It was a warm evening in Chicago, perfect weather for football. Ten weeks into the season, the Butchers held a record of 2-8 and certainly seemed to be headed towards a last place finish and the first overall pick in the draft for the second week in a row. Certainly having twice as many wins as you did a season ago sounds good but when you only had one the year prior, the morbid reality sets in. A few more wins for the Butchers on the season would be a big boost heading into a critical off-season for the franchise. Week 11 didn't exactly seem like the best opportunity to get one of those wins, however, as the Butchers were a heavy underdog going against the New Orleans Second Line. Having only scored 100 points on the season, the worst mark in the league and less than half the mark of the Second Line on the season, and also giving up a league worst 259 points, it was hard to believe that the Butchers would have much of a chance in this game even with the home field advantage.
New Orleans started the game with the ball and easily made their way down the field and into field goal range to take a quick three point lead early in the first. The remainder of the first quarter was rather uneventful with neither team able to score. However, starting in the second quarter of the game, the Butchers would take complete control and win the game in dominating fashion. The Butchers put up 31 unanswered points, including three touchdowns in the third quarter, and finished the game with a final score of 34-6, holding the Second Line without a touchdown.
In what was expected to be an easy win for the Second Line, the Butchers completely flipped the script by finally kicking their offense into gear accumulating almost 400 yards of total offensr and putting in an absolutely crushing performance on defense holding the Second Line to under 200 yards of total offense.
This third win of the season was easily the signature win of the year for the Butchers so far as we really got a glimpse of what the team is capable of when firing on all cylinders. The Butchers have had some surprisingly string wins this season despite their poor record, having beaten the 6-5 Philadelphia Liberty, the 6-5 Arizona Outlaws and now the 7-4 New Orleans Second Line. If the season ended today, each of these teams would be in the playoffs.
Let's take a look at the team's performances on both sides of the ball and the players that were key to the victory.
Offense
For a team that has struggled to put up points on the season, and especially to get into the end zone, you sure wouldn't have been able to guess that from the game they had. Most of the scoring came for the Butchers on the ground, with Julio Tirtawidjaja finding paydirt twice and Farley Hank scoring a touchdown of his own. The rushing performance between the two was less efficient than you would want to see with both backs averaging 3.6 ypc or less. However, considering the performance that the defense had, controlling the game script by running the ball and using up time outweighed the need for big plays in the run game. It was a well drawn up game plan and really the story of the game for the offense as the passing game was also effective without being spectacular. George O'Donnell only threw for one touchdown but didn't throw any interceptions and finished with a passer rating over 100. Multiple players contributed in the passing game including a solid performance from tight end Tree Gelbman who had vocally expressed some frustrations with her involvement in the passing game over the season. Hopefully we'll see her continue to show up big for the team in the future. O'Leary and Okusi each put up over 50 receiving yards in the game as well.
Offensive Player of the Game: Julio Tirtawidjaja
There were a lot of solid contributions on offense in the game but it was clear that the team was leaning heavily on Tirt on the ground to carry them to victory. He's been one of the leading rushers in the league for much of the season but has struggled to get put up touchdowns along with the rest of the Butchers offense. One touchdown would have been enough to win the game for the Butchers even but he found the end zone twice in a monster game that will certainly make his fantasy owners happy. Butchers Running Backs coach Franco De La Flor had this to say about Tirtawidjaja after the game: "The young man has a ton of heart and a ton of talent. I've been working with him since the day he was drafted and you can tell he has all the potential in the world. But now we're really starting to see him put it together on the field and this game may have been a major turning point for him in his career. I think a lot of people have seen his name each week at the top of the rushing charts, but people are going to start knowing his name across the league as one of the best backs out there. Very happy for this young man and the performance that he had. I hope he's out celebrating tonight."
We also have to give an honorable mention to Raheem Okusi who had 5 receptions for 108 yards on the night. Okusi had signed an extension with the team earlier in the day, so the Butchers have to be happy with the return they've already gotten on their investment.
Defense
While the offense did its job and was really clicking for what seems like maybe the first time this season, the Butchers defense was really the story for the team on the night. The typically potent New Orleans rushing duo of Forrest Gump and Marcella Toriki came into the game as one of the top two rushing attacks in the entire league, averaging over 140 yards per game on the ground. But the Butchers run defense was punishing all game, penetrating the the backfield with 4 tackles for loss between Works and VonPebbles and holding the Second Line to only 95 total rushing yards.
