This was certainly a season! Whether we were losing via kickoff return TD on the last play of the game, losing by a field goal with less than a minute to go only to quickly march down the field and miss a field goal of our own, losing in overtime, losing by a 63-yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining, losing because we went for it on 4th down from our own 33 yard line in a tie game with four seconds to go, losing to a team on a 30-game losing streak, or occasionally winning, I have to admit that we were one of the more entertaining teams in football this season. Sadly this marks an end to our playoff run of four consecutive seasons, but all good things must come to an end. Congratulations to all of the standout players from each game!
WEEK 1 GAME BALL - WR Joshua Campbell
Joshua Campbell started the season off with a bang, setting a Butchers' franchise record with 185 receiving yards in a standout 38-31 victory against the defending champion Sarasota Sailfish. On a mere 5 receptions, Campbell is averaging 37 yards per catch and currently leads the league in receiving yards, leading Orange County's Garfield Despacito, Jr. by 36 yards (or approximately 1 Campbell reception).
Campbell's most important play of the day came shortly after the Butchers receiving the second half kickoff. On the fourth play of the drive, Campbell reeled in a 43 yard touchdown pass from George O'Donnell, extending the Butchers' lead to 8 in a series that took only 2:13 off of the game clock.
In addition to his receiving line of 5/185/1, Campbell also finished the day with no penalties or drops and is surely looking ahead to a Week 2 reunion in Baltimore where he faces a severely diminished Hawks team in the midst of an 18-game losing streak.
WEEK 2 GAME BALL - CB Osiris Firestorm-Fjord
The Butchers improved to 2-0 after a lopsided victory against the hapless Baltimore Hawks. Though many Butchers' players are deserving of a game ball, this week's honor goes to longtime CB standout Osiris Firestorm-Fjord for multiple impact plays throughout the course of the game.
Though Firestorm-Fjord played a big part in shutting down the Hawks passing attack, his first splash play of the day came on special teams. After a three and out by Baltimore, Firestorm-Fjord returned an Armando Galarraga punt 78 yards, getting tackled just shy of the end zone. Then, on the Hawks' first drive of the second half, FIrestorm-Fjord showed up again by intercepting a Luke Skywalker pass and returning it to the Baltimore red zone. Finally, late in the fourth quarter, Firestorm-Fjord stripped Baltimore tight end Donatello Arrabiata of the ball, extinguishing any lingering hopes the Hawks had of keeping the game close.
Firestorm-Fjord ended the game with nine tackles, three pass breakups, a forced fumble, and an interception alongside his 100 punt return yards.
WEEK 3 GAME BALL - K/P Sam Sidekick
While I hate to remind everyone of exactly how this game played out, it's still important to acknowledge the individual successes that played a big role in the game. Sidekick was called upon several times in the Butchers' game against the Philadelphia Liberty and delivered on every occasion.
In the kicking game, Sidekick can account for 17 of the team's 29 points, knocking home two extra points and field goals from 36, 49, 49, 34, and 53 yards (notably, the 53-yarder is a game winner under any other circumstance, giving the Butchers a two point lead with five seconds remaining). Additionally, Sidekick downed two of their four punts inside the opponents' 20 yard line, leading to long fields for the Liberty offense. Perhaps Sidekick's only error of the game came on the final play when the kicking team should have performed a squib kick, but this was likely a "coaching" mistake (cough, sim).
WEEK 4 GAME BALL - S Damian Blackfyre
Unfortunately the season's doubleheader culminated in a loss for the Butchers, but Blackfyre made some key plays on defense to keep the team in the thick of it up until time expired.
After a missed field goal gave Colorado terrific field position on their second possession of the game, Blackfyre quickly put to bed any hopes that Colorado would score again by picking off Mattathias Caliban on the first play of the drive. Blackfyre's second impact play came on the Yeti's final drive of the game--after a William Lim first down reception in the Chicago red zone, Blackfyre dislodged the ball. Recovering the fumble would have meant a game-winning touchdown drive from the Chicago offense was possible, but Lim was able to recover the fumble.
