One Little Index Card

One little index card.

The last time I seriously tried to lose weight, I brought an index card with me to the gym and carried it around as I worked out.

On the index card, I wrote 210. That’s the weight I wanted to get to. That was my end goal. That also was about seven years ago.

I’m happy to report I have recently got down to the number on the card. I weighed in at 209 on Sunday.

But now I want more. I still have about 15 pounds to go to get to my end goal of 100 pounds of weight loss.

So I decided to break out another index card. On this one, I will write 194. That’s the end goal. That’s where I want to be and my target date is December 3, also known in my circle as my daughter’s birthday.

Having kids can be motivating. You have to be on your toes. You have to be ready to move at moment’s notice. I felt like I needed to make changes in my life to be a better dad and husband.

One of my friends at Anytime Fitness, the manager actually, told me choosing my daughter’s birthday was a great idea.

In her words, and I am paraphrasing, she said your daughter has been your biggest cheerleader during the entire process so it makes sense to make the big day her big day.

Now, can I get there? That’s 15 more pounds in about seven weeks.

It won’t be easy. And if I don’t hit the date, it won’t be the end of the world. But having that index card with me while I work out will help motivate me to do another set or two on days I just don’t feel like being there.

I will get to 100 pounds at some point. But getting it done before that date would make it special for me and her.

Update: I did not reach the 100 pound mark by December 3. We are still trying to hit that mark but will get there at some point.

A promised weight loss update from August

I promised a reader I would update my weight-loss journey every so often and have really failed to do so lately.

So I think it’s time for another one.

Things are still going well. Better than I expected to be honest. I have lost 70 pounds since January 10.

There have been many more ups than downs the past eight months but there have been weeks that just puzzle me.

I weigh in every Sunday. And this past Sunday’s scale reading showed minimal weight loss from the week before. It can be frustrating. Especially since you know you had a great week outside of one day.

I took my daughter to Pizza Ranch on Saturday. We were home without Mom for most of the weekend. We stayed home Friday but I let her choose the place for Saturday and we hadn’t been there in what seemed like forever.

I tried to eat the best I could but did indulge in some pizza and I finished her cheese bread.

Unfortunately, that one day probably hurt the scale reading the next morning.

And it came after a strong week of exercise where I hit 30 minutes of exercise each day and reached more than 11,000 steps in five of the seven days, including 20,000 steps on Thursday.

I have seen similar weeks to that before. Where you think the scale is going look great and it just doesn’t. And then I lose more than I expected another week.

It’s a process. And one that I don’t plan on getting away from. I like this version of me way more than where I was in January. It won’t be easy and I’m sure I will have some tough moments, but I don’t plan on going back.

I have changed my goal since starting, too. I figured why stop now and lock myself into one goal. You can always improve.

So now, instead of wanting to get around 220 pounds (I weighed in at 224 on Sunday), the new goal is to lose 100 pounds by next spring break.

We have a trip planned during that time for the first time since I can remember and I would love to be under 200 pounds for it. I would be at that milestone for the first time since maybe college? I don’t even know when I was last under 200 pounds.

The last time I gave an update, I had to get through state wrestling and state track and some other key times of the year when it’s basically impossible to eat well. But I did it.

Protein bars were a life saver. I just packed a few in my bag every day and it got me through long days.

I ran into a former boss at the Iowa Shrine Bowl in late July and we talked a little bit about the changes. He doesn’t know how I was able to get rid of energy drinks. It’s a staple with sports journalists who work long days and are up until 2 a.m. each night.

The truth is, I didn’t give them up. One of my biggest early changes was an adjustment of what I purchased at gas stations. I love gas station food and drinks. It’s quick. It’s easy. And it’s not all that expensive.

I got up to 294 pounds because I purchased sugar-packed energy drinks and hot gas station food like hamburgers, chicken and rib sandwiches, burritos and corn dogs every night.

Now, my almost daily trips to Kwik Star consist of diet pop, sugar-free and zero-calorie energy drinks and bananas with the occasional Muscle Milk thrown in there.

I’m still drinking a protein shake every day for breakfast. That includes protein powder, ice and a banana. I have recently added pumpkin to the shake after one of my fitness YouTube personalities told me it helps with muscle growth. So we’ll see how that goes.

Another friend asked me the other day if all I eat now is chicken breast. I chuckled a bit, but she’s not too far off. I do eat a lot of chicken breast.

Some other key low-calorie foods that have played a role in the weight loss include cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, tuna fish sandwiches, hard boiled eggs, bananas, apples and pickle spears.

I eat a lot of salads, too. I put chicken breast, eggs and croutons in those and I don’t think I am suffering through it at all.

The last column update, I mentioned doing daily push-ups and squats. That’s still going strong. I am now doing 4 sets of 25 each so 100 per day. That helps me get some exercise in even if I can’t get to the gym that day.

Here’s to my next goal of 100 pounds and here’s to limiting the amount of Mexican food I eat weekly.

A weight-loss journey update from June

I wrote this column back in June. I wanted to share some articles on my weight-loss journey here as I approach the 100 pounds of weight loss. I am about 7 pounds away as of today and a few days after a not-so-good holiday weekend of eating a few too many sweets. 

I will share a few more stories a long the way as we get to the finish line. 

Here's the article that I published in the middle of June. 

When I stepped on the scale Sunday morning, it read the same exact weight as the week before.

I wasn’t bummed. I wasn’t frustrated. Just more motivated.

Sometimes it just doesn’t happen. I thought I had a great week when it came to working out and the stuff I put in my body. But the scale doesn’t lie.

Since January 10, I have lost 63 pounds. It’s been an almost complete overhaul of what I eat and drink on a daily basis.

I cut out unhealthy gas station food, energy drinks that are high in sugar and I stopped snacking just to snack.

Those were the biggest issues I had that caused my weight to get to an all-time high back in January.

Some weeks have seen huge drops in weight. Some weeks showed minimal weight gain. My average weight loss per week has been three pounds with the largest being 11.2 pounds way back in Week 2 of the program.

When someone asks me what my secret has been, I don’t exactly know what to say. Most of things you can do to lose weight are common sense stuff. Most of us simply don’t want to do what is required to do.

I was one of those people for a long time. Because of the nature of my job, it was always easier to just stop at the gas station before I left town to cover a sporting event. Or grab something from there when I got back into town before I went to the office.

