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2B – Daily News – Wednesday, January 19, 2011 Jackson officially takes over Raiders Oakland Raiders ALAMEDA (AP) — Hue Jackson began his Oakland Raiders coaching career with the same sort of bravado that made him so popular in his one season as the team’s offensive coordinator. ‘‘We’re going to build a bully here,’’ Jackson said Tuesday. ‘‘This is the Raiders. We know exactly where we’re headed and what we want to do. I think our players today are very excited about where they are going.’’ Jackson was introduced at a 100-minute news conference by owner Al Davis two weeks after the Raiders announced they were not picking up the option to retain Tom Cable as coach. While much of the time was spent discussing why Cable was not retained, and other matters such as the col- lective bargaining agreement and stadium issues, the purpose of the news conference was to introduce Jackson. This hiring was conducted relatively quickly based on past Raiders searches that carried until February. Davis said he talked to three candidates he had interviewed pre- viously, mostly by phone, but quickly decid- ed he already had his man on staff. ‘‘Every thing pointed toward the guy on my right. Everything,’’ Davis said. ‘‘I don’t see anything from a character, personality, anything that would not, not let me raise his hand and say he should be the coach of the Raiders and be the ambassador to the Raider Nation and the country and around the world.’’ Jackson talked about how much he enjoyed talking football with ‘‘Coach Davis’’ in his one year as offensive coordi- nator and how he wants to return the Raiders to their great tradition. Since winning the 2002 AFC championship, Oakland has gone eight years without a winning record. The Raiders went 8-8 this past season, ending a streak of seven straight years with at least 11 losses. Cable got credit from many of the players for the turnaround but it wasn’t enough to satisfy Davis, who was upset by his coach’s proclamation at the end of the season that ‘‘you can’t call us losers anymore.’’ Jackson was also widely liked by players on both sides of the ball as he brought ener- gy and competitiveness to practice that moti- vated the defense as well as the offense. ‘‘I don’t really feel that I have to over- come anything,’’ Jackson said. ‘‘I’ve been here with our players. Our players have been very supportive. Today alone I got 20 text messages from our players, who are very excited about me being here, being the head coach, and they can’t wait to get back here. Because I think our players know as I talked earlier, we’re going to create an environment here for our players to be as good as they can be, on offense, defense and special teams.’’ Jackson has extensive experience as an assistant in the NFL, working in Washing- ton, Cincinnati, Atlanta and Baltimore for nearly a decade before joining the Raiders. He has coached quarterbacks, receivers and running backs, along with three stints as an offensive coordinator. His most successful stint was this season in Oakland. Led by quarterback Jason Campbell, a breakout season from running back Darren McFadden and big plays from rookie receiver Jacoby Ford, the Raiders fin- ished sixth in the league in scoring with 410 points. That was the sixth-most points in franchise history and a huge improvement from 2009. ‘‘My job is to do everything I can to take this team where we know we want to go, which is the Super Bowl,’’ Jackson said. ‘‘Obviously this is a very talented and young football team here, as coach just talked about. We have some tremendous players on the offensive side of the football.’’ Jackson will remain the primary play- caller as head coach but must go out and hire coordinators on both sides of the ball. Jack- son mentioned Al Saunders as a potential candidate on offense. Saunders worked with Campbell for two years in Washington and has interviewed in the past for openings in Oakland. Campbell had a solid debut season in Oakland despite sharing time with Bruce Gradkowski. He completed 59 percent of his passes with 13 touchdowns, eight inter- MCT photo Raiders owner Al Davis introduces new coach Hue Jackson. ceptions and a passer rating of 84.5. He was at his best in the final five games after Grad- kowski went down with a season-ending shoulder injury. He completed 64.7 percent of his passes over the final five games with six touch- downs, two interceptions and a passer rating of 96.4. ‘‘He played flawless. He played almost as good as you can play as a quarterback in our league,’’ Jackson said. ‘‘Led us to some very impressive wins. And I look forward to him doing the same thing this year in our system, same system, opportunity to go out with the same teammates, OK, and go out and play the way we know he can play.’’ Jackson also said defensive coordinator John Marshall would not return and said line coach Mike Waufle could be a candidate to replace him. Davis blamed defensive break- downs late in the season against Miami and Jacksonville as part of the reason the Raiders did not make the playoffs. ‘‘I thought with about five games to go we had a great chance to get into the playoffs if we didn’t mess it up,’’ Davis said. ‘‘We messed it up. I’m not saying necessarily on offense, but we didn’t play well enough on defense to get that chance that I thought we could have gotten, and had we gotten in the playoffs, I compared it to the ’80 team. We came in as a wild card and made a run and won the Super Bowl.’’ Al Davis uses press conference to give state of the Raiders ALAMEDA (AP) — Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis rarely talks to the media anymore. So when Davis got the chance at a news conference announcing the hiring of Hue Jackson as his new head coach on Tuesday, he took the opportunity to address a number of issues. Davis spent a larger por- tion of a more than 100- minute news conference explaining why he fined for- mer coach Tom Cable $120,000 in the final year of his contract. Davis says he withheld the money from Cable’s last six checks because of the strain on the organization from lawsuits involving Cable assaulting a former assistant coach and a former girlfriend. The suit by former assis- tant Randy Hanson was kicked out of court and sent to an NFL arbitrator. Davis said that Cable recently set- tled the suit with former girl- friend Marie Lutz. ‘‘That lawsuit created a tremendous amount of work, stress and turmoil,’’ Davis said. ‘‘Tom had been told earlier in his career that he could have been fired without pay for the wrath he brought on the Raider orga- nization.’’ Cable’s agent did not immediately reply to an e- mail seeking comment. Cable has filed a grievance with the NFL to recover the lost wages. Davis said Cable lied to him when asked if there were any issues in his past that could affect the Raiders. He was also angered by one aspect of Lutz’s lawsuit that said Cable brought her on road trips with the team, saying it goes against his way of liv- ing and the Raider way. He said that even though Cable was accused of break- ing Hanson’s jaw in August 2009, accused of assaulting three women later that year and sued by Lutz last June, he kept him on to coach the 2010 season. ‘‘We had been in turmoil for about a year or two after the initial stuff came out and so I just didn’t think we needed another uproar at this particular time,’’ Davis said. ‘‘Two roads. You can choose Road A or Road B, either way.’’ Cable has acknowledged striking his first wife, Sandy Cable, with an open hand. He said the altercation hap- pened more than 20 years ago and was the only time he’s ever touched a woman inappropriately. Because that happened before Cable joined the NFL, he was not punished by the league. Davis said he still does not know what happened in the hotel room at training camp when Hanson had his jaw broken. Hanson accused Cable of throwing him against the wall, causing the left side of Hanson’s face to strike a table, then hit Han- son while he was on the floor. Hanson was treated for a fractured jaw and bro- ken teeth. Hanson said Cable was restrained by assistants John Marshall, Willie Brown and Lionel Washington. Davis said he didn’t want to get into the middle of the dispute. ‘‘Can’t get the story,’’ Davis said. ‘‘You know, it’s like Gitmo. Trying to find out, did they waterboard those guys or not? No, real- ly. It’s hard to believe. How many guys went in? Four guys went into the room with a guy, the guys comes out with a broken jaw and no one saw it.’’ On other topics in Davis’ first news conference in more than 16 months: — Davis took some blame for the Raiders strug- gles the past eight years when they have failed to post a winning record. ‘‘I have made mistakes. Yes, there’s no question about it, and you got to have great players. But you also, some- times, have the players and don’t get it done. So, you’re saying, should I take some of the blame? I certainly do.’’ — He said the team was hurt by the failures of former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell, who was cut last May after being paid more than $39 million for three ineffective seasons. ‘‘We had a big investment in this Athletics agree to deals with four Oakland Athletics OAKLAND (AP) — The Oakland Athletics agreed to one-year contracts Tuesday with outfielders Josh Willingham and Conor Jackson, starting pitcher Dallas Braden and third baseman Kevin Kouz- manoff. All four players were eli- gible for salary arbitration. Oakland also finalized an $8.1 million, two-year deal with reliever Grant Balfour. The sides agreed to terms Friday pending a physical. Willingham receives $6 million for the 2011 season, Kouzmanoff $4.75 million, Braden $3.35 million and Jackson $3.2 million. Reliever Craig Breslow, Oakland’s lone remaining arbitration-eligible player, asked the A’s for $1,550,000 while the club offered $1,150,000. Bres- low earned $425,000 last season, when he went 4-4 with a 3.01 ERA in 75 appearances. The A’s acquired Will- ingham in a trade last month with Washington for a pair of prospects. He is expected to start in one of the corner outfield spots. Braden, an 11-game winner in 2010, became a national name after pitching a perfect game May 9 against Tampa Bay — the franchise’s first since Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter did it in 1968. Braden is part of a strong rotation also featuring Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez. The fifth starter job is open for com- petition at spring training starting next month in Phoenix. Willingham batted .268 with 16 home runs and 56 RBIs last season, his second in Washington after five years with Florida. He is expected to give the A’s a solid middle-of- the-order presence along with newly acquired slugger Hideki Matsui and David DeJesus, who came to Oak- land in a trade with the Kansas City Royals in November. The A’s hit just 109 homers and scored 663 runs last season, their second fewest in the last 28 non- strike seasons. Oakland fin- ished second in the AL West behind the eventual league champion Texas Rangers. The 31-year-old Willing- ham finished last season on the 60-day disabled list as he recovered from surgery on his left knee. He was sidelined after Aug. 15 and played 114 games, 108 of those in left field. Jackson underwent surgery for a sports hernia in early September and didn’t play again. Acquired from Arizona last June 16, he bat- ted .228 with one home run and five RBIs in 18 games for Oakland. He hit .236 with two homers and 16 RBIs in 60 games overall. The 33-year-old Balfour went 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA in 57 appearances for the Tampa Bay Rays last sea- son, the Australian’s sev- enth year in the big leagues. Balfour will earn $3.75 million next season and $4 million in 2012. The deal includes a $4.5 million club option for 2013 with a $350,000 buyout. Balfour is happy to have found his spot less than a month before pitchers and catchers report to spring camp — and thrilled that his father, David, is in remis- sion from a rare form of cancer after surgery and treatment last year. For Balfour, this is a new start. He hopes to continue in a setup role he had with the Rays. ‘‘I thought it was very similar to where I’ve come from, a young rotation with a lot of upside,’’ Balfour said. ‘‘Looking at the team we’ve got I think we have a good chance to compete in the American League West and have a good chance to win it. ... I’m hoping my job will be similar to what I had been doing in setup role and pitching in close games. I thrive and love pitching in those games.’’ NCAA Tuesday’s Top 25 results No. 9 BYU 83, TCU 67 Alabama 68, No. 12 Kentucky 66 No.23 Illinois 71, No.17 Michigan State 62 No. 23 Georgetown 80, Seton Hall 75 Today’s Top 25 games No. 1 Ohio State vs. Iowa, 3:30 p.m. No. 4 Duke at N.C.State, 4 p.m., ESPN No.6 San Diego State vs.Air Force, 7 p.m. No.10 Tex.vs.No.11 T.A&M, 6 p.m., ESPN2 No. 14 Purdue vs.Penn State, 5:30 p.m. No.16 N.Dame vs.No.25 Cin., 4 p.m., ESPN2 No. 19 Louisville vs. St. John’s, 4 p.m. No. 21 West Virginia vs.Marshall, 5 p.m. No.22 St.Mary’s vs.S.D., 7:30 p.m., CSN+ guy. Basically, he’s a good person but he’s got personal problems, and I decided that it was time that we were not going to fight it anymore.’’ — He said he was not pleased with Cable’s procla- mation that ‘‘we’re not losers anymore’’ after the Raiders won the season finale to finish 8-8. ‘‘If that’s not being a loser in our world, I don’t know what it is, come in .500. That’s never been my goal.’’ — He explained why he still believes in receiver Dar- rius Heyward-Bey, who caught just 37 passes in his first two seasons. ‘‘Explo- sion. He can catch, he’s get- ting better and he’s a good guy. He’s going to be good.’’ — He said he wouldn’t know whether Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Aso- mugha would be brought back after the final year of his contract voided, but hint- ed the Raiders would have cut him instead of picking NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division Dallas Ducks WL OT Pts GF GA 28 13 5 61 135 120 26 19 4 56 131 136 Phoenix 23 15 9 55 136 135 SHARKS 23 19 5 51 131 131 Kings Central Division Detroit 28 12 6 62 158 135 Nashville 25 15 6 56 124 111 Chicago 25 18 4 54 150 130 St. Louis 22 17 6 50 121 129 Columbus 21 20 5 47 120 145 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 29 10 7 65 152 113 Colorado 24 16 6 54 152 146 Minnesota 23 18 5 51 117 128 Calgary 20 20 6 46 126 137 Edmonton 14 24 7 35 113 155 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA Philadelphia 30 11 5 65 158 122 Pittsburgh 29 14 4 62 150 110 N.Y.Rangers 26 18 3 55 132 115 N.Y.Islanders 14 23 7 35 108 148 New Jersey 13 29 3 29 90 140 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 26 13 7 59 142 103 Montreal 26 17 4 56 118 113 Buffalo 20 20 5 45 123 132 Toronto 18 21 5 41 114 132 Ottawa 17 23 7 41 103 144 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Tampa Bay 27 15 5 59 140 150 Washington 25 14 8 58 133 124 Atlanta 23 18 7 53 146 153 Carolina 22 18 6 50 137 145 Florida 21 20 3 45 121 116 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. ————————————————— Tuesday’s results Anaheim 2, Ottawa 1, SO Boston 3, Carolina 2 Buffalo 2, Montreal 1, OT Colorado 4, Vancouver 3, OT Minnesota 4, Edmonton 1 Nashville 5, Phoenix 2 Philadelphia 3, Washington 2, OT Pittsburgh 4, Detroit 1 St. Louis 2, Los Angeles 1 Tampa Bay 3, Columbus 2, SO Today’s games Toronto at N.Y. Rangers, 4 p.m., NHLN Columbus at Florida, 4:30 p.m. Minnesota at Calgary, 6:30 p.m. 24 21 1 49 134 117 WL OT Pts GF GA up an option that was set to be worth at least $16.8 mil- lion. ‘‘Can that $17 million bring you two or three qual- ity players to help you win?’’ — He also said he was not surprised he won a grievance hearing against former coach Lane Kiffin, who was seeking more than $300,000, after being fired for cause in September 2008. ‘‘I beat him because he lied. He’s a liar. He lied to you guys.’’ — He said the team needed a new stadium — preferably at the same site as the current home — and was hurt by low revenues. — He would not give an opinion on a proposed 18- game season that commis- sioner Roger Goodell wants in the new collective bar- gaining agreement. NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division Lakers WL Pct GB 31 12 .721 — Phoenix 18 21 .462 11 WARRIORS 17 23 .425 12.5 Clippers 15 25 .375 14.5 KINGS 930 .231 20 Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio 35 6 .854 — Dallas 26 14 .650 8.5 New Orleans 26 16 .619 9.5 Memphis 19 22 .463 16 Houston 19 23 .452 16.5 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Okla. City 27 14 .659 — Utah 27 14 .659 — Denver 23 17 .575 3.5 Portland 22 20 .524 5.5 Minnesota 10 32 .238 17.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL Pct GB Boston 31 9 .775 — New York 22 18 .550 9 Philadelphia 17 23 .425 14 Toronto 13 28 .317 18.5 New Jersey 10 31 .244 21.5 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 30 13 .698 — Miami Atlanta 28 15 .651 2 Orlando 26 15 .634 3 Charlotte 16 24 .400 12.5 Washington 12 27 .308 16 Central Division WL Pct GB Chicago 28 14 .667 — Indiana 16 22 .421 10 Milwaukee 14 24 .368 12 Detroit Atlanta 93, Miami 89, OT Charlotte 83, Chicago 82 Today’s games Portland at Sacramento, 7 p.m.,CSNC Indiana at Golden State,7:30 p.m.,CSNB Philadelphia at Orlando, 4 p.m. Phoenix at Cleveland, 4 p.m. Utah at New Jersey, 4 p.m. Detroit at Boston, 4:30 p.m. Memphis at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Washington at Milwaukee, 5 p.m. New York at Houston, 5:30 p.m. Toronto at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Dallas, 6 p.m., ESPN Oklahoma City at Denver, 6 p.m. Minnesota at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. Monday’s late result L.A. Lakers 101, Oklahoma City 94 Portland 113, Minnesota 102 15 26 .366 12.5 Cleveland 8 32 .200 19 ————————————————— Tuesday’s results