Blackfyre ended the game with four tackles and two pass deflections in addition to his interception and forced fumble.
WEEK 5 GAME BALL - OL Mo "Mamba" Magic
In what was a mostly pedestrian game by the Chicago offense and defense, the offensive line's performance was to be lauded. Anchored by a game high ten pancakes from Mo Magic, the offensive line came out on top in the battle of the trenches. In total the team racked up an astounding 50 pancakes, and no player was credited with a sack allowed. Magic's play even inspired the receiving corps, with 205-pound receiver Luca Scabbia registering five pancakes to his name. The unit also played a relatively clean game, with the only offensive penalty coming on a holding call against Julio Jones on the Butchers' first drive.
Magic's ten pancakes on the day bring him to a total of 37 on the season. Still at zero sacks allowed through five games, Magic looks to be in contention for consideration for Offensive Lineman of the Year if he can keep up this pace.
WEEK 6 GAME BALL - WR Luca Scabbia
Scabbia's inspired play continues throughout the early part of Season 28 in all aspects of the game. On the first possession of the game, Scabbia caught a total of three passes from Butchers' QB George O'Donnell, including a one yard touchdown reception to successfully finish the drive. Scabbia would continue to catch passes sporadically throughout the game before and make another big impact play on the Butchers' final drive of the fourth quarter. After an Outlaws' touchdown saw them go up by 7 with under two minutes to go, Scabbia returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards to establish great field position for a drive that would culminate in a game-tying Gelbman TD reception.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Scabbia's day was his contribution to the Butchers' running attack. Luca amassed a whopping eight pancakes--twice that of any player on the Outlaws--to assist Yoda and Hayes in ripping off 5.7 yards per carry.
Scabbia ends the day with nine receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown in addition to his eight pancakes and long kick return.
WEEK 7 GAME BALL - QB George O'Donnell
After a long stretch, the Butchers return to winning with a shootout in Berlin that put an end to the Fire Salamanders' undefeated season. Entering the fourth quarter with 20 points, Chicago would more than double their point total on the back of an insane period of football by O'Donnell.
In the span of about ten minutes, O'Donnell put on a clinic, completing six of eight passes for 205 yards, including a pair of touchdowns to receiver Joshua Campbell and the game-winning touchdown to tight end Tree Gelbman with less than two minutes to go. His only incompletions during the quarter were a defended pass attempt to the fullback McZeal and a drop by rookie running back Madison Hayes. In both instances, the Butchers would score on the very next play from scrimmage.
In total, O'Donnell was 21/31 for a blazing 420 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 150.2 passer rating.
WEEK 8 GAME BALL - WR Luca Scabbia
The first repeat game ball winner of the season, Scabbia had a stellar game, hauling in eight of eleven targets for 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns (including the game winner) in Chicago's win over Orange County.
Scabbia's clutch touchdown catch at the start of fourth quarter came on 3rd and short, meaning that the Butchers would have settled for a chip shot field goal from Sam Sidekick had the pass come up short. As the final margin of victory over the Otters was only three, this play was crucially important in determining the outcome of the game.
Scabbia also added 55 kick return yards and a couple of pancakes to his receiving totals on the evening.
Chicago's 'road warrior' season rolls on as the Butchers to improve to 3-1 away from home and will have a chance to improve their lackluster home record against San Jose next week.
WEEK 9 GAME BALL - WR Mike Hunt
Coming into the Butchers Week 9 matchup against the San Jose Sabercats, rookie wide receiver Mike Hunt had totaled 248 yards on 19 receptions in the previous eight games, serving as the fourth receiving option behind fellow wideouts Luca Scabbia and Joshua Campbell and tight end Tree Gelbman. In what can only be described as a breakout game, Hunt hauled in eight of nine targets that came his way for a game high 143 yards.