Now, when I go into those places, I buy diet pop, cottage cheese, yogurt, Muscle Milk and/or bananas.

I am pre-cooking food in advance so I can re-heat healthier options when it's convenient. Things like hard boiled eggs, chicken breasts and fish.

I have had a lot of salads in the past four months. But every salad I eat has chopped up chicken breasts, smashed up hard boiled eggs and croutons in it. The salad dressing is the only thing that is probably not the best but who eats salad without dressing?

The chicken breasts and fish have been awesome in the process. The BBQ sauce is not but again, you can’t get rid of everything.

And guess what, if you eat clean throughout the day, you are still able to eat things you ate before a few times a week. Like Mexican food.

I have tried to stay consistent through the process. Every morning, I wake up, make a protein shake with a banana and some ice for breakfast, eat tuna fish sandwiches or Greek yogurt or a chicken breast and egg salad for lunch and then eat whatever a lot of times for supper.

The next question I get involves the fitness part of the equation. I have always worked out. But there has been things I have done to add to the workouts.

My daughter and I do push-ups every day. It started with 25 per day in January and has built up to 50 every day in June. The number will keep growing and my daughter has been keeping me motivated and challenging me more every day.

It’s been a lot easier to run when you are less weight, too. I started out early in the process by doing sprint-type HIIT workouts on the treadmill to shred some weight.

It moved to timed three mile runs where I tried to better my time every workout. I also have learned through one of my favorite YouTube channels that walking can be just as effective as running. Especially if you put the treadmill at an incline.

The most surprising part of this process has been the fact that I was able to lose weight on the weeks of state wrestling and state track and field. And instead of riding in a golf cart to cover that sport, I chose to walk every time.

This process hasn’t been easy. It hasn’t always been fun. But it has been worth it. I feel great. And I was able to fulfill a promise I made to my daughter a few years back that I would get into better shape to be able to do more activities with her outside.

We all need a little motivation when it comes to weight loss. Besides doing what I told my daughter I would do, my biggest motivation was that I was ashamed at what I had become.

I’m still not quite where I want to be. But I'm no longer ashamed. That’s a great feeling.

Has to be Wilson, Fields or Lance

 The San Francisco 49ers made one of its biggest trades in the past 20 years when they moved up from No. 12 to No. 3 in the NFL Draft. 

Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch hitched their wagon to the quarterback of the future and if it fails, they may not get to pick another one. 

They get could have gotten Mac Jones at 12 in some folk's opinions. So I can't imagine them making this move to guarantee they get him. 

I have heard several with that opinion though. Including 49ers Insider Matt Maiocco, who is more plugged in than anyone. 

There are a lot of smokescreens. I have no idea what to believe. But I think the guy they would take if there is Zach Wilson. But he's expected to go 2nd overall to the Jets. 

That leaves Trey Lance and Justin Fields. As a fan, I would take either of them. I think they both would add a dynamic to Shanahan's offense that he hasn't had since RG3. 

Fields was incredible accurate in college. Shanahan puts a lot of value on that. Jones was accurate, too. But if he can get the accuracy with the tools of Fields, I think that's what he does. 

The pick is huge for 2021 and the future. They cannot miss on this pick, whoever it is. I will trust the brass to make the right choice. Adam Peters seems to hit on a lot of first-round picks so just do what he wants to do. 

My only wish is to find a quarterback who can make plays and stay on the field. Injuries at the QB position have really hurt the 49ers in two of the past three seasons. The one year it didn't hurt, SF was in the Super Bowl. 

My gut says Kyle wants Fields or Wilson over all. And I feel like he knows what the Jets are going to do. Maybe Robert Saleh did his old boss a favor and told them their plan so they make up their own plan in response to it. 

Just take guy who can lead us to 3 or 4 more championships. No pressure. 

Weight loss not enough anymore

The scale read a number that was 2.8 pounds less than the week before. But it wasn't good enough this time. 

I had a goal to get under 250 pounds for the first time in what felt like a few years. It read 250.4. So even a 2.8 pound weight loss was a failure to me. 

Not really. But I wasn't happy with just that. I had a great week of nutrition. I am running and exercising more than normal. I thought it was coming. 

Guess I will have to wait until next week. 

Today's 3-mile run was time in 27:23. On Friday, I ran the same distance in 27:49. Every time I get on the treadmill to do that 3-mile run, the time is faster than the previous one. Not sure how much faster I can go but I will continue to give my best effort. 

And the music is helping me out every step of the way. 

Here's 249.9 this week. It has to happen.  

Pushing Through Adversity

Weight loss is a challenge. If it wasn't, we would all be skinny, healthy and in control of our physical activity. 

As I started on another weight-loss journey on January 10, it had gone very well. It was feeling like it was easy. 

But if last week was any indication, things won't always be easy. I have lost more than 40 pounds since that date in January but last week was my first "gaining" week. I only gained .2 pounds but it wasn't the consistent 2-5 pound loss week that I had been seeing since I started.

I had one gigantic 11-pound weight loss week at the very beginning but it's been around 2-6 pounds consistently since I started. 

I could blame Spring Break. I could give other excuses. But sometimes things don't go your way. I maintained my hours at the gym. That hasn't been the issue. And I don't feel like I did that much different. My nutrition isn't perfect it wasn't that bad last week. Sometimes, it's just not your week. 

My official weigh-in days are Sundays. But I stepped on the scale today and already had a few pounds lost. We'll see what the scale says on Sunday because I have seen it the other way too on this journey. 

I really will celebrate getting under 250 pounds. When I started, I was 294 pounds. That's probably the most I have weighed in my life. Not a good feeling. But as I continue to shred the weight, I continue to see what it was like about 5 years ago when I was training for half marathons and 10K races. 

I am running consistently now and last week started a streak of running for 30 minutes straight and seeing how far I can get. The goal is to improve my three-mile time every time I run. So far, that has worked as I completed three miles today in 28 minutes. 

I have been charted my miles in 2021. I went 37.64 in January. The number increased to 42.21 last month and so far in March I have gone 51.14 mies. 

The lighter I get, the easier it is to run and even walk further. And it's getting nicer outside so walks and runs to the gym as warm-ups will be happening consistently soon. 

The food intake is still challenging. I do really well with breakfast and lunch and save all of my points for dinner. But I still like to snack late at night. Those snacks have just gone from chips and cookies to apples, pretzels and things like hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese and protein bars. 

