Could be.

A source with knowledge of the situation told National Football Post that the Raiders interviewed Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson for both their head coaching position and the offensive coordinator spot.

Since that interview concluded, we've been told that Jackson is leaning toward staying in Baltimore at this point.

Jackson has previously worked with Cable and defensive line coach Mike Waufle at Cal-Berkeley, which has widely been interpreted as a strong indicator that Cable might be back and not be responsible for calling the plays this year.

So, the waiting game continues in Oakland where Cable has gone 9-19 since replacing Lane Kiffin.

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