Hunt was able to repeatedly exploit favorable matchups against San Jose safeties and linebackers and rack up tons of yardage after the catch, as five of his eight receptions resulted in first downs for the Chicago offense. Hunt was also the recipient of the final play of the game, where he caught a 51 yard pass from George O'Donnell that would have put the Butchers in easy field goal range. For all of their bad luck, the team continues to delight neutral observers with exciting football, as they have now played in seven consecutive games that were decided by one possession.
WEEK 10 GAME BALL - OL Julio Jones
Always good to give offensive linemen recognition for a game well played. This time, it was Jones' turn to rack up double digits pancakes for the Butchers' esteemed offensive line. Jones tallied ten pancakes against the Yellowknife Wraiths, nicely bringing his total for the season to 69. This puts Jones in the top ten among offensive linemen (alongside his teammate Mo Magic). This marks Jones' third outing with ten or more pancakes, and he has yet to concede a sack on the season. In addition to a prolific day of blocking Jones also played a completely clean game, committing zero penalties.
Led by Jones' performance, the Butchers surpassed 400 total pancakes as a team becoming the first team to do so. With Berlin and Colorado hot on their heels, Chicago will need to continue battering unsuspected defensive players en masse to maintain their pancake lead. Their next game is against the Sarasota Sailfish, who are coincidentally the only team with fewer than 300 total pancakes.
WEEK 11 GAME BALL - RB Madison Hayes
Madison Hayes earns her first game ball as a Chicago Butcher with her third multi-touchdown performance of the season. Both of Hayes' touchdowns came in the third quarter. After a deep pass to Joshua Campbell saw the Butchers enter the Sarasota red zone, Hayes would score on a 12 yard reception on the very next play. Then, on the final play of the quarter, Hayes found paydirt on a five yard run that ensured the Chicago offense would not have to settle for a field goal. In addition to the two touchdowns, Hayes finished the day with 44 rushing yards on ten carries and 40 receiving yards on five receptions as well as a couple of pancake blocks.
Hayes now boasts 450 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, and 344 receiving yards, leading each category among rookie running backs. With her contributions on the field, Hayes' role in the Chicago offense should continue to grow and keep her solidly in contention for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
WEEK 12 GAME BALL - DT Daymond Brooks
In what was the easiest game ball decision so far this season Daymond Brooks had a monstrous performance under the New York lights, tallying 12 tackles, including three tackles for loss and a sack. Brooks' sack on Sam Howitzer resulted in a 3rd and 28 for the Silverbacks, which promptly resulted in a punt on the following play. Additionally, two of his tackles for loss came on consecutive plays in the fourth quarter. effectively stopping a drive all by himself.
12 tackles and 3 TFL are both season highs for Brooks, with the tackle mark also being a season high for the entire Butchers roster (especially impressive given Brooks' position of DT). Brooks leads all defensive tackles in tackles, TFL, and sacks through 12 games and should be the leading contender for his positional award as the team returns home to host the Colorado Yeti in Week 13.
WEEK 13 GAME BALL - S Evan Jones
The Butchers snapped a four game skid at home against Colorado on the back of strong play by the entire defensive unit, holding the Yeti to just a single touchdown. Perhaps the biggest impact player of the day was safety Evan Jones, who recorded a line of four tackles, one sack, and two passes defended. While these totals may seem low on the surface, the situations in which Jones tallied them had a massive impact on the game. His sack on Caliban came on 3rd down just outside of the Chicago red zone, forcing Colorado to settle for a field goal instead of a potential game-winning touchdown. Similarly, both of Jones' pass breakups came on 3rd downs, killing potential scoring opportunities for the Yeti.
Chicago stays home next week as they look to extend the Baltimore Hawks losing streak to 31. If previous patterns hold the Butchers should claim victory, as Chicago has always won back-to-back games this season before being beaten.
