Less than a week later, Hall, one of the NFL's most high-profile offseason acquisitions, was given the rest of the season off -- with $8 million of the Raiders money in his bank account.

A season that started poorly when Hall was torched by the Denver Broncos and reached an inglorious midseason when the Atlanta Falcons passed in his direction at will came to a premature end when the Raiders put him on waivers.

Hall, 24, was traded to the Raiders for second- and fifth-round draft picks and then signed to a contract which, if carried to its conclusion, was for seven years and $70 million.

Now he is out of a job, and the Raiders had little in the way of explanation other than to say other than thanking Hall for his time and saying they were moving in a different direction.

"You have to do something drastic, something that's going to impact your football team," Cable said. "We have good players on this team, as I've said before, so we're about being a team, about being one, about doing what the coaches ask you to do and going out and playing and improving. So something needed to be done and that was the decision that was made."

Cable said the absence the previous week was merely Hall getting the day off and that there were no "behind the scenes" issues. A team spokesman said the release was not related to money, instead saying "things just weren't working out."

However, Hall was due a $9.05 million option bonus in March as well as $7.5 million in salary next season. If he were to be injured before the end of the season, the Raiders could conceivably have been on the hook for all of it.

It was quite an about-face for Cable, who after a 29-10 loss to Baltimore complimented Hall for his play and said he seemed to have his swagger back. Before Hall and the rest of the Oakland defense fell apart against Atlanta, Hall in fact put two good games back to back against the Jets and Ravens.

The release didn't go over well among some respected veterans in the locker room.

"I'm obviously disappointed. I don't agree with what happened," cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. "I don't agree with what's going on. But I am just a player so I can't speak on it. I don't make the decisions. All I can do is play but I don't agree with what happened at all."

Asomugha is a key figure in Hall's release, because there is speculation that the Raiders were clearing room in their books to prepare a blockbuster contract. He is playing under the exclusive franchise free agent tender of $9.765 million this season and would get a 20 percent raise if franchised again.

The Raiders cornerback and best defensive player, Asomugha declined to discuss his own situation regarding a contract and clearly is disturbed about the direction of the organization.

Asomugha arrived in Oakland in 2003, the year after the Raiders won the AFC championship and went 4-12. Since he arrived, the Raiders are 21-66, the worst record in the league.

"He had eight games to prove himself which is what really got me. I was sitting at home last night, watching the election and all that and excited, and then he calls me, hurt," Asomugha said. "He wanted to finish out the season here and he told me he was getting cut and it was just shocking. I couldn't make any sense of it. He had eight games to prove himself. I don't think that was enough."

Equally upset was strong safety Gibril Wilson, who like Hall was an offseason acquisition signed to a lucrative free agent contract. Wilson and Hall share the same agent and Wilson admitted he thought he might be the one to get cut.

"It's almost like we're throwing in the towel," Wilson said. "We have eight games to go and we're two games down in the division. All we need to do is get on a roll in November and the next thing you know we're right back in this thing."

Hall led the Raiders with three interceptions, but according to numbers compiled by STATS, Inc, had given up a league-high 40 completions in 66 attempts for 552 yards, the yardage figure the highest in the NFL.

Although a zone, Cover 2 corner in Atlanta, the Raiders had Hall miscast as a press, man-to-man cover cornerback. Hall was adjusting to the change but thought he was coming around in the days preceding the Falcons game.

"It's tough. I'm not a long-armed, big corner like Nnamdi and it can get tiring, pressing and playing man for every play," Hall said. "But I'm getting used to a different style and getting better."

SERIES HISTORY: 4th meeting. Raiders lead 2-1, winning last meeting 27-24 in 2004 in North Carolina. Quarterback Kerry Collins snapped a personal 10-game losing streak as a starter and the Raiders had lost five straight. Tyrone Wheatley rushed for two touchdowns and Sebastian Janikowski kicked the game-winning field goal with six seconds remaining. In the last meeting in Oakland, Rich Gannon threw five TD passes as the Raiders clinched the AFC West title with a 52-9 win.