Can KOC and Uncle Sam Win A Playoff Game?

 Going into the Lions game last week, I had zero worries about KOC and Uncle Sam. Then, they both laid an egg in a winnable game. Now, I have very little confidence in the offensive side of the ball. Sam looked terrible. KOC has Campbellitis. I can't get that bad taste from last week out of my mouth.

What will tonight's game bring? Will the squad play with grit and win this winnable game?

I'll believe it when I see it. 

Prove you can do it, coach.

Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing Is Now Live For '25

 Fantasy Fishing is now open for business at bassmasterfantasy.com. The prizes are in line with what has been offered in the past, not bad for a game that is totally free to play. You don't have to know much about the anglers or lakes to win. There are a total of 10 different tournaments from February to August. 

There are two different games. The traditional fantasy game is where Anglers are grouped into 5 different buckets where you select one angler per bucket. The buckets reset every tournament based on AOY standing, so you have to pick a new team for every tournament. Then, there is the Drain The Lake game, which is an elimintor game. You get to pick an angler to do well in one tournament, and then they are eliminated from your choices for the rest of the year.

I recommend joining groups where you can win prizes. The end-of-the-year prizes from the Tackle Warehouse group are pretty substantial. I've never done well in end-of-the-year standings but have won a few prizes over the years.

Uncle Sam Folds Under The Pressure, Vikes 14-3

 

Uncle Sam drove the car into the ditch last night, and I don't know if it is salvageable or not. He may have been too amped up and then got frustrated instead of becoming focused when he couldn't get things back on track. His performance was an A+ disaster. The Vikes would have won if Uncle Sam had shown up instead of Bad Sam. I think Bad Sam only showed up one time this year. Bad Sam was definitely the guy in London missing passes left and right. In Jacksonville, Uncle Sam threw three interceptions in the red zone, but other than those plays was dealing that day. 

I had quibbles this game with KOC not running the ball enough per usual. KOC got Dan Campbelitis, and we have had Special Teams lapses yet again. Gink dropped, an almost sure Pick-6 had he been able to catch the ball. Nailor tripped on himself and fell out of bounds with tons of open field ahead of him. Jets dropped a couple of passes, one of them being in the endzone. But all that stuff doesn't matter much when Bad Sam completes under 50% of his passes. That just won't work with a KOC offense because he was missing just about every downfield throw.

B Flo's Defense played Championship level football up until the drop by Gink at the start of the 3rd Quarter. That sucked the spirit right out of the unit. Game Over! A few plays later, the Lions went up 24-9, and the route was on. Gibbs padded his numbers on the next series, which was garbage time in my mind.

Uncle Sam and the team just need to throw this game in the dumpster and get back to themselves next week, and the team will be fine in LA. I thought the Vikes first loss to the Rams was a fluke based on a perfect storm of factors that worked against the Vikings. That theory gets put to the test on Monday Night Football. It's a chance for Sam to redeem himself a bit and prove the doubters wrong. One step at a time is the only way to get anywhere you need to go. I am still on the bandwagon, even if we are in the ditch.

If the Vikes do lose next week, I will be disappointed this magical season is over, but depression won't set in. I was playing with house money in every game with Uncle Sam, and he delivered 14 wins, which is outstanding! It is just a bad break that the Lions are 15-2 and got the #1 Seed.

If the Vikes do win next week, I will be grateful for another week in a magical season! 

BP"s 2024 Bass Lure of The Year

 

With Platte Lake in its second year of recovery from the 22/23 Winter Kill and me struggling to stay on the bass in Sullivan, it made for the most challenging bass fishing I've experienced in years.  There was a period from the MN Fishing Opener to when the rice came up in early June when the Houdini-colored Z-Man Turbo FattyZ was 🔥. Then the bite just collapsed when the shiner minnows moved deep. I caught the vast majority of 153 bass on the FattyZ in that window. It was the only lure I caught a hundred bass on for the year. I did catch 258 bass on frogs and toads, but that was spread out over about 20 different lures. Here is to hoping that bass fishing in 2025 improves.

January 3rd Sunset at the GOMH

 Happy Birthday to me! I went for a short drive around sunset tonight. Temp out was 10℉. There is almost no snow after that Christmas warm-up. We will be on the cold side of things for about a week, before the temps look to get closer to average late next week. I am grateful to live in lake country.

What To Do With Uncle Sam?