WEEK 14 GAME BALL - LB Alejandro Chainbreaker
Best to talk about this result as little as possible and move onto next week. Chainbreaker is very deserving of this week's game ball, as he led the team in tackles (7), sacks (1, the only Butcher to record a sack against the Hawks), and PD (1, tied with Tyron Shields and Evan Jones). Chainbreaker did his best to keep Chicago in the game during the fourth quarter, as his sack and one of his seven tackles were third down stops that forced Baltimore to punt.
After a breakout rookie season last year, Chainbreaker is now a mainstay of the Butchers defense. A constant presence in the opponent's backfield, he is 2nd on the team in both sacks and tackles for loss. Next week Chicago hosts the Berlin Fire Salamanders, and while the team cannot make the playoffs this season, they can still hope to hand Berlin a loss and help ruin some seeding aspirations.
WEEK 15 GAME BALL - LB Wasrabi Gleel
After a long season where he has consistently put in tons of effort, I'm happy to award this week's game ball to Wasrabi Gleel. Even though the game ended in a loss to the league leading Fire Salamanders, Gleel showed up in a big way by leading the defense with seven tackles and two sacks on the day.
By recording his fifth and sixth sacks of the season, Gleel guarantees that he will improve upon his sack totals from last season (4) as well as his overall tackle numbers (currently 89 up from 74). Gleel is also the only player on the Chicago defense to score a touchdown this season, which he did on an interception return in the Butcher's first game against Berlin in Week 7.
The Butchers close out their season on the road against the Philadelphia Liberty next week, where they will look to avenge a heartbreaking loss in Week 3.
WEEK 16 GAME BALL - WR Joshua Campbell
Campbell bookends the season by winning the first and the sixteenth Butchers game ball with an outstanding performance in Philadelphia, where he caught six passes for 124 yards and three touchdowns. His three touchdown receptions match a Butchers franchise record, originally set by Josh Parker in Season 18.
Campbell ends the season with 1,384 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns (both top ten marks in the league) and finishes Season 28 as the league leader in yards per reception among qualified players. Campbell joins his fellow wide receiver Luca Scabbia (also top ten in receiving yards) as the only two players to receive multiple game balls this season.
*Special shout out to Tyron Shields for his line of nine tackles, two forced fumbles (one of which he recovered), and two passes defended. On any other day he'd get the game ball here, but everyone knows that GMs don't get game balls!
WEEK 1 GAME BALL - WR Joshua Campbell
Joshua Campbell started the season off with a bang, setting a Butchers' franchise record with 185 receiving yards in a standout 38-31 victory against the defending champion Sarasota Sailfish. On a mere 5 receptions, Campbell is averaging 37 yards per catch and currently leads the league in receiving yards, leading Orange County's Garfield Despacito, Jr. by 36 yards (or approximately 1 Campbell reception).
Campbell's most important play of the day came shortly after the Butchers receiving the second half kickoff. On the fourth play of the drive, Campbell reeled in a 43 yard touchdown pass from George O'Donnell, extending the Butchers' lead to 8 in a series that took only 2:13 off of the game clock.
In addition to his receiving line of 5/185/1, Campbell also finished the day with no penalties or drops and is surely looking ahead to a Week 2 reunion in Baltimore where he faces a severely diminished Hawks team in the midst of an 18-game losing streak.
WEEK 2 GAME BALL - CB Osiris Firestorm-Fjord
The Butchers improved to 2-0 after a lopsided victory against the hapless Baltimore Hawks. Though many Butchers' players are deserving of a game ball, this week's honor goes to longtime CB standout Osiris Firestorm-Fjord for multiple impact plays throughout the course of the game.
Though Firestorm-Fjord played a big part in shutting down the Hawks passing attack, his first splash play of the day came on special teams. After a three and out by Baltimore, Firestorm-Fjord returned an Armando Galarraga punt 78 yards, getting tackled just shy of the end zone. Then, on the Hawks' first drive of the second half, FIrestorm-Fjord showed up again by intercepting a Luke Skywalker pass and returning it to the Baltimore red zone. Finally, late in the fourth quarter, Firestorm-Fjord stripped Baltimore tight end Donatello Arrabiata of the ball, extinguishing any lingering hopes the Hawks had of keeping the game close.
