The Super Bowl was excellent, but now that the big game is over, we have no football until August (at the earliest). After looking at a great deal of history from playoffs and Super Bowls past, I can accurately predict the next NFL season. First up, division winners:
NFC South - New Orleans Saints (12-4)
NFC East - Dallas Cowboys (11-5)
NFC West - St. Louis Rams (9-7)
NFC North - Green Bay Packers (11-5)
AFC South - Indianapolis Colts (12-4)
AFC East - New York Jets (12-4)
AFC West - San Diego Chargers (10-6)
AFC North - Baltimore Ravens (12-4)
Here's the recipe for a division winner (if you don't believe me, go look at the recent history):
1) Good quarterback
2) Decent record the previous year, but rarely the division winner the year prior
3) Hovering around the .500 mark the year before - don't pick the Lions to win the north
Reasons? Quarterback is obvious. Most important position in the game. The record from the year before is more important than most people realize. Division winners end up facing the other division winners, beating each other up for the next season. But teams that float under the radar (i.e. Dallas Cowboys 2010) will end up facing third place teams from other divisions. Talented teams that underperformed the year before can be a scary thing. Don't look for the Eagles to be very good next year. The teams to watch will be the Giants (disappointing end to the season) and the Cowboys (got on a roll at the end and finished with a 6-10 record, so they will get a cupcake schedule for a team that is very deep).
Knowing all of this, here are the list of potential Super Bowl teams for next year. I can guarantee the next Super Bowl winner will come from this list of teams.
Patriots, Jets, Ravens, Steelers, Colts, Texans (probably won't make the playoffs, but they fit the criteria for Super Bowl contenders), Cowboys, Packers, Saints.
Here's what the 2011 Playoffs will look like:
First Round:
NFC
Falcons win at Rams
Giants lose at Cowboys
AFC
Steelers lose at Jets
Patriots win at Chargers
Second Round:
NFC
Falcons win at Saints
Cowboys win at Packers
AFC
Patriots win at Colts
Jets lose at Ravens
Conference Champions:
NFC
Falcons lose at Cowboys
AFC
Patriots win at Ravens
Super Bowl matchup 2011-12: COWBOYS VS PATRIOTS
Monday, February 7, 2011
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Day 21
Wow guys! It's been forever since I updated. Last Sunday (14th), I weighed in at 151.5. That put me at another 4-5 lbs for that week. I just weighed in today and I'm at 150. Another 1.5 lbs. Not a great week. I'm sticking pretty close to the diet, but I skipped a couple days of P90x this week because I went to Nash's game and I had basketball on Thursday. But in the last 3 weeks, I've lost a total of 15.5 lbs! And I've had my fair share of slip-ups.
P90x is really quite fun. I've gotten used to the routine and I feel a lot better than I did. I will finish the entire program in May sometime and then I'll just start it all over again. I'll try to update a little more regularly with my progress.
P90x is really quite fun. I've gotten used to the routine and I feel a lot better than I did. I will finish the entire program in May sometime and then I'll just start it all over again. I'll try to update a little more regularly with my progress.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Day 7
I just weighed in at 256.0 lbs. I'm not exactly sure what happened. I checked the weight 3 times. That means I've lost almost 10 lbs in one week. I'll check again later to make sure that is accurate. I don't expect that to be standard for the next 11 weeks or I'll be down to around 140 lbs. That will not happen. My goal is 200. If I can get to around 185 or so, that would the terrific.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Day 6
Almost a week in already! Today was pretty good. I didn't have breakfast like I should have because I slept in until 11 or so. I had some carrots and some water before I went to the Texas Tech basketball game. I managed to resist the temptation of getting some unhealthy snacks at the game, even though they smelled delicious. I came home and had a salad and just a little bit of macaroni and cheese (about 1/3 of what I used to have for a meal). I had some more carrots and some green tea as well.
I watched a movie called Expelled about evolution and intelligent design. It was a pretty good movie just because it shows how stubborn people can be. Then I went to a Magic tournament with JP and then came home to get some dinner and watch some basketball. I found some whole grain bread at the store, so I made a ham sandwich for dinner. I also found some fat free chips that I thought would be gross, but actually turned out to be edible. I was terribly hungry, probably because I didn't stick to the five small meals plan, so I ended up eating 2 sandwiches and more chips than I originally planned. I tried some more carrots, but I have just had too many this week.