Recently, I tried some Greek Yogurt. It's a low-point item and I loved it. So that might be something I hit up pretty hard in the coming weeks. 

Things are still going well. My jeans continue to be harder to wear (because they are too big) but I also know that it won't always be easy or perfect. 

Dominating the week

 When I stepped on the scale on Sunday morning, it said I was down almost three more pounds. That's nearly 40 pounds since Jan. 10. 

I feel good. The pants needed a new belt. And I am running better and longer than I have since my half-marathon days. 

I use an Apple Watch to keep track of my steps, move calories, exercise minutes and stand hours. 

Unofficially I set new personal records in exercise minutes on Tuesday and then had my second best day on Wednesday. 

On Tuesday, I went walked to the gym and then back home, which is one mile each. I walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes at the gym, then walked our dog with my daughter later in the day. That was a half-mile walk. After that, my daughter wanted to go further on our own. 

In total, I put in 91 exercise minutes, went eight miles and took 16,909 steps. 

Wednesday's workout included a 3.19 mile run around my neighborhood after my mile walk to the gym. That day included 75 exercise minutes, 15,812 steps and 8.3 total miles. 

This was all after going 58 exercise minutes, 13,269 steps and 6.4 miles on Monday. 

Things couldn't have started any better this week as far as exercise goes. I have done OK with the diet too. The breakfast, lunch and snacks side of things continue to go well. We cooked at home for supper on Monday, Aubrey and I got her traditional "Subway on Dance night" dinner on Tuesday and we ordered Montana Mikes on Wednesday. 

Just when I think I will have my first positive gain week of this process, it always ends well on that Sunday weigh in, 

This is conferences week for the wife so Aubrey and I will be together all day Thursday after she gets out of school at 1:30. I should be able to eat well all day and not over-eat.

I am glad things have started well on the exercise front this week after taking a day trip to my in-laws on Saturday. We had a little too much fun with the diet as we celebrated a birthday with ice cream. And I ate Chick Fil A on the drive home. 

So I needed to get off to a good start to hopefully shed those extra pounds. It was a fun day but eating out of my current comfort zone makes me a little nervous. I think I made up for it though. 

Unfortunately, the weather is supposed to turn back to chilly temperatures for about a week or so. That likely means less walks but the gym is always there when I need it in this situations. And my pre-cooked food should get me through the rest of the week. 

Wish me luck. And thanks for reading. 

A new path

 I know. I know. Another change to this blog. Well, I can't help it. I need to find a niche that's for me and it hasn't been as easy as I thought. 

So here's a new one. This blog is just going to be about me. My life. You may not want to read about that. That's fine. To some, that's not exciting. I get it. 

For this first blog, I want to focus on my current weight loss journey. I say current because I don't know what will happen six months from now. The plan is to make a life change with this latest journey. I think I can do it, but I also don't know what hurdles will get in my way. 

I stepped on the scale in January and saw a number that I didn't think I would ever see. A guy who loves to workout. Who has always had a gym membership. Who enjoys running or walking outside when it's nice out. 

294 pounds. That's what I weight on January 10. That was eye opening and really disappointing.

I knew I wasn't the 185 pound guy that roamed the East side in college. That guy is long gone. But there is no reason for me to ever be nearly 300 pounds. It's unacceptable. And a wake up call to make changes. 

I joined Weight Watchers. And I am not ashamed to admit that. I usually don't bring it up to someone unless they ask. I use the word program a lot. 

Weight Watchers has helped me get my life back. I am down 34 pounds since January 10. I lost 11.2 pounds in the second week of the "program." And the best news is that I have lost at least some weight in each of the seven weigh ins. 

My biggest vices were gas station foods, energy drinks and snacking late at night because I work late at night. 

I don't live a typical life that others live. I wake up between 10-11 each day unless I have to get up for something else. 

As a sports writer, I am basically always on the clock. I spend a lot of time in my car and working at the office until 2 a.m. is common place. 

Since January 10, I have eaten way more fruits and vegetables, I track all of my food and drinks and I have extended what I do at the gym.  

Let me tell you. I feel fantastic. And I don't miss the gas station food and I don't crave energy drinks anymore. I do drink Diet pop still but those are "zero point" items in Weight Watchers and it hasn't seemed to affect the weight loss. But I also drink around 100 ounces of water each day. 

I will use this blog to update those who want to know how I am doing on this journey. I might even share some tips that have worked for me and include some workouts that I do or have done to help me lose weight. 

If you think it is too late to get control of your weight - and your life - please don't. I turned 40 in October. It's never too late.  

I hope you like my story. And my journey. If you don't, well, I understand that, too. 

Niners lose Saleh to the Jets

The San Francisco 49ers will have a new defensive coordinator next season. 

Robert Saleh agreed to be the new head coach of the New York Jets today, ending a successful run for the 49ers. 

Saleh's defense was suspect early in his tenure, but he's proven the last two years that he's a leader of men. Last year, it was the 49ers defense that led the franchise to the Super Bowl. 

And this season, with so many dudes out with injuries including all-world DE Nick Bosa, the defense still ranked in the top 5-10 by multiple metrics. 

Saleh will be missed. Mike LaFleur, a 49ers offensive assistant who Saleh will take with him to be his OC in New York, also will someone who is hard to replace. 

DeMeco Ryans is reportedly who head coach Kyle Shanahan will promote to defensive coordinator. That should keep everything intact from a personnel and scheme side of things. Ryans is one of the best young up and coming coaches in the league and might be one of the guys next in line for a head coaching job at some point. 

Saleh taking the Jets jobs gives the 49ers a pair of third-round picks. One will be used this year and one next offseason. 

The 49ers didn't have a third-round pick because of the Trent Williams trade last offseason so it will be nice to have that level of a pick back. 

Shanahan may have to make another hire and may have to sweeten a few contracts to keep guys from bolting to work with Saleh in New York. He also has plenty of players in red and gold who are free agents that may want to follow Saleh to the Big Apple. 

I expect the 49ers to prioritize offensive tackle Trent Williams and fullback Kyle Juszczyk in free agency. But there are plenty of other guys who also need contracts. Who else will SF want to bring back and who won't they be able to afford? 

