What became clear last January as coach Lane Kiffin sparred verbally with owner Al Davis finally resulted in a coaching change Sept. 30, with Tom Cable taking the reins.

Cable, whose only experience as a head coach was an 11-35 stint over four years at Idaho, finds himself in delicate territory.

The Raiders are 2-4 after a 16-13 overtime win over the New York Jets, still technically in the thick of things in the shaky AFC West.

Admittedly a line coach by trade, other than a stint at UCLA as offensive coordinator and Idaho as head coach, Cable can do one of two things:

--He can spend every waking minute worrying about winning the next game, even if it hinders the development of younger players.

--He can work in such a way that still enables the Raiders a chance to win, but at the same time ensures that the future gains experience for a run at something other than a .500 record in 2009.

As careful as Cable has been regarding Kiffin, his feelings toward developing players for the future is clear. Cable understands that Russell, by virtue of some $32 million in guaranteed money, ranks higher than he does in the pecking order.

"I love JaMarcus," Cable said. "I'm married to him, OK?"

Through six games as a starter, Russell, whose primary objective in some cases has been to put the Raiders in position to punt before he turns it over, has thrown just two interceptions.

Russell was 17 of 30 for 203 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions against the Jets and said afterward, "I think I grew as a quarterback today."

He's completed 60 percent of his passes at home, but only 40 percent on the road, and faces a stern test Sunday in Baltimore against the Ravens. Cable gave Russell a game ball but still wants more.

"It's still not the completion percentage you'd want, but the management of the game was outstanding, the best it's been," Cable said.

Russell has seldom wavered in terms of personality with either teammates or the media. He hasn't chafed under an offense which has stressed ball security more than aggressiveness, never once hinting he'd be happier rearing back and throwing the ball deep.

He seems appeased by the press conference statements of Davis to "turn him loose" and Cable's concession that he was too conservative until the final moments of the Jets game.

Russell conducts himself with the serenity of a player who understands, based on recent franchise history, that he'll outlast a few coaches in his tenure, and understands he's way too young to rock the boat.

When Russell was drafted, scouting reports said he could throw any pass required -- from soft tosses to backs circling out of the backfield from lasers to receivers on slant patterns to perfectly-timed floaters to wideouts 40-plus yards downfield.

It hasn't worked out that way so far, but Cable believes it's only a matter of time.

"You've seen a good check-down there, a nice post here, a go-route there, a dig route, a curl," Cable said. "But then you might see one that's low, one that's high, one that's late. The consistency is what we're talking about. Whether he can throw all the passes, there's no question. The issue is consistency."

Through six games -- admittedly too early to form a conclusion -- the last two draft classes have offered some promises aside from Russell.

The 2007 class is highlighted by tight end Zach Miller, a 16-game starter as a rookie and the Raiders' leading receiver this season with 18 receptions for 286 yards.

There was an embarrassing whiff with the first pick of the third round in defensive end Quintin Moses, but tackle Mario Henderson, receiver/return specialist Johnnie Lee Higgins, running back Michael Bush and defensive end Jay Richardson have contributed this season.

In addition, fullback Oren O'Neal, a sixth-round pick, was getting considerable time before suffering an ACL tear.

The smaller 2008 class has seen running back Darren McFadden as an immediate contributor, despite a turf toe injury. The only member of the five-person draft class not contributing this season is fourth-rounder Arman Shields, who is on injured reserve recovering from a knee injury.

Fellow fourth-rounder Tyvon Branch is a special teams mainstay and kickoff return specialist, defensive end Trevor Scott had two sacks against the Jets and wide receiver Chaz Schillens will make his second start against the Baltimore.

SERIES HISTORY: 5th meeting, Ravens lead 3-1. In the last meeting, Baltimore had six sacks of Aaron Brooks and Andrew Walter and forced six turnovers, with the Raiders gaining 162 yards of total offense. The teams met in the AFC championship game on Jan. 14, 2000, with the Ravens winning 16-3. Raiders lone win in series came on Dec. 14, 2003, a 20-12 win in Oakland.