Since I'm writing about Tom Cable outlasting JaMarcus Russell in Silver and Blackdom and putting his own stamp on the team for tomorrow's paper, a few quick hits from Cable's presser today in Napa.
-Cable confirmed the rumblings I head last week, that the first four days of two-a-day practices will be the same as last year - non-contact "intensive learning" sessions "about trying to get this team up to speed."
Even Al Davis was wondering last week if the Raiders were going to start with the passive-aggressive mode again.
Cable's reasoning: "I think being a longtime college coach and the way the college game
evolved you started to rely on freshmen more. Guys were only going to be at your school for three years if they were any good so you had to get a good portion of that freshman class ready to play right away. This gives you a chance to kind of bring them up to speed, if you will, and not have it be so taxing mentally. It's really paid dividends in college and I think it was really good for us last year. Like I said it worked for us
mentally as well as physically."
-Cable "hopes" that first-round draft pick middle linebacker Rolando McClain is in camp by tomorrow's first practice. "I know that's an ongoing process right now," Cable said of negotiations. "There's really nothing more to say until it gets all done. We'll just hope and see what happens."
-Cable confirmed reports yesterday that Jason Campbell was entering camp as the starting quarterback.
-Cable said everyone that is signed had reported.
-Cable said new offensive coordinator will be on the field, rather than in the booth, during games.
-Cable on new DT John Henderson's pre-game routine, in which someone takes a hand to his face to fire him up: "I love it. I think it's awesome. I hope I'm the guy that gets to slap him. I think it will be great. I just don't want him to hit me back. That's a big dude. That's a big dude.
Please, no Randy Hanson jokes.
-Cable said Langston Walker enters camp as the starting right tackle.
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