Firestorm-Fjord ended the game with nine tackles, three pass breakups, a forced fumble, and an interception alongside his 100 punt return yards.
WEEK 3 GAME BALL - K/P Sam Sidekick
While I hate to remind everyone of exactly how this game played out, it's still important to acknowledge the individual successes that played a big role in the game. Sidekick was called upon several times in the Butchers' game against the Philadelphia Liberty and delivered on every occasion.
In the kicking game, Sidekick can account for 17 of the team's 29 points, knocking home two extra points and field goals from 36, 49, 49, 34, and 53 yards (notably, the 53-yarder is a game winner under any other circumstance, giving the Butchers a two point lead with five seconds remaining). Additionally, Sidekick downed two of their four punts inside the opponents' 20 yard line, leading to long fields for the Liberty offense. Perhaps Sidekick's only error of the game came on the final play when the kicking team should have performed a squib kick, but this was likely a "coaching" mistake (cough, sim).
WEEK 4 GAME BALL - S Damian Blackfyre
Unfortunately the season's doubleheader culminated in a loss for the Butchers, but Blackfyre made some key plays on defense to keep the team in the thick of it up until time expired.
After a missed field goal gave Colorado terrific field position on their second possession of the game, Blackfyre quickly put to bed any hopes that Colorado would score again by picking off Mattathias Caliban on the first play of the drive. Blackfyre's second impact play came on the Yeti's final drive of the game--after a William Lim first down reception in the Chicago red zone, Blackfyre dislodged the ball. Recovering the fumble would have meant a game-winning touchdown drive from the Chicago offense was possible, but Lim was able to recover the fumble.
Blackfyre ended the game with four tackles and two pass deflections in addition to his interception and forced fumble.
WEEK 5 GAME BALL - OL Mo "Mamba" Magic
In what was a mostly pedestrian game by the Chicago offense and defense, the offensive line's performance was to be lauded. Anchored by a game high ten pancakes from Mo Magic, the offensive line came out on top in the battle of the trenches. In total the team racked up an astounding 50 pancakes, and no player was credited with a sack allowed. Magic's play even inspired the receiving corps, with 205-pound receiver Luca Scabbia registering five pancakes to his name. The unit also played a relatively clean game, with the only offensive penalty coming on a holding call against Julio Jones on the Butchers' first drive.
Magic's ten pancakes on the day bring him to a total of 37 on the season. Still at zero sacks allowed through five games, Magic looks to be in contention for consideration for Offensive Lineman of the Year if he can keep up this pace.
WEEK 6 GAME BALL - WR Luca Scabbia
Scabbia's inspired play continues throughout the early part of Season 28 in all aspects of the game. On the first possession of the game, Scabbia caught a total of three passes from Butchers' QB George O'Donnell, including a one yard touchdown reception to successfully finish the drive. Scabbia would continue to catch passes sporadically throughout the game before and make another big impact play on the Butchers' final drive of the fourth quarter. After an Outlaws' touchdown saw them go up by 7 with under two minutes to go, Scabbia returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards to establish great field position for a drive that would culminate in a game-tying Gelbman TD reception.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Scabbia's day was his contribution to the Butchers' running attack. Luca amassed a whopping eight pancakes--twice that of any player on the Outlaws--to assist Yoda and Hayes in ripping off 5.7 yards per carry.
Scabbia ends the day with nine receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown in addition to his eight pancakes and long kick return.
WEEK 7 GAME BALL - QB George O'Donnell
After a long stretch, the Butchers return to winning with a shootout in Berlin that put an end to the Fire Salamanders' undefeated season. Entering the fourth quarter with 20 points, Chicago would more than double their point total on the back of an insane period of football by O'Donnell.