As a fan of the team, I hope they find a way to bring back Jeff Wilson Jr, Kerry Hyder, K'Waun Williams, Jason Verrett, Ahkello Witherspoon, Emmanuel Moseley, Daniel Brunskill and Ben Garland. I also wouldn't be mad if Kendrick Bourne and Jordan Reed were back. 

The elephant in the room continues to be the quarterback position. Jimmy Garoppolo is still under contract. But Nick Mullens, C.J. Beathard and Josh Rosen are all free agents. 

Will they keep Jimmy G and try to run it back hoping he's healthy? Could they find a trade partner for Jimmy G and draft a rookie at No. 12? Will they make a play for Deshaun Watson or Matthew Stafford in a trade? And which one of the three 2020 backups, if any, will be back? 

There are lots of questions. And maybe the 49ers don't have any answers yet. I just hope they are working hard on figuring it out. 

Niners end season promising but still lose

I blogged last week about how since the San Francisco 49ers would not have Brandon Aiyuk at wide receiver or Trent Williams at left tackle, among lots of other guys, they had basically no shot to win against division champion Seattle. 

That turned out to be true. But it took a big fourth-quarter comeback by the Seahawks. 

Seattle had 3 total yards in the third quarter as SF went up double digits entering the fourth. The final quarter was very different though as the Seahawks flipped the game to their advantage and won a close one on the road. 

I applaud the effort from the undermanned 49ers. They clearly missed their best players this season. With only rosters of 53 guys, no NFL team can win games consistently with half their roster being out a majority of the games. 

The fact that the Niners finished 6-10 to me is a great accomplishment. I never would have thought they'd get to six wins. And the funny thing is, I think if Kyle Shanahan starts C.J. Beathard over Nick Mullens sooner they may have gotten to 8-8 and into the playoffs. 

Mullens turned the ball over too much and gave them no chance to win games against Philadelphia, Washington and Dallas. That's three wins they might have had with Beathard at QB simply because Beathard showed the ability to just not hurt the team with bad interceptions or fumbles. 

Beathard did lose a fumble after a sack this past Sunday. And it came with the Niners trailing in the fourth quarter with less than 3 minutes to go. But it was the only turnover in the game and the Seahawks had all the momentum because of the comeback. 

Beathard was not outstanding in his starts at the end of the year. But he was 1-1 against .500 or better teams and he took care of the ball much better than Mullens. 

The defense under Robert Saleh was the biggest reason the team was 6-10. The offense had its moments but without a competent QB most of the year, the defense had to be extra good and they were. 

Led by Pro Bowler and future All Pro LB Fred Warner, the defense still ranked in the top 5-10 in most categories even without Nick Bosa and Richard Sherman for most of the year. And they weren't the only guys who missed time. 

Now, as they move into the offseason and try to reset from a season that was plagued by injuries, the question now is, what in-house guys do they re-sign, who do they cut to save salary cap dollars and what do they do at QB? 

They also likely have to replace Robert Saleh at defensive coordinator. 

The loss to Seattle and wins by Minnesota, New England and L.A. Chargers pushed the Niners into the 12th draft pick in this year's NFL Draft. 

Will there by any QBs left to take at that spot? Do they plan to trade up to get their guy? Where will go at DC and will they have to replace Adam Peters in the front office? 

These are things Shanahan and GM John Lynch will be focused on as we move into the offseason. 

Let the rumors fly.  

Niners' roster still one of the best in the NFL

I got the chance to watch the press conferences from George Kittle and Trent Williams heading into the San Francisco 49ers final game of the 2020 season against the Seattle Seahawks.

And what I want to talk about in this blog is injuries. The only reason the 49ers are 6-9 with one game to go is because of injuries. And you can't convince me otherwise. 

Last year, the 49ers went 13-3, were the No. 1 seed in the NFC, cruised to the Super Bowl with two easy playoff wins and had a 10-point lead with 7 minutes to go in said Super Bowl. 

This year, 28 guys go on the IR at some point in the season and the team is probably going to finish 6-10. 

"If we had the same team we opened camp with, I honestly think we'd be fighting for the No. 1 seed," Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams said in a press conference this week. "The proof is in the pudding. They did it last year when they were healthy."

The top talking points this season for the 49ers have been injuries, will Jimmy Garoppolo be back in 2021 and how many in-house free agents can San Francisco afford to keep this offseason?

We will get to those other topics as the offseason progresses. But if San Francisco was healthy, I don't think they lose more than 5 games. The 49ers have proven to be able to beat good teams this year when fully healthy.

Unfortunately, outside of the Week 1 game against Arizona when they blew a second-half lead, the most healthy they were in 2020 came in both games against the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams are likely a playoff team and the Niners swept them. 

This team is built around a strong defense and a solid running game. And outside of the injuries, having to play with a backup quarterback all season is the other big reason for the decline in wins. The backup QB, Nick Mullens, and even Jimmy G when he played, just didn't protect the football enough this season.

https://twitter.com/CamInman/status/1344777617971429382 

The NFC East was pretty bad this year. And the 49ers went 1-3 against that division mostly because they turned the ball over WAY too much against the Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins. 

When they don't turn it over, they have won games in 2020 because the defense despite being down a few dudes here and there all season, was still ranked in the top 10 and the running game was still stout when the QB wasn't tripping over himself. 

"It's been a roller coaster," Williams said. "We have a Super Bowl roster. It just sucks that we couldn't put those guys on the field enough to win more games. We certainly didn't fulfill our potential."

Kittle pointed out that while the team wasn't healthy for the most part, the positive takeaway is that so many young guys got thrown to the fire and those experiences should help the 49ers and add to their depth for 2021. 

"We will be a better in 2021," Kittle said. "One of my biggest takeaways, because of the injuries we had, is that we had guys were able to step up who otherwise wouldn't have gotten the chance in any other year."

The 2020 injuries to Nick Bosa, Richard Sherman, Kittle, Raheem Mostert and others allowed guys like Kerry Hyder Jr., Jason Verrett, Jordan Reed and Jeff Wilson Jr. to get valuable snaps this season. 

Verrett could be the Comeback Player of the Year in the NFL as he was outstanding as one of the few 49er defensive players who was healthy most of the year after missing most of the last two seasons with injuries. 

Bosa's replacement, Hyder Jr., leads the team in sacks. And Wilson Jr. has really broken out this season and he was only able to do so because Mostert and Tevin Coleman were both hurt this year. 