I just wrapped up Day 5 of P90x: Legs and Back. This involved more pullups and lots of squats. The hardest part was the wall squats. Those are brutal! One leg wall squats should be illegal in Texas. I was shaking so bad. But I managed to complete that workout as well, and I'm feeling pretty good right now. Despite having a big dinner, I still feel like I accomplished a lot in just one week. Tomorrow is the first time I'll be able to weigh in.
Tomorrow is also the Super Bowl. It's going to be impossible to not cheat a little and have some fun food. No sodas though. I'll drink water and just do my best to limit the horrible stuff I eat. Tomorrow is also Kenpo X. The good thing about skipping a day of P90x is that Monday we traditionally play basketball. Monday's workout is now stretching instead of arms and chest. If I tried to do basketball and the traditional arms and chest workout, I would be dead. So that worked out ok. I'm not expecting too much from the weigh-in tomorrow. I'll be surprised if I've lost any weight at all. But I'm going to stick with it for 90 days at least and see where it gets me.
I watched a movie called Expelled about evolution and intelligent design. It was a pretty good movie just because it shows how stubborn people can be. Then I went to a Magic tournament with JP and then came home to get some dinner and watch some basketball. I found some whole grain bread at the store, so I made a ham sandwich for dinner. I also found some fat free chips that I thought would be gross, but actually turned out to be edible. I was terribly hungry, probably because I didn't stick to the five small meals plan, so I ended up eating 2 sandwiches and more chips than I originally planned. I tried some more carrots, but I have just had too many this week.
I just wrapped up Day 5 of P90x: Legs and Back. This involved more pullups and lots of squats. The hardest part was the wall squats. Those are brutal! One leg wall squats should be illegal in Texas. I was shaking so bad. But I managed to complete that workout as well, and I'm feeling pretty good right now. Despite having a big dinner, I still feel like I accomplished a lot in just one week. Tomorrow is the first time I'll be able to weigh in.
Tomorrow is also the Super Bowl. It's going to be impossible to not cheat a little and have some fun food. No sodas though. I'll drink water and just do my best to limit the horrible stuff I eat. Tomorrow is also Kenpo X. The good thing about skipping a day of P90x is that Monday we traditionally play basketball. Monday's workout is now stretching instead of arms and chest. If I tried to do basketball and the traditional arms and chest workout, I would be dead. So that worked out ok. I'm not expecting too much from the weigh-in tomorrow. I'll be surprised if I've lost any weight at all. But I'm going to stick with it for 90 days at least and see where it gets me.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Day 5
I'm sorry that I didn't update anyone the last couple of days. I've been pretty busy and I've found myself getting my workouts done later and later. I just finished up Day 4 of P90x - Yoga X. I had to miss yesterday when I was supposed to do Yoga X because I played basketball for a couple hours and got pretty tired doing that.
My diet has been the same the last few days. Banana and yogurt for breakfast, nuts for snack, salad, carrots, fruit and sliced ham or turkey for lunch, carrots for afternoon snack, and chicken with vegetables for dinner. Not glamorous by any stretch, but not unbearable, either. Today I followed the same routine minus the salad for lunch (just wasn't feeling it today) and I made pizzawiches for dinner in place of chicken. According to the meal plan I'm following, I'm allowed one meal of red meat. Pizzawiches are nothing more than ground beef, tomato soup and cheese on a hamburger bun broiled until it's crispy and delicious.
I realized after eating what would be a normal meal a week ago that my stomach has shrunk. I was very full...feeling ill. I've got to eat slower when I'm going to have a meal like that. I suppose that's good news, though. I'm not eating as much and I don't notice it. I just go about my day like usual. I skipped lunch today because I was exhausted and took a nap instead, so that was probably why I ate so fast at dinner. Bad idea.