In the span of about ten minutes, O'Donnell put on a clinic, completing six of eight passes for 205 yards, including a pair of touchdowns to receiver Joshua Campbell and the game-winning touchdown to tight end Tree Gelbman with less than two minutes to go. His only incompletions during the quarter were a defended pass attempt to the fullback McZeal and a drop by rookie running back Madison Hayes. In both instances, the Butchers would score on the very next play from scrimmage.
In total, O'Donnell was 21/31 for a blazing 420 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 150.2 passer rating.
WEEK 8 GAME BALL - WR Luca Scabbia
The first repeat game ball winner of the season, Scabbia had a stellar game, hauling in eight of eleven targets for 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns (including the game winner) in Chicago's win over Orange County.
Scabbia's clutch touchdown catch at the start of fourth quarter came on 3rd and short, meaning that the Butchers would have settled for a chip shot field goal from Sam Sidekick had the pass come up short. As the final margin of victory over the Otters was only three, this play was crucially important in determining the outcome of the game.
Scabbia also added 55 kick return yards and a couple of pancakes to his receiving totals on the evening.
Chicago's 'road warrior' season rolls on as the Butchers to improve to 3-1 away from home and will have a chance to improve their lackluster home record against San Jose next week.
WEEK 9 GAME BALL - WR Mike Hunt
Coming into the Butchers Week 9 matchup against the San Jose Sabercats, rookie wide receiver Mike Hunt had totaled 248 yards on 19 receptions in the previous eight games, serving as the fourth receiving option behind fellow wideouts Luca Scabbia and Joshua Campbell and tight end Tree Gelbman. In what can only be described as a breakout game, Hunt hauled in eight of nine targets that came his way for a game high 143 yards.
Hunt was able to repeatedly exploit favorable matchups against San Jose safeties and linebackers and rack up tons of yardage after the catch, as five of his eight receptions resulted in first downs for the Chicago offense. Hunt was also the recipient of the final play of the game, where he caught a 51 yard pass from George O'Donnell that would have put the Butchers in easy field goal range. For all of their bad luck, the team continues to delight neutral observers with exciting football, as they have now played in seven consecutive games that were decided by one possession.
WEEK 10 GAME BALL - OL Julio Jones
Always good to give offensive linemen recognition for a game well played. This time, it was Jones' turn to rack up double digits pancakes for the Butchers' esteemed offensive line. Jones tallied ten pancakes against the Yellowknife Wraiths, nicely bringing his total for the season to 69. This puts Jones in the top ten among offensive linemen (alongside his teammate Mo Magic). This marks Jones' third outing with ten or more pancakes, and he has yet to concede a sack on the season. In addition to a prolific day of blocking Jones also played a completely clean game, committing zero penalties.
Led by Jones' performance, the Butchers surpassed 400 total pancakes as a team becoming the first team to do so. With Berlin and Colorado hot on their heels, Chicago will need to continue battering unsuspected defensive players en masse to maintain their pancake lead. Their next game is against the Sarasota Sailfish, who are coincidentally the only team with fewer than 300 total pancakes.
WEEK 11 GAME BALL - RB Madison Hayes
Madison Hayes earns her first game ball as a Chicago Butcher with her third multi-touchdown performance of the season. Both of Hayes' touchdowns came in the third quarter. After a deep pass to Joshua Campbell saw the Butchers enter the Sarasota red zone, Hayes would score on a 12 yard reception on the very next play. Then, on the final play of the quarter, Hayes found paydirt on a five yard run that ensured the Chicago offense would not have to settle for a field goal. In addition to the two touchdowns, Hayes finished the day with 44 rushing yards on ten carries and 40 receiving yards on five receptions as well as a couple of pancake blocks.