 Honestly, I'm not very worried about what the Vikings brain trust decided to do. They have earned my trust by putting together this season's roster. They know what they have in-house better than anybody. I doubt they let him walk. His skill set is too elite. He and KOC have proved to be a perfect match for each other. The guy has won 14 games with a shot at 15. He is tough, cold-blooded, and puts in the work. I'm sure they will figure something out that works for Uncle Sam and the team. It will shock me if that isn't the case. Uncle Sam knows he's got a good thing going here, and his priorities will dictate what the Vikings organization will do. If Sam chooses to chase the $ like Kirk, the Viking's brain trust will be forced into some hard decisions. Hopefully, it doesn't come to that, and they can work something out where everybody wins, and Sam stays for multiple successful seasons. If the team is forced to go another way because the asking price doesn't meet the budget, I wish Uncle Sam well. Business is business.  

BP's 2024 Top Lure

2024 #1 Lure Was A Glow Demon

 2024 was a crappie year, as witnessed by a crappie lures/jigs being my the top producing lure for the year.  I caught 381 fish between ice and open water on a Glow Demon Jig and a minnow. The vast majority of those fish were crappie/silver bullheads. The Demon shined especially bright at the Grumpy Old Man Hole where it brought in 213 "silvers."  

December 31st At The GOMH & More

 

Platte Lake Access

Eddy's Jetty

Zoomed Out

I went for a drive on the final day of the year. There were maybe 5 fish houses on Long. About a dozen people on Bulldog fishing. Rock Lake didn't have a house on it, and there were no vehicles in the lot or out on the ice, as far as I could see I didn't get out of the car. Platte had a smattering of houses out and a couple of small bunches. On Sullivan, they seemed to be spread out. Same thing on Shakopee with maybe a dozen or so vehicles. On Mille Lacs there were maybe 20 shacks out to the South out of Randy's and a small cluster of Eddy's Houses to the North.

Goodbye 2024.

Super Sam Sweeps the Pack In 2024, 14-2 BOOM!

 

Super Sam was "The Man" yet again. He went 33/43 for 372 yards using 8 different receivers, throwing 3 TDs and had a QB rating of 116.1. Amazing day. The Vikes held the Pack down for three-quarters, then held on at the end to win 27-25. The game really wasn't that close, and I never doubted that the Vikes would win. I was not happy with the pick Uncle Sam threw that let the Pack think they had a chance, and our Special Teams had another bad game. Our kicker, Will the Thrill, needs to get himself squared away.

Now it is on to Detriot for the opportunity to be the NFC #1 Seed, which comes with a first-round bye and home-field advantage. I am bullish on the Vikes chances for so many reasons. Some of them are:

The Vikes are healthier as a team than in the first meeting this season. We got Cashman and Hock playing this time.

The Lions D is a MASH Unit and will be missing their power running back.

The Vikes got Uncle/Super Sam throwing the rock to our elite receiver corps.
Dan Campbell played his starters for the whole game vs. the 49ers. Not bright when they had nothing to play for.
The 49ers were hitting.

The Lions will have a short week and played on the West Coast.

The Vikes just played really well in Seattle, giving the offense experience and confidence in a really loud environment against a defense that is a couple of notches better than the Lions.

We won the Seattle game on a short week.

The Pack lost to us playing on a short week where they played at home, so they didn't have to deal with the travel headache the Lions do.

The Vikes will come in as underdogs with revenge on their mind.

The Lions are trying to hold on to the Division Crown and #1 Seed and the Vikes have positioned themselves to take it with the win.

I really like the Vikes chances, SKOL!

My Juice In 2024

 I do not in any way attribute the disappointing fishing I experienced this year to me sharing my "Juice" last year. This year was just off. The Jumpin Bullhead bite was off at the Grumpy Old Man Hole. The frog and topwater bite were a struggle. 2024 was just off. 

Here is my Juice for 2024

2024 Platte/Sullivan Trips Fish Caught

Sullivan Only Trips

Platte Only Trips

Platte Lake was just brutal for me this year.

Here is the Juice for me in 2024. Where I did my ice fishing:

Sure the panfish and pike are small for the most part, but I got a lot of action.

Bro's Big Bass Battle Declared No Contest Again in 2024

3.92lbs

Once again, I am declaring the Battle of Big Bass between my bro's no contest for the second straight year.

Steve and I got out for three trips, and Steve only got one little bass on those three trips. Todd and I got out 11 times.  Todd got skunked on four of those trips and only caught 23 bass on the trips he took with me. Steve wanted to get out more this year, but the fishing was so tough for me that I didn't feel comfortable inviting him out for a struggle session. 2024 was a tough bite. 

Vikes Win In Seattle, 13-2!