While the run defense was certainly the key to victory considering New Orleans' heavy reliance on their run game, the pass defense was stifling as well. The defensive secondary was flying around the field all game, with McCringleberry, Oles, Firestorm-Fjord, Shields and MacAndrew all recording at least one PD. In fact, New Orleans quarterback Stan Francisco only managed 9 completions in the game compared to the 8 total PDs that the Butchers defense had. Shields and Oles each had an interception as well to shut down any progress that the Second Line was making on offense.
Defensive Player of the Game: Tyron Shields
After a monster performance in Week 10, cornerback Tyron Shields had a fantastic encore in Week 11 with 6 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception. The young man has really come into his own on the field this season in the nickelback role and is making plays all over the place every game. Considering the performances he has strung together lately, there should be no surprise if he starts getting some attention as a defensive rookie of the year candidate. One anonymous league scout had this to say recently about Shields: "So many teams missed on this guy in the S22 draft. Was he a surefire prospect or sumthin'? No offense it the guy but absolutely not, that's why he fell to where he did. But I mean what a testament to his ability and work ethic to be where he is now. The Butchers saw that potential in the kid and I know they've been waiting to just unleash him like this after letting him grow a little more in the DSFL. I went back and watched some of his college tape recently and a couple games of his from the Grey Ducks and you can see flashes of what he's doing right now on basically a weekly basis were always there. He's quick, he's smart and even though he's not the biggest guy on the field he just loves hitting dude's when he gets the chance. I mean look at the hit he put on Toriki in this one, wham. And by all accounts he's just a good dude off the field. Very inspiring, keeps a level head. You never hear about him getting in trouble and his teammates love him. This is the kind of late round gem that every team wishes they could dig up. An in a league that puts so much value on defensive backs! What a player."
We also have to give an honorable mention to another Butchers rookie Hingle McCringleberry who led the team in tackles with 10 and also recorded a sack. While he didn't create any the turnovers in the game, his contributions in making key stops for the defense was a major factor in the win. McCringleberry has been extremely underrated for the boost he has given this defense and should be an anchor in the linebackers corps for a long time.
Special Teams
We would be remiss not to mention the fantastic display by Butchers kicking specialist Sam Sidekick in the game. Kickers tend not to get the appreciation that they deserve and among kickers Sidekick is even further underrated because of the struggles that the Butchers offense has had through the first half of the season. But, make no mistake, Sidekick's performance in the game was just as valuable as any player on the team. In terms of kicking, Sidekick was nearly perfect on the day going 4/4 on extra points and 2/3 on field goals, only missing from 49 yards out. A solid performance that netted 10 points, which would have won the game by itself. Where Sidekick really shined in the game, however, was what he did as a punter. Yes, even more underrated than kicking is the impact of punting and what that can do for winning the battle of field position for your team. You almost certainly don't know, but Sidekick actually has the third best punting average in the league this season and that massive boot was on full display in the game. Sidekick had 5 punts in the game for an average of a whopping 58.8 yards, including 4 inside the 20. This certainly played a major factor in helping the defense to shut down New Orleans and out pressure on the Second Line offense, especially late into the game. While he may not receive any major recognition for his efforts, Sidekick was easily one of the best players on the field that night.
What's Next for Chicago?
Week 11 was the final week of interconference games for the season, so Week 12 will begin the second run through of the NSFC for Chicago with an away game against the 5-6 Sarasota Sailfish. The Sailfish are also coming off a tight victory at home against Austin so the energy will be high as the Sailfish hope to make a run for a second straight postseason appearance in a tight NSFC race.
Despite the big win, the Butchers current record sits at 3-8 which still puts them dead last in the league. In the NSFC they are currently 3 games behind the Philadelphia Liberty who hold the last playoff spot as of this writing. In order to make the playoffs the Butchers would likely have to run the table which while not impossible would be a tremendous feat considering their inability to consistently generate points on offense. A final 3 game stretch at the end of the season in which they play Yellowknife at home followed by away games at the Baltimore Hawks and Colorado Yeti appears to be particularly daunting. This upcoming game against the Sailfish may be the best chance for the Butchers to snag another win as they head into the off-season to regroup.
But, regardless of how the rest of this season plays out, there is certainly a lot of hope for the Butchers as they look towards the future. About two seasons ago, the team appeared to be in dire straits but they now find themselves with a very active roster and a strong culture and locker room stemming from their great GMs and two great draft classes. The Butchers have three times as many wins as they did at this point last season and it's not hard to see them potentially climbing out of last place this season and maybe even making a push for a playoff spot next season.
