Skip to main content
Come Fan with UsSunday, June 28, 2026

Tom Cable: Benching JaMarcus Russell Was My Decision

Wednesday night, we linked to speculation from SBN’s Raiders blog suggesting that Al Davis was behind the move to bench Russell in favor of Gradkowski. But according to coach Tom Cable, the decision was his … although he did need proper approval from Davis, of course.

From Oakland Tribune’s Monte Poole

Cable has seen enough football to know Bruce Gradkowski can’t and won’t salvage this season, much less secure Cable’s job or alter the Raiders’ future at quarterback.

Surely the coach had a clear understanding of this when he approached team owner Al Davis seeking authorization to start Gradkowski ahead of JaMarcus Russell this Sunday against Cincinnati.

Davis approved the move, and Cable announced Wednesday that Gradkowski will start against the Bengals.

“(Davis) left this up to me; this is my decision,” Cable said after practice. “We talked about it, and he supported it.” with it.”

Poole goes on to claim that this is just a temporary move in order to get Russell’s attention. Whether it succeeds in doing so doesn’t really matter at this point — this was their last resort.

See More:

More in General

GeneralFromPosting and Toasting
An SB Nation New Yorker needs our helpAn SB Nation New Yorker needs our help
GeneralFromPosting and Toasting
General
Sabastian Sawe breaks 2-hour barrier, shatters marathon world recordSabastian Sawe breaks 2-hour barrier, shatters marathon world record
General

The mythical two-hour mark was broken at the London Marathon.

By Bernd Buchmasser
A Huge Dog
THE HISTORY OF CHARGING THE MOUND, EPISODE 1THE HISTORY OF CHARGING THE MOUND, EPISODE 1
Play
General
Super Bowl 60 coin toss resultsSuper Bowl 60 coin toss results
General

The Seahawks and Patriots will open the Super Bowl with the coin toss to determine who starts with the ball. We have the full coin toss results for Super Bowl 60.

By David Fucillo
General
Marc Marquez completes a comeback for the agesMarc Marquez completes a comeback for the ages
General

MotoGP’s Marc Marquez completed a comeback for the ages with his 2025 title

By Mark Schofield
General
How to make sure SBNation.com appears in your Google search resultsHow to make sure SBNation.com appears in your Google search results