After receiving negative,  or mixed-reviews at best, Tom Cable has emerged as a rather popular man in Oakland. His performances during the draft and during Mini-camp indicate a change, or at least a revelation, of his personality and competence.  During recent interviews and press-conferences, Tom's demeanor and tone are markedly differently than before; he comes across with authority and gone are his former wishy-washy cliches, "it's everyone's fault" and "we need to take the next step" being replaced instead with statements such as  "you better be right everyday to get a job" and "what you can do (at mini-camp) is A: you can get yourself cut because you don’t know what you’re doing and you’re not working hard. And B: you can prepare yourself to go to camp and to earn a job."  Perhaps Tom Cable's near-firing experience hardened his resolve to ditch the 'soft and safe' approach. 

I believe the reason Cable now exudes authority and gravitas is that he actually possesses it now. Such authority resides with Al Davis and it does seem that Mr. Davis has delegated a significant degree of authority to his current  HC.

In the movie Gladiator, Proximo advises Maximus, "Win the crowd and you will win your freedom."  Cable reminds me of Proximo (a former Gladiator, now running a Gladiator school); but in Cable's case, he first won Al and his freedom and now is starting to win the crowd.

Proximo (the great Oliver Reed in Gladiator)