The strength of this team right now clearly lies in the defensive secondary as the Butchers pass defense lies in the top half of the NSFC and NSFL as a whole as compared to the run defense and run and passing offenses which all rank at the bottom of the NSFC. The defensive secondary for this team is young and full of playmakers: safeties Eric Richards (S23) and Hamish MacAndrew (S22), and cornerbacks Tyler Oles Jr (S22), Tyron Shields (S22) and Osiris Firestorm-Fjord (S21). The unit, known commonly by Butchers fans as the Slaughterhouse Five, is made up of some of the highest profile and most talented players on the team. It would be wise for the Butchers to continue to build around this unit. Most analytics folks will tell you that the best way to build your defense is from back to front with a strong secondary so the Butchers defense is certainly in good shape as they continue to build for the future. It would be wise for them to invest some draft capital in the front 6 though, especially with veteran linebacker Mike Hockhertz getting up there in age.
Where the team really needs the most help though is in getting the offense rolling consistently like it did in this game. The offense has a bevy of weapons including of course star wide receiver Sean O'Leary but aside from him most of the players on the offensive side of the ball still have a lot of room for development. Especially promising quarterback George O'Donnell, who the team has put a lot of faith in, is still just getting his first taste of NSFL action this season. We expect the offense to take a big step this off-season with a full year of playing together under their belts and the likely call up of wide receiver Luca Scabbia and maybe running back Quanter Skrills to add some more juice to the backfield.
The next few seasons look promising for the Butchers with the young core that they have built. With a little more development they should be able to start playing like they did in Week 11 on a more consistent basis. Butchers fans have been waiting a long time to see the team have some modicum of success and for the first time in years might be starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel.
New Orleans started the game with the ball and easily made their way down the field and into field goal range to take a quick three point lead early in the first. The remainder of the first quarter was rather uneventful with neither team able to score. However, starting in the second quarter of the game, the Butchers would take complete control and win the game in dominating fashion. The Butchers put up 31 unanswered points, including three touchdowns in the third quarter, and finished the game with a final score of 34-6, holding the Second Line without a touchdown.
In what was expected to be an easy win for the Second Line, the Butchers completely flipped the script by finally kicking their offense into gear accumulating almost 400 yards of total offensr and putting in an absolutely crushing performance on defense holding the Second Line to under 200 yards of total offense.
This third win of the season was easily the signature win of the year for the Butchers so far as we really got a glimpse of what the team is capable of when firing on all cylinders. The Butchers have had some surprisingly string wins this season despite their poor record, having beaten the 6-5 Philadelphia Liberty, the 6-5 Arizona Outlaws and now the 7-4 New Orleans Second Line. If the season ended today, each of these teams would be in the playoffs.
Let's take a look at the team's performances on both sides of the ball and the players that were key to the victory.
Offense
For a team that has struggled to put up points on the season, and especially to get into the end zone, you sure wouldn't have been able to guess that from the game they had. Most of the scoring came for the Butchers on the ground, with Julio Tirtawidjaja finding paydirt twice and Farley Hank scoring a touchdown of his own. The rushing performance between the two was less efficient than you would want to see with both backs averaging 3.6 ypc or less. However, considering the performance that the defense had, controlling the game script by running the ball and using up time outweighed the need for big plays in the run game. It was a well drawn up game plan and really the story of the game for the offense as the passing game was also effective without being spectacular. George O'Donnell only threw for one touchdown but didn't throw any interceptions and finished with a passer rating over 100. Multiple players contributed in the passing game including a solid performance from tight end Tree Gelbman who had vocally expressed some frustrations with her involvement in the passing game over the season. Hopefully we'll see her continue to show up big for the team in the future. O'Leary and Okusi each put up over 50 receiving yards in the game as well.
Offensive Player of the Game: Julio Tirtawidjaja
There were a lot of solid contributions on offense in the game but it was clear that the team was leaning heavily on Tirt on the ground to carry them to victory. He's been one of the leading rushers in the league for much of the season but has struggled to get put up touchdowns along with the rest of the Butchers offense. One touchdown would have been enough to win the game for the Butchers even but he found the end zone twice in a monster game that will certainly make his fantasy owners happy. Butchers Running Backs coach Franco De La Flor had this to say about Tirtawidjaja after the game: "The young man has a ton of heart and a ton of talent. I've been working with him since the day he was drafted and you can tell he has all the potential in the world. But now we're really starting to see him put it together on the field and this game may have been a major turning point for him in his career. I think a lot of people have seen his name each week at the top of the rushing charts, but people are going to start knowing his name across the league as one of the best backs out there. Very happy for this young man and the performance that he had. I hope he's out celebrating tonight."
