ALAMEDA – Robert Gallery is back in the trenches. So is his offensive linemate Cornell Green.
There's Darren McFadden, itching to create in open space, and Chaz Schilens, eager to make his season debut and catch some passes.
The Raiders' offensive walking wounded are healthy; it's the healthiest the team has been all season.
Indeed, all that's missing in the locker room now are excuses.
As such, Tom Cable enters the second half of the season coaching for his survival.
A 2-6 record at the midway point would be bad enough. But Cable was assailed throughout the end of training camp and most of the season's first half by claims he assaulted Randy Hanson and broke the former assistant's jaw.
Then Cable was sent into the bye week with sickening allegations he physically abused his former wife and an ex-girlfriend.
In elevating Cable from interim coach on the heels of consecutive feel-good victories over Houston and Tampa Bay to close out 2008, Al Davis gave Cable an opportunity.
Succeed or fail.
Which has he done? No wonder the inevitable rumors are starting to pop up. The ones that have ultimate renegade Davis, while appearing to sit this one out and obediently comply with the NFL's reported investigation of Cable, actually gathering enough dirt on his coach to fire him "with cause."
Meaning Davis would not have to pay Cable the remainder of his contract.
As I've written before when it comes to the Raiders, it's a leap. But it's a logical leap. Far-fetched? Then you haven't been paying attention.
Davis, remember, was willing to sacrifice an entire season to compile his case against Lane Kiffin, embarrass the lad, pull out the overhead projector and not pay him.
Mike Shanahan still awaits payment with 20 years worth of interest.
And all those guys did was lose games and defy Davis.
Injuries, questionable play-calling and an immature and ineffective quarterback in JaMarcus Russell have contributed to Cable leading the Raiders to a league-low rating in total offense (215.8 yards per game). The passing offense (122.1) is 31st, and the rushing offense is 26th (93.6).
"Statistically, we haven't done much, yet," Cable said Wednesday. "But the excitement and the energy in the huddle right now is one that is breeding confidence. That's the most important thing for this team."
Maybe, but Cable, fairly or not, has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.
So what could conceivably save Cable and the Raiders' season?
"If you really want to look at it," mused cornerback Chris Johnson, "you can go 8-0 and end up 10-6."
And now a return to reality.
Sure, the returns of Gallery, Green, McFadden and Schilens will help. And though the Raiders showed Philadelphia they could play with anyone, they also showed a week later against the Jets that they still hung with the NFL's dregs.
Which brings us to the Kansas City Chiefs.
When better than Sunday to get the season's second half off to a rollicking start? A home game. After a bye week. Against a team even worse than yours. Which you've already beaten.
Falling to the Chiefs with an uninspired effort, though, should make the likeliest of scenarios – that Cable is a dead coach walking – a done deal.
No excuses, indeed.
Call The Bee's Paul Gutierrez, (916) 326-5556, and read his Raiders blog and more on the team at www.sacbee.com/raiders.
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