"It was hard to replace Nick Bosa and Richard Sherman and some of the other guys, but the guys behind them got a ton of reps so they are ready to go next year now, too," Kittle said. "Guys behind me when I missed my six weeks got reps, too. That's the positive from being so injured. The young guys were able to get valuable reps that can help us for next year."

Trent Williams' future

The 49ers will have a lot of decisions to make this offseason as they have several in-house players who will be due new contracts from someone.

The biggest must-sign this offseason is Williams as he proved this season to still be one of the best tackles in the game. 

Williams addressed his future somewhat in a recent press conference.

"I definitely don't want to be part of a rebuilding process," Williams said. "I am too long in the tooth for that. But I would put our roster up against any other roster. That's how I see it."

No Aiyuk or Williams, no win for 49ers

 In a year when more than 25 players were placed on the Injured Reserve list, the 49ers will play their final game of the 2020 season without star rookie wideout Brandon Aiyuk and Pro Bowl tackle Trent Williams. 

Both players were injured in last week's win over the Arizona Cardinals. Neither will be available for the finale against arch rival Seattle. 

So for those keeping track at home, the 49ers will be without Jimmy Garoppolo, Raheem Mostert, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams on offense in the season finale. Plenty of other players remain out on both sides of the ball. 

With Seattle still potentially needing the win to stay in the first-round bye conversation, I expect this game won't be that close. And the Niners will finish 6-10 and draft in the top 15.  

Hopefully, disrespectful Kyle comes out and at least gives it a run for his money. CJ Beathard needs to just hand the ball off to Jeff Wilson and throw short passes to George Kittle. Kyle Shanahan can at least dial up some plays to get Kittle open in space. 

It's also a chance to try out for next year's team. Although I am not sure Kendrick Bourne or Richie James will be back. 

The defensive backfield will also play for next year's contract as Seattle has some very good weapons at WR. 

This year's free agency needs to start and end with Williams, who is a must sign this offseason. And if they can extend Fred Warner then do that, too. 

Draft Positioning after Sunday's Games

 If you are a 49ers fan looking to the NFL Draft at this point in the season, you are not alone. 

After the team's win over the Cardinals on Saturday, San Francisco is sitting at No. 14 in the NFL Draft. But if New England loses to Buffalo on Monday, I think that pushes them down to 15th due to the strength of schedule tiebreaker. 

So best-case scenario for 49ers fans would be for New England to win against the Bills. 

And if you want the best draft pick possible, fans should be rooting for the Vikings and Chargers to win in Week 17. That would push them up a few spots.

I am not sure if they can get high enough to nab one of the top four QBs in this next class but that would be ideal for the franchise. I think if a guy like Trey Lance is there, Shanahan pulls the trigger and lets Jimmy G and his contract go. 

Brian Peacock of Locked on 49ers said on his podcast last week that he expects Jimmy G to be in a 49ers uniform last week because he doesn't think the franchise will put someone worse than him on the field next season. 

Whether or not a rookie QB is better than Jimmy G is debatable. But with Jimmy G, Shanahan does have someone who he knows he can win with. And if they get the interior OL figured out, the running game should be able to lead the team back to the playoffs anyway. 

The Niners will try to win next week against Seattle. And another victory would give them some momentum heading into 2021. But it would also push them to outside the top 15 in the draft. 

So winning is losing and losing is winning in the final week of the season. Even if it's against the Seahawks. 

5 Observations about 49ers-Cardinals

 The San Francisco 49ers won a football game on Saturday. They defeated the Arizona Cardinals 20-12. Here are 5 observations about the victory. 

1. No one cares about draft position

As a long-time 49ers fan, I have openly said that if the team is out of the playoffs, the thing to do is lose games to help with draft positioning. 

While I still think that is the most beneficial thing to do for long-term success of the franchise, I appreciate that the franchise themselves values winning football games. 

Kyle Shanahan could have not played George Kittle, who was coming off a pretty significant injury. But Kittle is 100 percent healthy so Shanahan played him. The team is still trying to win games and that's refreshing. 

No, I don't think it's the best plan for us fans. It's going to be better for them in future years to have a top 10 draft pick, but Shanahan said earlier in the week that when he and John Lynch took over the franchise, they wanted to change the culture and tanking is not in the cards. 

I respect that mindset. I appreciate his honesty. And I enjoyed the watching my team win a football game and play a bit of a spoiler for playoff positioning. 

2. Give me Beathard over Mullens

Both C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullens have started plenty of games under center for the 49ers in recent years. Before this season, and it's still the case after this year, is that the only QB to have winning success under Shanahan is Jimmy Garoppolo. 

Beathard started Saturday and won his second game with the franchise. He's now 2-9 as a starter in San Francisco. That's not good. But I firmly believe that you can and should get better as a player the more you play. 

Mullens simply has not gotten better. He's basically plateaued as a QB. We know what we are going to get. 

Beathard looked better Saturday than he ever did before as a starter. He wasn't spectacular as he threw for less than 200 yards. But he had three TD passes and turned the ball over just once. 

When the Niners don't turn the ball over and run the ball like they did against the Cardinals, they are tough to beat. And Beathard was simply solid. He made throws when he had to and didn't make huge mistakes. 

He made a few big throws to former college teammate George Kittle and all three TD passes were on target. And he checked down when it was the right time to do so. The 49ers have plenty of guys who can get yards after the catch and Beathard simply worked the ball to those players. 

Beathard had a few throws that stunk. But he was a lot more effective and a lot less turnover prone than Mullens. And he actually presents a threat to run, too.

3. Days are numbered for Coleman, James and others. 

The Niners have been hampered by injuries all season. They have had at least 28 guys on the IR at some point this season. That's the most in franchise history. 

Because guys like Raheem Mostert, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle have been hurt, others have had a chance to show what they can do. 

Tevin Coleman was signed two years ago. I think this should be his last season as a 49ers RB as he can't stay healthy and he's not that effective when he is. 

Jeff Wilson was an undrafted free agent but looks clearly better than Coleman right now. I would keep Wilson over Coleman as a backup RB to Mostert moving forward. 

Richie James has had way too many drops and fumbles. He's a big play waiting to happen but there's too many bad in between the good for me. If it were my team, I would move forward with Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Kendrick Bourne as my WRs and move on from James and Trent Taylor. Hopefully Jalen Hurd can actually play next year but drafting another WR would be ideal. 

