How do you measure a blowout?

You probably know one when you see it, but how do you put a number on it? Is a 30-point loss a blowout? A 24-point loss? How about 20 points?

It’s relevant, because Tom Cable’s Raiders suffered another crushing defeat Sunday. Since taking over for Lane Kiffin four games into the 2008 season, Cable has suffered a number of one-sided losses – including two in the past three weeks to New Jersey teams (44-7 at the Giants and 38-0 to the Jets).

I wanted to know how Cable stacks up against the Raiders coaches who preceded him when it comes to getting thrashed. So I arbitrarily chose two margins to define a blowout: 21 points (because three touchdowns are usually insurmountable in the NFL) and 30 points (because that’s when it starts to sound REALLY bad).

In his 19 games as the head guy, Cable has lost six games by 21 or more, and he has lost three games by 30 or more. Neither ranks at the top/bottom of Raiders annals in sheer volume. Art Shell, who had two stints under Al Davis, had 11 21-plus losses in 113 games, almost double anyone else. And Marty Feldman, who coached briefly in 1961-62 before quitting to star as Igor in Young Frankenstein, suffered four 30-plus losses in just 17 games.

But Cable is definitely treading thin ice on this one. If you count the drubbings on a percentage basis, he has been more prone to 21-plus games than any other Raiders coach in history, slightly worse than the original, Eddie Erdelatz.

Here is the lineup of Raiders coaches:

Coach (Years) Games / 21-plus losses / 30-plus losses
Eddie Erdelatz (1960-61) 16 / 5 / 2
Marty Feldman (1961-62) 17 / 4 / 4
Red Conkright (1962) 9 / 1 / 0
Al Davis (1963-65) 42 / 2 / 1
John Rauch (1966-68) 46 / 3 / 1
John Madden (1969-1978) 158 / 4 / 3
Tom Flores (1979-1987) 147 / 6 / 3
Mike Shanahan (1988-89) 20 / 1 / 0
Art Shell (1989-1994, 2006) 113 / 11 / 3
Mike White (1995-96) 32 / 2 / 1
Joe Bugel (1997) 16 / 3 / 1
Jon Gruden (1998-2001) 68 / 1 / Bill Callahan (2002-03) 35 / 3 / 1
Norv Turner (2004-05) 32 / 5 / 0
Lane Kiffin (2007-08) 20 / 3 / 2
Tom Cable (2008-09) 19 / 6 / 3

And this would be an appropriate place to offer some kudos to Jon Gruden. When he was coaching here, he took some heat for his conservative play calling and game management. It could be infuriating, but you have to admit that he kept his teams in games – just one 21-plus loss in 68 games, and never once a 30-point blowout.

So far, Cable is not building such a legacy.