Dallas' December Blues are Bigger than Tony Romo

It's almost cliche to blame Tony Romo for the Cowboys' woes in December. I've done my share of criticism. The best quarterback my team has had since Troy Aikman but he walks with self-inflicted bullet holes in shoes.

This year, though, we need to be honest. Romo has not been the only reason the Cowboys are treading water. Forget all those December stats on Tony Romo, these are some stats that matter.

Dallas is allowing NFL-high 426.8 yards per game, and is 131 yards off pace set by 2012 Saints for most yards allowed in a single season.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 10, 2013

And that was before Sunday's game. The Cowboys allowed 51 points to Denver, 49 points to New Orleans and 45 points vs. Chicago. Denver and Chicago failed to punt the whole game. They allowed 329 receiving yards to Calvin Johnson despite creating four Lions turnovers. Now they blew a 23-point halftime lead vs. Green Bay at home, who didn't punt in the second half.

Weekend Links

I've been a busy man this week so without adieu, I present the links to enjoy on a Friday.

Tonight I'll be at East LA College watching the LA City Section Division I championship between Crenshaw and Narbonne. Here's my preview (Daily Breeze)

To add to that story, here's a piece on Narbonne linebacker Uchenna Nwosu. Nwosu isn't just a USC commit, he's also a standout student (3.3/3.8 GPA) who didn't play football until his 10th grade season. (Daily Breeze)

I also covered several basketball games this week. Serra's swarming defense proved too much for Lawndale and the same happened with Bishop Montgomery against Windward. (Daily Breeze)

For my good folks at Bro Jackson, I had more takes on the Pac-12's wild coaching weekend as well as a preview on the title game between Arizona State and Stanford. Here's a hint, I'm not picking Stanford.

As a bonus, I also pass this piece by Bro Jackson managing editor Ramon Ramirez on prisoners in the Louisiana State Penitentiary finding hope and peace in rodeo. It's one of the best pieces I've read this year and a reminder that just because you're in jail, you're still a person craving hope.

15 Years Gone: UCLA's Downward Spiral and Uptown Revival

It's funny how rivalry week shakes out. 2007, I was at the Coliseum where UCLA got spanked by USC and Karl Dorrell's press conference sounded like a funeral of a man who would be fired soon. This year, USC changes coaches after being spanked and Jim Mora re-ups with UCLA for a longer extension.

One thing is clear. As my friend Rahshaun Haylock of Fox Sports showed in that picture above, UCLA runs the city now. It's something I thought I'd never see after 1998 and this week marks the 15th anniversary of the game that changed UCLA's fortune. The collapse against Miami.

You might remember that year as the Bruins were the first team to debut at No. 1 in the BCS. The Bruins were in the middle of a 20-game winning streak. Cade McNown was poised to be invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony and two freshman named Deshaun Foster and Freddie Mitchell (before he got hurt that year) had me excited. I had the season poster as one of my book covers.

Did I mention the Bruins had an eight-game winning streak against USC? Foster went wild that game and I remember ABC calling it "Foster's Freeze". Everything was clicking and the Bruins seemed ready for their first national title game in my lifetime.

Steve Sarkisian to USC (Video + Extra Thoughts)

As you enjoy my video above discussing the USC hire of Steve Sarkisian, here's some more stats to consider that I hinted at.

FBS Rank in Total Defense since 2010: 65, 102, 35, 60
Conference Rank in Total Defense since 2010: 8, 11, 4, 5
Conference Rank in Total Offense since 2010: 8, 7, 10, 2

Sarkisian will be bringing defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox with him to USC so that's a good sign that the defense will continue to be solid. Plus, Sarkisian is not afraid to go after mobile quarterbacks which is something USC desperately needs if they want to stay relevant. All they need to do is look at how UCLA waxed them twice with Brett Hundley's arm and legs.

Why Ed Orgeron should be USC's next coach

(Sorry for the quiet here on the Report. As you may have seen from Twitter, the Daily Breeze is keeping me quite busy and I couldn't be happier. 5 stories in 5 days and more to come this week with high school playoffs. But I'm back and I'm making a bold statement to boot.)

Ed Orgeron leaving Oregon State on the shoulders of his players.

As reports come out that USC spoke to Jack Del Rio about being their permanent coach, my mind keeps going back to the images I saw leaving the volleyball match I covered Saturday night.

A sea of fans flooding the Coliseum. Interim coach Ed Orgeron hugging players and USC personnel. Colleagues of mine struggling to get through the crowd and just snapping pictures of a scene I have never seen at Troy.

That USC win over Stanford was perhaps the biggest game I've seen the Coliseum host since the 2008 Ohio State-USC game. It's easily the biggest win in who knows how long and considering where the Trojans were six weeks ago, it could rank up there with the biggest in school history.

Leading it all has been Orgeron, who came back to save and restore the program he helped build with Pete Carroll, the man who almost never lost in November. At this point, Coach O is the new "Mr. November" who's riding the promise and leading this Kill Bill revenge/redemption story I wrote about over at Bro Jackson.

Andrew Wiggins: Hype and Patience

The story of college basketball this year? A kid who has yet to play his first game. The latest in the line of freshmen blessed to have the spotlight on him and given all the praise. Andrew Wiggins. The Golden Child who makes his debut tonight for Kansas.

He's also set up to be the latest in the Hype Machine. You know that machine right? Where 24/7 media can amplify the noise and shape the conversation whether it's fair or not. Where legend transcends fact and facts become enhanced like plastic surgery. Where patience is sacrificed for the right now.