I went to Nash's game tonight. It was senior night and Nash got to walk on the court with his parents and be honored. They played Midland, a very ghetto team, and Monterey was up by 6 points with 30 seconds left in OT when they blew the lead. They missed an open layup that turned into a layup for Midland. Then Monterey turned the ball over and fouled the Midland player as he hit a 3 with 0.1 seconds left. I have it on tape, I'm not exaggerating. He makes the free throw to force 2OT. Monterey won in the end and it was an exciting game. Nash got to play for a few minutes despite a high ankle sprain last night that the doctor said would have him out at least 10 days. Nash is a beast. He came in, forced a turnover and then pump faked this poor Midland kid and hit a good 12-15 footer. Swoosh. It was impressive. Then, sure enough, Monterey's coach took Nash out of the game as is his m.o.
Then I came home and did my Yoga X. Wow. I didn't know what I was getting into. I don't feel any sort of burn, but I feel like I burned more calories than any other workout to date. I was sweating all over just like 2 minutes into it. And this one was a full hour and a half! 50% longer than any other workout thus far. I quickly realized that balance is not part of my game. I was reminded of the Survivor challenges where the contestants have to stand on a post for hours and hours in about 10 feet of water. They just stand there in the hot sun. I would be the bozo who falls 1 minute into the challenge. So this was an eye-opening workout. If I want to be a better basketball player, all-around athlete, and better human being in general, I'm going to have to work on my balance and self-control. I never realized how much breathing affects our body, our stature. One wrong breath and I stumbled over. The very coolest part was the end. The whole workout ends with the classic yoga positions that we have all seen. I always thought they were dumb. Not anymore, my friends. Yoga has nothing to do with any religion or culture to me, but instead it opened my eyes to a different side of the human body that God created. For many of us, the body is utilitarian. Tonight I saw a different side to the body - a refined and subtle side I have never seen before. I could not do all the positions in Yoga X. I could not do many of them very well. But I see now why yoga is a vital part to P90x.
My diet has been the same the last few days. Banana and yogurt for breakfast, nuts for snack, salad, carrots, fruit and sliced ham or turkey for lunch, carrots for afternoon snack, and chicken with vegetables for dinner. Not glamorous by any stretch, but not unbearable, either. Today I followed the same routine minus the salad for lunch (just wasn't feeling it today) and I made pizzawiches for dinner in place of chicken. According to the meal plan I'm following, I'm allowed one meal of red meat. Pizzawiches are nothing more than ground beef, tomato soup and cheese on a hamburger bun broiled until it's crispy and delicious.
I realized after eating what would be a normal meal a week ago that my stomach has shrunk. I was very full...feeling ill. I've got to eat slower when I'm going to have a meal like that. I suppose that's good news, though. I'm not eating as much and I don't notice it. I just go about my day like usual. I skipped lunch today because I was exhausted and took a nap instead, so that was probably why I ate so fast at dinner. Bad idea.
I went to Nash's game tonight. It was senior night and Nash got to walk on the court with his parents and be honored. They played Midland, a very ghetto team, and Monterey was up by 6 points with 30 seconds left in OT when they blew the lead. They missed an open layup that turned into a layup for Midland. Then Monterey turned the ball over and fouled the Midland player as he hit a 3 with 0.1 seconds left. I have it on tape, I'm not exaggerating. He makes the free throw to force 2OT. Monterey won in the end and it was an exciting game. Nash got to play for a few minutes despite a high ankle sprain last night that the doctor said would have him out at least 10 days. Nash is a beast. He came in, forced a turnover and then pump faked this poor Midland kid and hit a good 12-15 footer. Swoosh. It was impressive. Then, sure enough, Monterey's coach took Nash out of the game as is his m.o.