The 49ers have plenty of FAs looming. We will probably see the last of Richard Sherman, too. And what will they do with Trent Williams?

4. Kyler Murray kills the 49ers with his feet. 

This is a no brainer as Murray hurts a lot of teams with his feet. But Murray got yardage in the run game any time he wanted them. And it mostly came on third or fourth down. Not having Nick Bosa hurts but Murray has been great against the 49ers the past two seasons. 

Robert Saleh deserves a head coaching job and it's mostly not his fault as Murray is just an explosive player, but the Niners defense needs to figure out a better way to slow down mobile QBs. 

5. Warner-Greenlaw duo has bright future

Fred Warner showed again why he is a Pro Bowler and one of the best LBs in the NFL. He was great in coverage again as he nearly had a pick six and knocked the ball away from a Cardinal receiver on another play. 

Dre Greenlaw was a late-round draft pick a few years ago but he's been way better than that in his short time in the league. He was all over the field again against the Cardinals and was one of the reasons the Cardinals only had 120 rushing yards. 

Arizona ran 80 plays and scored just 12 points. Warner finished with 14 tackles and three passes defensed and Greenlaw added eight tackles and a tackle for loss. They just might be the best set of young LBs in the NFL. 

Give Fred Warner whatever he wants in FA. He's worth every penny. 

Trying something new

Hey guys.

It's been a while since my last blog post. Things were turned upside down at my day job as our newspaper again made some cuts that forced me into a one-person sports crew. So I haven't been this busy in several years. 

I also was trying to figure out where this blog should go. I could keep just typing about anything I want to talk about. 

But I think the best thing to do to try to grow it is to pick a focus point and stick with it for awhile. Maybe it will lead to something bigger. 

So, I have decided to go to what I know best and what I am most passionate about. And that's San Francisco 49ers football. 

My hope is to blog about games, offseason decisions, draft stuff and anything 49ers related. It will hopefully be fun and be something enough folks will be interested in. 

I listen to enough 49ers podcasts and watch enough YouTube pages geared around the 49ers that I should be able to provide enough material to keep the thing rolling. And when I learn something from someone else, I will be sure to attribute that to that person. 

Let's have some fun. And Let's Go Niners. 

The NL Cy Young Award goes to ...

I went down a rabbit hole tonight, breaking down the 2020 NL Cy Young candidates. 

In my opinion, there are 5 very strong candidates for the award. And they have all been great in their own ways. 

For the sake of this blog, I left all relief pitchers out of this. I don't think a closer or relief pitcher will win the award so I didn't even bother to look anyone up. Although I know there are some good ones. 

Trevor Bauer

Record: 5-4

1.73 ERA ... 73 innings ... 41 hits allowed ... 14 earned runs allowed ... 17 walks ... 100 strikeouts. 

0.79 WHIP ... 12.3 K/9 ... 2.87 FIP ... 277 ERA+ ... .159 BA against ... 2.8 WAR.

Yu Darvish

Record: 7-3

2.22 ERA ... 69 innings ... 56 hits allowed ... 17 earned runs allowed ... 13 walks ... 88 strikeouts. 

1.00 WHIP ... 11.5 K/9 ... 2.23 FIP ... 201 ERA+ ... .219 BA against ... 2.2 WAR.

Jacob deGrom

Record: 4-2

2.14 ERA ... 63 innings ... 42 hits allowed ... 15 earned runs allowed ... 16 walks ... 94 strikeouts.

0.92 WHIP ... 13.4 K/9 ... 1.99 FIP ... 198 ERA+ ... .184 BA against ... 2.5 WAR.

Dinelson Lamet 

Record: 3-1

2.07 ERA ... 65 innings ... 38 hits allowed ... 15 earned runs allowed ... 19 walks ... 89 strikeouts. 

0.87 WHIP ... 12.3 K/9 ... 2.51 FIP ... 207 ERA+ ... .166 BA against ... 2.3 WAR.

Corbin Burnes

Record: 4-1

2.11 ERA ... 59 innings ... 37 hits allowed ... 14 earned runs allowed ... 24 walks ... 88 strikeouts. 

1.02 WHIP ... 13.3 K/9 ... 1.79 FIP ... 258 ERA+ ... .174 BA against ... 2.2 WAR.

Analysis

As you can see, the list is filled with a variety of guys. Bauer and deGrom have both had Cy Young type seasons before with deGrom winning the award in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019. Darvish is a known commodity who had best his season in the bigs this year arguably. And Lamet and Burnes are just getting started in their careers. At least we hope so. 

I think Bauer has the edge with the 2020 award. His ERA is better than anyone's in the NL. He also leads the NL in strikeouts, WHIP and opponents' batting average. I have no idea how to compute the ERA+ but I know the higher the number the better and Bauer leads the league in that, too. 

I am told constantly by the analytics guys that WAR is the best stat to figure out who had the better season. And Bauer has the highest WAR of all these candidates. 

Bauer's FIP is not as great as the other guys. So maybe luck has been on his side a little bit. FIP is basically ERA without taking into account your team's defense and the luck that goes with hitting.

I really like what Burnes and Lamet did this year. If they were more known names, they might even finish higher in the voting. 

Burnes 13.3 K/9 is impressive and is second to only deGrom. His 258+ also is second to only Bauer. And his FIP is lower than anyone on this list. 

Lamet's opponents' batting average and ERA are second to only Bauer. His K/9 is equal to that of Bauer. And his WAR is equal to that of Darvish. 

Speaking of Darvish, as a Reds fan, I thought for sure that he would fade down the stretch of the season. And maybe in a 162 game season he would have. He actually did fade a bit in his final two starts, allowing more than 2 ER in both of them I believe. That's not bad. But it did move his numbers to below that of Bauer and deGrom. 

deGrom has the pedigree of winning the award so that will help him with some voters, especially those on the East Coast. His 13.4 K/9 leads the NL and his 2.5 WAR is second to only Bauer. He does have 10 fewer innings than Bauer so he might be the strikeouts leader if he had the same number of innings. 

You cannot go wrong with any of these guys. I am tired of hearing about the negatives that go with Bauer. 

His "baggage" is just something that his detractors and haters can't get past. 

In the span of a few days, I had arguments with other team's fanbases about how he shouldn't win the award because he's only 5-4 or because he's only done this because he's in a contract year or because he walks off the mound between innings like Connor McGregor sometimes. 

