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Al Davis, that cranky old bastard that still owns the Oakland Raiders, seems more than content to let his head coach twist in the wind. Reports indicate that Cable has been meeting with Davis throughout the week, pleading to keep his job. Whatever that means. Cable’s a bit of a push right now: he punched out a member of his coaching staff early in the season, but somehow managed to win five games with a roster that included JaMarcus Russell.

But now Davis is interviewing assistant coaches, even as Cable’s fate remains undecided, and that’s something I never really understood. Why not let the guy pick his own staff? Why would Davis allow Cable to build the infrastructure to succeed? Because he’s Al Davis, whose withered face is only matched by his atrophied football acumen. Davis seems content on showing Cable who’s boss, which is interesting, because a five-win season hardly has the makings of a coup.

But if you thought the Chan Gailey hiring in Buffalo was garbage (and it was), wait to see what Davis does with Tom Cable. Because Davis’ Napoleonic ways will allow him to drop that coach’s headset on whomever he damn well pleases. The sad thing is that, as the staffs of competent teams look to bring on new assistants, Cable remains stuck in Oakland, seemingly powerless to improve his own destiny. But as Tom Cable remains resigned to his fate, Oakland seems oblivious to its own. Is it a good marriage if both people are equally miserable? If you’re crazy, it doesn’t really matter.