ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator Hue Jackson literally laughed at a report that there is a rift between him and head coach Tom Cable.
Talking to reporters on Thursday for the first time since Oakland's 38-31 loss at Jacksonville last weekend, Jackson denied there were any problems between the two coaches. He said he's more focused on getting the Raiders back on a winning streak than positioning himself for a head-coaching job.
Jackson laughed out loud when asked about the Yahoo! Sports story that said, among other things, that Cable was upset when Jackson was hired as the Raiders' offensive coordinator and that Jackson's associates are pushing him to find another job.
"I don't know where all that stuff comes from," Jackson said. "We all here have a pretty good working relationship. I have known Tom here longer than probably anybody that's on this staff, other than Mike Waufle because I worked with those guys before. I was a little surprised by it. There's no truth to it."
Jackson echoed comments made earlier this week by Cable, who also denied the report and said the two men laughed about it while preparing their gameplan for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos.
"It's amazing how things get out there like that," Jackson said. "One thing I do know is that we're here and we're going to do everything we can to win football games. Myself, Tom, our whole staff, that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to become the best staff in the league, and we're trying to become the best team in the league. And that's a work in progress."
Cable took over the play-calling midway through the 2008 season, but he relinquished the duties when Jackson was brought aboard in January. After a slow start, the Raiders are ranked 14th in total offense and 10th in points scored heading into Sunday's game.
Jackson described the relationship between him and Cable as being no different from other head coaches and offensive coordinators. The two men previously worked together in 1990 at Cal State-Fullerton and again in '96 at California.
"Maybe it's a little bit different because we have a prior relationship," Jackson said. "My relationship with him has never been one of, I can't go to him or he doesn't come to me, or he doesn't bounce things off of me or I don't bounce things off of him. We talk all the time."
Notes: Rookie LB Rolando McClain (tendinitis) didn't practice, though Cable said the player is improving. McClain didn't play in the loss to Jacksonville. ... QB Kyle Boller (quad) was limited in practice, but it's not expected to prevent him from playing if needed.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