Then I came home and did my Yoga X. Wow. I didn't know what I was getting into. I don't feel any sort of burn, but I feel like I burned more calories than any other workout to date. I was sweating all over just like 2 minutes into it. And this one was a full hour and a half! 50% longer than any other workout thus far. I quickly realized that balance is not part of my game. I was reminded of the Survivor challenges where the contestants have to stand on a post for hours and hours in about 10 feet of water. They just stand there in the hot sun. I would be the bozo who falls 1 minute into the challenge. So this was an eye-opening workout. If I want to be a better basketball player, all-around athlete, and better human being in general, I'm going to have to work on my balance and self-control. I never realized how much breathing affects our body, our stature. One wrong breath and I stumbled over. The very coolest part was the end. The whole workout ends with the classic yoga positions that we have all seen. I always thought they were dumb. Not anymore, my friends. Yoga has nothing to do with any religion or culture to me, but instead it opened my eyes to a different side of the human body that God created. For many of us, the body is utilitarian. Tonight I saw a different side to the body - a refined and subtle side I have never seen before. I could not do all the positions in Yoga X. I could not do many of them very well. But I see now why yoga is a vital part to P90x.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Day 2
Breakfast: Banana, Yogurt, Water
Lunch: Ham slices, Carrots, 1 Orange, Salad, 1 glass Green Tea, Water
Mid-Afternoon Snack: Peanuts
Dinner: One bite of fish (frozen fish tastes like rubber, come to find out), Green Beans, 1 Slice of Fat-Free Cheese Product (not exactly appetizing), Green Tea, Water
Post-P90x Workout: 1 Banana, Water
Day 2 of P90x: Plyometrics. This is what they call the "mother of all P90x workouts." My legs have the same feelings my arms did after my first go around on Arms and Chest. My legs are most certainly not going to work at all tomorrow.
Lunch: Ham slices, Carrots, 1 Orange, Salad, 1 glass Green Tea, Water
Mid-Afternoon Snack: Peanuts
Dinner: One bite of fish (frozen fish tastes like rubber, come to find out), Green Beans, 1 Slice of Fat-Free Cheese Product (not exactly appetizing), Green Tea, Water
Post-P90x Workout: 1 Banana, Water
Day 2 of P90x: Plyometrics. This is what they call the "mother of all P90x workouts." My legs have the same feelings my arms did after my first go around on Arms and Chest. My legs are most certainly not going to work at all tomorrow.
Day 2 was decent. My headache I thought I was sure to have never came. So that's one thing I don't have to worry about. I just hope my legs will work at some point later in the week. I found out my one or two slices of cheese was a real killer. It's almost entirely fat. Bummer. Fat-Free Cheese Product just doesn't have the flavor of real cheese. In fact, it is almost flavorless. But the Green Tea is still a resounding success story. Carrots and peanuts will stay in my meal plan for
now. Broccoli is out. Frozen fish is out. Chicken was pretty tough because I don't know how to cook it properly. I've got some learning to do. For now, I'm substituting some of that stuff for sliced ham and turkey. Hopefully I can resist the ham as much as possible and stick to turkey. No bread. No cheese. My meals are not exactly glamorous, but I'm not starving yet and I don't think I'm ingesting quite as many calories as my old diet: Sonic nearly every morning with a large Coke, Burger King or bean burritos for lunch, and usually macaroni and cheese or something else just as bad for dinner. Then sometimes a midnight snack of McDonald's or Burger King (double cheeseburgers and fries). It's a wonder I'm not dead already. It makes me sick to even think about all the garbage I've been eating for so long. It doesn't even sound good anymore. Sounds like eating straight lard.Monday, February 1, 2010
Day 1
Breakfast: Banana, Yogurt, Water
Mid-Morning Snack: Peanuts
Lunch: Salad, Carrots, 1 Apple, 1 glass Green Tea, Water
Mid-Afternoon Snack: Carrots
Dinner: Grilled Chicken Breast, Broccoli, Grapes, Green Tea, Water
Day 1 of P90x: Arms and Chest. I learned from my first trial run with P90x that it is legit. I couldn't move my arms for several days. It's all about pacing. I'm not totally sore right now, but in a little while when I cool down some, the soreness will start to set in. I'm hoping I will be able to move on to day 2 of P90x tomorrow after Nash's game.Day 1 was pretty good. My only real slip-up was I ate 2 slices of cheese before dinner. I was pretty hungry. I was starting to get a headache from not having my usual caffeine until I did my P90x and now I don't notice any headache. I'm pretty sure tomorrow will be a pretty painful day as far as headaches go. I've gotten off caffeine once or twice in my life and it usually takes a few days for me to really recover. Caffeine withdrawals are really not fun. I do not envy people who quit smoking, I can't imagine what nicotine withdrawals must be like.
Day 1...almost over. So far, so good!
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