 

Super Sam showed up in Seattle on Sunday. Some drops by receivers and crappy clock management at the end of the first half kept Seattle in the game. Uncle Sam and Jets would not be denied when it mattered. Gink sacked Geno twice. And they picked Geno off to seal it.

13-2. If the Vikes can beat the Packers, the #1 Seed will be there for the taking Week 18 in Detroit.  

Vikes Beat Da Bears, Now 12-2 And Control Destiny

 

The Fans and Defense carried the team this week until the Offense finally locked in the second half and put Da Bears away 30-12. Uncle Sam and Jetta didn't have a great game but made plays when it counted. Free 3 got thrown like a rag doll, drawing a long PI call on the defense in the endzone. The running game looked good with plenty of bursts from Jones, who scored his 50th career TD; Cam Akers ran it in after the PI of Addison.

The Lions lost a boat race at home to the Buffalo Bills 48-42, so now, if the Vikings win out, they will probably get the #1 Seed in the NFC. Winning the next two games is critical to achieving that goal. We are going to Seattle on a short week after playing on Monday night. Geno Smith, the Seahawks QB, injured his knee vs. the Packers in a highly physical game that the Hawks lost on Sunday Night. The Hawk's backup QB looked lost. Geno is a gamer who will probably try to play, but the chances of him being 100% are not good. The Vikes D will be licking their chops. The Hawks can't afford to lose this game. If the Vike's O-Line holds up and our running game gets going, I don't see how the Hawks can keep up without getting multiple turnovers.  

The next two weeks, the Vikes play the Packers at home and the Lions in Detroit; both teams will be on short weeks coming off of Monday night games, so the schedule makers did us a solid, provided we don't stumble on our short week. If the Vikings can beat the Hawks and the Pack without sustaining any costly injuries, I really like their chances versus that beat-up Lions team, which could be a game or two behind us if my boys take care of business. 

SKOL Vikes!

Went For A Drive Today

 

Platte Lake Access

December Dreams of Soren

Update 12/18/24
 I had another dream with Soren. It's one that I have had or one similar to it in the past.  It was summer, and we were in the cabin at Lake Sylvia; I let Soren out. He bounded down the driveway, chasing after squirrels and birds. Then he came running back up toward me before veering off down toward the lake on a dirt path that a neighbor labor lady was coming up with her dog. Maybe a Springer Spaniel. The dogs met. Soren tried to get it to play. I called Soren, and he did listen. He came right back to me in the cabin like a good pup, and I gave him a treat.

Update 12/21/24
So this morning, I was dreaming about hanging out with Soren in the backyard of the house in Bloomington, and I decided to go fishing for bass because I had a pile of my fishing rods sitting there. I grabbed a Bass Pro Crackin' Stick, which, upon closer inspection, turned into a Shimano Crucial with a handless reel that disintegrated and came apart as I was looking at it.  I set that mess down, grabbed my bunch of rods, and went to the back of the house, where I laid the rods down against the house. I picked a rod that had a Strike King Skippin' Jig on it. I noticed dogs roaming around in a couple of yards to the north Soren didn't seem interested in them or they in Soren. I cast to the fence line to the North, where I had recently had some success. The line on the reel wasn't sitting right, so I let out the line and walked toward the South fence line. I got the line straightened out and reeled that cast back in. I walked within pitching distance of the North fence line and the neighbor's garage. Soren was snooping around and got on the other side of the fence, then went and lay down next to the driveway. There was water and rocks between the garage and the fence, which I worked diligently but didn't get any bites.

In my dreams sometimes I catch fish in yards, sometimes not. This time I got skunked..  

Uncle Sam Goes Off, Vikes 11-2

Put the tights and cape on the man, Uncle Sam turned into Super Sam; He along with Free 3, Jordan Addison, and Justin Jefferson, put on a show for Kirko, Viking Nation, and the world. It seemed to me that three weeks back, during the Titans game, things clicked for Uncle Sam and his play got locked in at a higher level. He was more confident, made better decisions, and let her rip every throw. With few exceptions, that has been Darnold ever since. Aaron Jones looked like he was close to being back to 100% yesterday. The O-Line had some problems early again but were rolling in the 2nd Half.

The D continued to produce turnovers, but I'm a bit concerned about the lack of pass rush and leaky run game the last couple of games. Hopefully, an extra day before Da Bears tilt at home will give the D a "second wind" that will allow them to get on a roll as the playoffs approach.

 

 

Vikes vs. Kirko Prediction

 

I believe Kirko gets the hook if he turns the ball over twice by halftime or three times by the fourth quarter.