I knew about Wiggins last year but you know who I knew about more? Jabari Parker. In case you forgot, Parker was the SI cover boy about 18 months ago as the clear cut best basketball player in his class. He was the latest Chicago product following the line of greats like Derrick Rose, Nick Anderson, Ronnie Fields, Ben Wilson and others.

All a sudden, he became an afterthought due to him getting hurt his senior year. But to me, he's every bit as good as Wiggins. I've also spoken to colleagues who also say Julius Randle, the best freshman in Kentucky's new stable, is just as good as both too. And don't sleep on Arizona's Aaron Gordon either, who I've seen tear up Cali since he was a sophomore. Case in point, we have a very good freshman class where Wiggins is the star.

Nick Foles and The Weekend Links

So what to make of Nick Foles? Was yesterday's performance a sign of things to come or was it the 2013 edition of Matt Flynn. You remember him. The backup with the greatest passing day in Packers history who got heavily paid and has only started one game since.

Foles ran a spread offense in Arizona so Chip Kelly's offense is perfect for his talents. He's as good a fit as Michael Vick is and that's why you have capable backups. Keep the machine going. Yet Foles perhaps did that better than anybody in basically 3 quarters of work.

Long story short, this isn't a quarterback controversy yet. Although Vick is 33 and injury prone. Foles did what he was supposed to do so the question isn't if Vick has lost his job. It's can Foles be consistent if given the same opportunity again? Til we know that answer, I'll paraphrase Mack 10 - let's give him his props and that's where it stops.

On to the links of what I've done lately.

My 2nd feature for the Daily Breeze was on Carson High School's secondary sparking the team to a 4-game (now 5-game) winning streak.

And here's my game story from Friday on West Torrance winning behind their running game. (Daily Breeze)

Your weekly Pac-12 review is sprinkled with a dose of LCD Soundsystem and a pinch of 2 Live Crew (Bro Jackson)

Optimistic? These Are Your 2013-14 Lakers (NBA Preview)

You can try the best you can

If you try the best you can

The best you can is good enough.....

Well here we are. Another NBA season. As happy as I am for various reasons (Return of D-Rose, Miami’s 3-peat bid, Dwight Howard in H-Town - yes, I want to see him do well), I’m also staring dead at a Lakers team with the lowest expectations I’ve seen in 10 years.

Steve Nash is pushing 40. Pau Gasol is still at a high level but hurting. And of course, Kobe Bryant won’t be starting the season opener for the first time in ages. And this is what the starting lineup looks like tonight.

D'Antoni confirms starters as Nash, Blake, Young, Williams and Gasol against the Clippers
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 29, 2013

Yeah, this is what they are. A decent lineup that doesn't strike much fear. It’s a reminder that this team has to prove what they are. Not just to the doubters but to the fans who want to know what the Mad Doctor Mike D’Antoni will cook up. Year 2 of his tenure scares me because he’s still the coach and unless he magically decides to commit to defense, everything’s a tossup.

That’s why I feel like Radiohead’s Kid A. Coming to a new world that looks familiar but is radically different and unpredictable. Yet, I’m trying to stay optimistic with Thom Yorke’s sad, bleak voice encouraging me.

Weekend Wrapup (Links!)

A busy weekend for me leads to good writing. I might be having another feature coming up this week so stay tuned. That might take the edge off what was a rough weekend for my teams (UCLA got boatraced after 3 tight quarters, Dallas let Calvin Johnson go off and Matt Stafford win the game in the last minute).

Here's your brief links.

Recapping Week 9 in the Pac-12 over at Bro Jackson - let the countdown begin for Oregon vs. Stanford!

I covered Mira Costa High School's big win over Peninsula HS where they ruined homecoming and surprisingly passed the ball efficiently for a being a run-oriented team. As always, check those videos on the side, shot by yours truly. (Daily Breeze)

Tomorrow, I'll be posting my thoughts on the Lakers' season. My feelings are a little more optimistic - not in a Sounds of Blackness way, but more Radiohead. Trying to make the best of a bleak situation and I'm taking a glass half full approach without being ignorant of what's around or missing.

At the same time, I have some positives to look at. It won't be a lost season but it'll be close.

Friday Wrap! (Weekend Links and Thinks)

Saw the Lakers' recent preseason game against Utah and I realized this team might actually be alright. For the first time in a while, they have youth and guys who can score on their own. If Steve Nash stays healthy, he might actually feel like he's in Phoenix again with Xavier Henry, Nick Young and Jordan Farmar splitting some backup duties with Steve Blake.
Alas, that tough opening schedule makes it also easy to realize it's going to be every bit a struggle as I thought. But I'm glad Kobe is taking his time because it's not how the season starts but how it ends.

The Grambling situation has been far too complicated for me to address here. As someone whose parents and sister went to HBCUs and personally had to overcome my anti-HBCU bias in college, I'm saddened by what the administration and the Louisiana government have done here and I'm glad the players took an eloquent stand for their rights and safety.

Check out the excellent Monday edition of His & Hers Podcast with Jemele Hill, Michael Smith and HBCU product Bomani Jones speaking on it all.

Tell me which sounds better? The Boston Red Sox saw their nine-game World Series streak ended or they lost their first game in 27 years? Which is more accurate when you add that Boston has only been in three World Series since 1986 and had completely different teams in 2004, 2007 and this year. You decide but as I always say, context is so critical and we as the media need to do better with numbers to make it sound cool AND accurate

That said, on to the links of what I've done this week.