None of that matters with the Cy Young. Or at least it shouldn't. Lots of guys pitch or play well in contract years. That's not uncommon. But it's also not a lock. He is an arrogant and different guy. But he also gives props to his opponents when he gets "got."

The record comment is just dumb. The most ridiculous stat is baseball is the wins statistic that goes with pitchers. It's an arbitrary stat that has little to do with how you perform and more to do with how you pitch and how your team hits and plays defense. 

At one point recently, Bauer ranked second in the NL in lack of run support in the majors behind his teammate Luis Castillo. The Reds have been much better lately so that may not be the case right now. But the fact is, he goes out and pitches well almost every night but doesn't always get the win because the Reds lose 2-1 or 3-2 or 1-0. I think Bauer only gave up more than 3 runs in a start once this year. 

How is it his fault that he is 5-4? Felix Hernandez won the Cy Young in 2010 with a 13-12 record and deGrom was 11-8 last year and 10-9 in 2018. There is precedent for record not mattering when it comes to the Cy Young winner so I doubt a 5-4 record will hurt him that much. 

I am not sure who gets a Cy Young vote or even how many voters there are. Hopefully they look beyond players off the field and focus on what they've done on it. 

If I had a vote, this would be my order of finish in the 2020 NL Cy Young race. ...

1. Trevor Bauer

2. Jacob deGrom

3. Corbin Burnes

4. Yu Darvish

5. Dinelson Lamet

This very well could be the closest vote in the history of the award. And maybe it should be. I just think Bauer leads too many of the most important stats to be overlooked. It's his time. And he should be the first Cincinnati Reds Cy Young winner. 

 

 

Left for dead, the Reds are very much alive

 I definitely gave up on the Cincinnati Reds. I had seen this movie too many times. The offense was a combination of bad and unlucky. 

The offense is still not very good but they hit a lot of home runs. The starting pitching, which was already great, got even down the stretch with a few key starts from relief pitcher Michael Lorenzen and Luis Castillo is in another world right now. 

Another thing that changed that has the Reds back in contention for a playoff spot is the bullpen. 

The arms in the bullpen got much better. And they got rid of guys who just couldn't get it done. I have full confidence in Rasiel Iglesias, Amir Garrett, Lucas Sims and Tejay Antone at this point. Those four guys will be vital to any playoff appearances or even playoff wins. 

The Reds starters can go 6-8 innings every time out. Trevor Bauer is closing in on the Reds' first-ever Cy Young award. 

The Milwaukee Brewers' loss to the St. Louis Cardinals dropped the idle Reds' magic number to clinch a playoff berth to 2. 

The Reds open a series with the Twins on Friday. They will need at least one win to make the postseason. But if they win and any two of the Brewers, Phillies or Giants lose then the Reds are in. The Giants actually have to lose both games of their doubleheader but the other two can lose once and the Reds are in as long as they take down the Twins in the opener. 

I would much rather be playing for positioning in the postseason after Friday then playing to get in the postseason after tomorrow.

The Reds will have Tyler Mahle, Castillo and possibly Bauer on short rest this weekend to lock up a playoff spot. 

Hopefully the offense shows up for three more games and they can take care of business. 

It's been a long time since the Reds were playing baseball in October. And now that they are this close, it would really suck if they fell short. 

The 49ers are still elite

It's been a while since I have blogged. Between my real writing job picking up steam and my daughter being taught remotely at home, I have been super busy lately. 

But since the NFL season is right around the corner, I feel like it's time to throw out some predictions and bold statements. 

The Reds have been super disappointing in MLB so it's time to move my attention to the NFL as my favorite team in all of pro sports played in the Super Bowl last year. 

Some folks are down on the Niners this year. I don't get it. And maybe it's not as bad as I have seen on social media. I have learned that comments on twitter are not always the consensus but more the loud minority. 

There will be a handful of teams that start the season with realistic Super Bowl expectations. 

The Chiefs. The Ravens. The Titans. The Steelers. The 49ers. The Saints. The Packers. The Vikings. The Cowboys. The Seahawks. The Buccaneers. Maybe the Eagles. 

Some of those teams are better than others but I would think all of them think they can win it all. 

But last year, no one predicted the 49ers would be the top seed in the NFC and even make the playoffs. So you just never know. The NFL has long stood for Not For Long for me. 

Windows aren't open for very long. It's all about the head coach, quarterback and defense IMO. If you don't have a top 10ish QB and a top 10ish defense, it's extremely hard to win a title. 

Kansas City has the No. 1 QB in the league. a Hall of Fame head coach and the defense was much better down the stretch and played well in the playoffs when it mattered. 

As a 49ers fan, I love Kyle Shanahan. But if he would have ran the ball just a few more times in the final 7 minutes of the Super Bowl, the Niners would be celebrating a sixth title. 

A 10-point lead with 7 minutes to play for one of the league's best running offenses and Shanahan called three straight running plays when the Chiefs were rallying. It's not like KC's defense was stopping the run. The Niners averaged five yards per carry in the game. 

I'm still bitter. I took me weeks to get over the loss. Nothing hurts me more as a sports fan than when the Niners lose a big game or the Super Bowl. Especially when they had a lead late in the game. 

But I don't think this team is just done either like some have suggested. Not sure why they aren't picked to win the NFC West. They bring back most of the roster that got them to the Super Bowl. And they add some really key pieces, too. 

Trent Williams at left tackle. Jerick McKinnon as a third-down back. Trent Taylor as a slot receiver. None of these guys played in the Super Bowl last year. All three are upgrades from what they had on the field last year. 

Joe Staley is a Hall of Fame left tackle. But Trent Williams is a better player at this point of his career. And the word is that Williams is now up to 315 pounds. He's one of the best tackles in the game when he's right mentally and I think he'll be amped up to play for his former coach and for one of the best teams in the league. 

Jimmy G is going to love having Williams protect his blindside. 

McKinnon is a guy who Shanahan signed early in his tenure. He hand picked the Jet to be a big part of his offense. And injuries has forced him to the sidelines the past two years. McKinnon is reportedly healthy now and if it stays that way, he will be a nightmare for teams to cover. 

Trent Taylor was Jimmy G's favorite target when he was a rookie. Not having his security blanket last year was a big deal. I think Taylor is severely underrated and will be one of the top receivers on this team this season. 

