So when Hanson’s name stared to make its way through the news cycle again it came as no surprise that he was once again involved in an assault case. However this time it was Hanson who was accused of doing the assaulting.

Just under a year ago Hanson, an assistant coach at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, was accused of battery and assault when he allegedly hit a man over the head with beer bottle outside of night club in Pismo Beach. According to reports Hanson was out cold in the back of the limo when he was awoken by a 52-year-old man who learned a hard lesson – you don’t disturb Randy Hanson when he’s in the recovering stages of a nasty bender.

Hanson’s response to his wakeup call was to crack the man over the head with a bottle causing a broken nose and concussion. A jury agreed with the accuser despite Hanson’s contention that it was self-defense. With the potential of facing jail time Hanson will be sentenced on June 10^th.

After giving Hue Jackson his time to shine, then fielding a few questions, Davis got around to the elephant in the room. It is clear that Davis had very little respect for Cable due to the various distractions he brought into the Raider organization.

Among the allegations that disturbed Davis was the Jawgate incident, the unsavory reports of Cable’s sorted past and his penchant for bringing “friends” along for road trips. All of which Davis said was “not the Raider way” and all of which ultimately led to his option not being picked up.

The Chronicle, like many news outlets, has compiled a list of many of the Davis quotes from yesterday. Among the many gems that Davis spit, his quote on the Randy Hanson situation which he comapres to Gitmo is classic!

Even though Davis is viewed by many as incompetent, he still has a certain brilliance that cannot be understood in the moment. Al’s decision to stick it out with Cable, despite having plenty of cause for firing, seemed ill-advised but in the end it could prove to be perfect for the franchise in order to move forward. Cable clearly wasn’t going to be around for another season no matter what. Bringing in Jackson allowed the players to become familiar with their future head coach and his performance helped to prove Davis right.

Of course, the proof won’t be seen until Jackson puts his team on the field in 2011. While Davis despised Cable’s “we’re not losers anymore” comment nothing would be worse than to actually fail to improve on this season’s 8-8 mark.

Only time will tell.

Davis will always do things his way no matter the results. As a Raider fan you just learn to accept it and hope that there is a method to the madness. While many continue to have fun at the expense of Davis he remains steadfast in his approach, unwavering in the face of adversity. Part of me admires Al, part of me despises him. But that is truly a testament to both his genius and delusion. When you find ways to simultaneously please and piss people off, chances are you’re doing something right. With the tight lid Davis keeps on this organization, it is hard to know what is what but so long as this team wins the ends will always justify the means.

Nobody is calling Cable the next Madden but he’s the closest thing we’ve seen in Silver and Black since Jon Gruden.

All things being considered, Cable’s ability to get this team to 8-8 when Al Davis was taking money right out of his pocket during the season is remarkable. How many coaches would have been able to keep their team focused while dealing with as many distractions as Cable did during his 2+ years in Oakland?

Some of those distractions Cable brought on himself. Randy Hanson’s jaw didn’t break itself and even if Cable didn’t directly cause the situation he certainly didn’t do much to stop it. Still, the Raiders stuck it out with Cable and this year he repaid them with a return to respectability.
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