Hayes now boasts 450 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, and 344 receiving yards, leading each category among rookie running backs. With her contributions on the field, Hayes' role in the Chicago offense should continue to grow and keep her solidly in contention for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
WEEK 12 GAME BALL - DT Daymond Brooks
In what was the easiest game ball decision so far this season Daymond Brooks had a monstrous performance under the New York lights, tallying 12 tackles, including three tackles for loss and a sack. Brooks' sack on Sam Howitzer resulted in a 3rd and 28 for the Silverbacks, which promptly resulted in a punt on the following play. Additionally, two of his tackles for loss came on consecutive plays in the fourth quarter. effectively stopping a drive all by himself.
12 tackles and 3 TFL are both season highs for Brooks, with the tackle mark also being a season high for the entire Butchers roster (especially impressive given Brooks' position of DT). Brooks leads all defensive tackles in tackles, TFL, and sacks through 12 games and should be the leading contender for his positional award as the team returns home to host the Colorado Yeti in Week 13.
WEEK 13 GAME BALL - S Evan Jones
The Butchers snapped a four game skid at home against Colorado on the back of strong play by the entire defensive unit, holding the Yeti to just a single touchdown. Perhaps the biggest impact player of the day was safety Evan Jones, who recorded a line of four tackles, one sack, and two passes defended. While these totals may seem low on the surface, the situations in which Jones tallied them had a massive impact on the game. His sack on Caliban came on 3rd down just outside of the Chicago red zone, forcing Colorado to settle for a field goal instead of a potential game-winning touchdown. Similarly, both of Jones' pass breakups came on 3rd downs, killing potential scoring opportunities for the Yeti.
Chicago stays home next week as they look to extend the Baltimore Hawks losing streak to 31. If previous patterns hold the Butchers should claim victory, as Chicago has always won back-to-back games this season before being beaten.
WEEK 14 GAME BALL - LB Alejandro Chainbreaker
Best to talk about this result as little as possible and move onto next week. Chainbreaker is very deserving of this week's game ball, as he led the team in tackles (7), sacks (1, the only Butcher to record a sack against the Hawks), and PD (1, tied with Tyron Shields and Evan Jones). Chainbreaker did his best to keep Chicago in the game during the fourth quarter, as his sack and one of his seven tackles were third down stops that forced Baltimore to punt.
After a breakout rookie season last year, Chainbreaker is now a mainstay of the Butchers defense. A constant presence in the opponent's backfield, he is 2nd on the team in both sacks and tackles for loss. Next week Chicago hosts the Berlin Fire Salamanders, and while the team cannot make the playoffs this season, they can still hope to hand Berlin a loss and help ruin some seeding aspirations.
WEEK 15 GAME BALL - LB Wasrabi Gleel
After a long season where he has consistently put in tons of effort, I'm happy to award this week's game ball to Wasrabi Gleel. Even though the game ended in a loss to the league leading Fire Salamanders, Gleel showed up in a big way by leading the defense with seven tackles and two sacks on the day.
By recording his fifth and sixth sacks of the season, Gleel guarantees that he will improve upon his sack totals from last season (4) as well as his overall tackle numbers (currently 89 up from 74). Gleel is also the only player on the Chicago defense to score a touchdown this season, which he did on an interception return in the Butcher's first game against Berlin in Week 7.
The Butchers close out their season on the road against the Philadelphia Liberty next week, where they will look to avenge a heartbreaking loss in Week 3.
WEEK 16 GAME BALL - WR Joshua Campbell
Campbell bookends the season by winning the first and the sixteenth Butchers game ball with an outstanding performance in Philadelphia, where he caught six passes for 124 yards and three touchdowns. His three touchdown receptions match a Butchers franchise record, originally set by Josh Parker in Season 18.
Campbell ends the season with 1,384 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns (both top ten marks in the league) and finishes Season 28 as the league leader in yards per reception among qualified players. Campbell joins his fellow wide receiver Luca Scabbia (also top ten in receiving yards) as the only two players to receive multiple game balls this season.
*Special shout out to Tyron Shields for his line of nine tackles, two forced fumbles (one of which he recovered), and two passes defended. On any other day he'd get the game ball here, but everyone knows that GMs don't get game balls!