Throw in Brandon Aiyuk at receiver, a full season with Raheem Mostert as the main running back and a full second year in Shanahan's system for Jimmy G and the Niners' offense should be much better in 2020. 

Jimmy G will be just the third QB in Niners history to eclipse 4,000 yards and he could give Jeff Garcia's franchise record a run for the money.  

The defense should be fine, too. Especially if Dee Ford's knees hold out a little longer than they did last year. The pass rush will be awesome, I think collectively Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw and Kwon Alexander are one of the best linebacking duos in the game and the secondary was a big key to the defense last year and everyone is back. 

The Niners should finish no worse than 10-6. I think that's a low bar for this team but if there are injuries, 10-6 is a fair prediction. It's hard to go 13-3 every year so my final prediction is 11-5. But if they get back to the Super Bowl, I think they finish the deal this time. 

Predictions

AFC East - Bills

AFC West - Chiefs

AFC North - Ravens

AFC South - Titans

Wild Card - Steelers

Wild Card - Colts

Wild Card - Patriots

NFC East - Cowboys

NFC West - 49ers

NFC North - Packers

NFC South - Saints

Wild Card - Vikings

Wild Card - Seahawks

Wild Card - Buccaneers

Movie Reviews: Resurrecting the Champ and Blue Steel

 I got the chance to watch a few movies that I had not yet seen the past few nights. 

We dropped cable awhile back but we have about every streaming service there is. That's not entirely accurate but we have a lot. 

Tubi is one that I have discovered recently. It has a bunch of movies and TV shows. The movies are mostly ones I had never heard of before. There are a few in there that I know and love. But I had never heard Blue Steel before seeing it. I had stumbled across Resurrecting the Champ before but never watched it. 

Resurrecting The Champ hits home with me. It's about a struggling sports journalist who is looking for his big break. And he runs into a former boxer who most people who know him thought was dead. 

Josh Hartnett plays the role of the writer and he's basically undercover trying to learn more about the boxer, who is played by Samuel L. Jackson. 

Hartnett is also battling through a struggling marriage and doesn't have the best relationship with his young son. 

The ending of the movie is surprising and Hartnett's big story leads him to triumph, opportunities within his profession and a sad conclusion. 

Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 60 percent rating. I think it was a little better than that. I am a sports writer too so it was a great look into the field of study I went into. 

Blue Steel is an action crime drama starring Jamie Lee Curtis as a rookie cop who must engage in a cat-and-mouse game with a pistol-wielding psychopath who becomes obsessed with her.

In one of the first few scenes, Curtis finds herself in the middle of a robbery at a grocery store where she shoots the suspect and saves a bunch of hostages. One of the hostages though flees the scene with the gun of the suspect. 

I enjoyed the movie, but there are some holes that don't get filled. At least from what I can tell. The man who gets away, played by Ron Silver, suddenly becomes a ragic lunatic because he came into contact with a gun for the first time? 

And Silver's character talks to himself in a few scenes like he is possessed. But I never really understood what that was about. 

Curtis and Silver end up in a relationship as Silver becomes obsessed with her. He kills innocent people along the way and eventually works his way to people Megan Turner, played by Curtis, cares about. 

Rotten Tomatoes gave this one a rating of 75 percent. I would say that's about right, maybe a little lower on my end. Good movie. Not great. But I usually enjoy Jamie Lee Curtis movies. 

What a year 2020 has been

 The year 2020 didn't start half bad. I mean January and February weren't half bad. 

Then came March, April, May, June, July and August. And September and October don't appear to be any better. Maybe by November we can be back to somewhat normal. But don't bet on it. 

My lifetime has had a lot of bad years. The floods of 1993 were really bad. I remember a big ice storm when I was a kid. Other years weren't great either. 

But 2020 when you add up everything we lost because of COVID-19 and are now dealing with because of something I had never heard of, it's been a no fun year. 

Did anyone know what a derecho was before Monday? I surely didn't. It certainly did some damage. My town of Newton, Iowa, is still picking up the pieces and some of us still don't have any power. 

My family and I were fortunate. Our power came back on after about 11 hours. Our street had some damage but not anything that caused the destruction of power lines. I did see a few houses down the street that had trees land on them. 

I thought 11 hours was a long time. But my parents house went about five days without power. That sounds awful. I am glad they have it back and I hope others can get it back soon. Some other members of our family are still without it so that's not any fun. 

My work building was without power until just last night. Then our internet and servers kicked back on tonight. So my work should get back to normal soon. 

It will take some time still to get things straightened out. Alliant Energy and MidAmerican Energy is busting their butts to get everything back up and running. I bet a lot of those guys haven't slept much lately. 

The derecho just adds to a horrific year. A year that saw us lose March Madness, the Iowa State Fair, RAGBRAI, several concerts, the Iowa Cubs season and Hawkeye football. Other sports were called off. The NBA and NHL seasons were stopped in the middle and needed "bubble" setups to work. 

The MLB couldn't get its season going until mid-July. And it hasn't been perfect as the Marlins and Cardinals have had COVID-19 outbreaks. The Cardinals have played only 5 games and are still out of action. 

The NFL will be able to figure it out I think. The rosters are larger but the NFL is a cash cow that just seems to go on as planned no matter what gets in its way. 

My wife will go back to school here soon to start another year of teaching. But the district just announced today that damage done by the derecho will delay that to Sept. 8. Several buildings were damaged enough to push back the start date. 

Our 7-year-old is starting 2nd grade this fall. And I will be her teacher for at least the first 9 weeks. It's going to be a crazy school year for her. She hasn't seen her friends much the past several months. It's not how a young girl is supposed to live but she has taken like a champ. 

She wears a mask better than I do. She understands she has to wear one and hasn't complained at all. Me, the masks make me hot and my glasses fog over so it's not the best thing for me. 

I got new glasses today and the mask I like to use the most now doesn't fog up them so far. That's a good sign as I will begin covering volleyball matches soon. I will be wearing a mask indoors at events I work. Something about being inside a gym with a good number of people makes me nervous. 

Outside is a different story. I don't think it is that big of a deal because it's a lot easier to social distance.

We are all in challenging times. It's no one's fault. But it would be nice if we all handled this situation more like my 7-year-old and less like immature adults who don't like to follow rules because we are making them follow rules. 

We are in this together. We should be anyways.