We also have to give an honorable mention to Raheem Okusi who had 5 receptions for 108 yards on the night. Okusi had signed an extension with the team earlier in the day, so the Butchers have to be happy with the return they've already gotten on their investment.
Defense
While the offense did its job and was really clicking for what seems like maybe the first time this season, the Butchers defense was really the story for the team on the night. The typically potent New Orleans rushing duo of Forrest Gump and Marcella Toriki came into the game as one of the top two rushing attacks in the entire league, averaging over 140 yards per game on the ground. But the Butchers run defense was punishing all game, penetrating the the backfield with 4 tackles for loss between Works and VonPebbles and holding the Second Line to only 95 total rushing yards.
While the run defense was certainly the key to victory considering New Orleans' heavy reliance on their run game, the pass defense was stifling as well. The defensive secondary was flying around the field all game, with McCringleberry, Oles, Firestorm-Fjord, Shields and MacAndrew all recording at least one PD. In fact, New Orleans quarterback Stan Francisco only managed 9 completions in the game compared to the 8 total PDs that the Butchers defense had. Shields and Oles each had an interception as well to shut down any progress that the Second Line was making on offense.
Defensive Player of the Game: Tyron Shields
After a monster performance in Week 10, cornerback Tyron Shields had a fantastic encore in Week 11 with 6 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception. The young man has really come into his own on the field this season in the nickelback role and is making plays all over the place every game. Considering the performances he has strung together lately, there should be no surprise if he starts getting some attention as a defensive rookie of the year candidate. One anonymous league scout had this to say recently about Shields: "So many teams missed on this guy in the S22 draft. Was he a surefire prospect or sumthin'? No offense it the guy but absolutely not, that's why he fell to where he did. But I mean what a testament to his ability and work ethic to be where he is now. The Butchers saw that potential in the kid and I know they've been waiting to just unleash him like this after letting him grow a little more in the DSFL. I went back and watched some of his college tape recently and a couple games of his from the Grey Ducks and you can see flashes of what he's doing right now on basically a weekly basis were always there. He's quick, he's smart and even though he's not the biggest guy on the field he just loves hitting dude's when he gets the chance. I mean look at the hit he put on Toriki in this one, wham. And by all accounts he's just a good dude off the field. Very inspiring, keeps a level head. You never hear about him getting in trouble and his teammates love him. This is the kind of late round gem that every team wishes they could dig up. An in a league that puts so much value on defensive backs! What a player."
We also have to give an honorable mention to another Butchers rookie Hingle McCringleberry who led the team in tackles with 10 and also recorded a sack. While he didn't create any the turnovers in the game, his contributions in making key stops for the defense was a major factor in the win. McCringleberry has been extremely underrated for the boost he has given this defense and should be an anchor in the linebackers corps for a long time.
Special Teams
We would be remiss not to mention the fantastic display by Butchers kicking specialist Sam Sidekick in the game. Kickers tend not to get the appreciation that they deserve and among kickers Sidekick is even further underrated because of the struggles that the Butchers offense has had through the first half of the season. But, make no mistake, Sidekick's performance in the game was just as valuable as any player on the team. In terms of kicking, Sidekick was nearly perfect on the day going 4/4 on extra points and 2/3 on field goals, only missing from 49 yards out. A solid performance that netted 10 points, which would have won the game by itself. Where Sidekick really shined in the game, however, was what he did as a punter. Yes, even more underrated than kicking is the impact of punting and what that can do for winning the battle of field position for your team. You almost certainly don't know, but Sidekick actually has the third best punting average in the league this season and that massive boot was on full display in the game. Sidekick had 5 punts in the game for an average of a whopping 58.8 yards, including 4 inside the 20. This certainly played a major factor in helping the defense to shut down New Orleans and out pressure on the Second Line offense, especially late into the game. While he may not receive any major recognition for his efforts, Sidekick was easily one of the best players on the field that night.
What's Next for Chicago?
Week 11 was the final week of interconference games for the season, so Week 12 will begin the second run through of the NSFC for Chicago with an away game against the 5-6 Sarasota Sailfish. The Sailfish are also coming off a tight victory at home against Austin so the energy will be high as the Sailfish hope to make a run for a second straight postseason appearance in a tight NSFC race.
Despite the big win, the Butchers current record sits at 3-8 which still puts them dead last in the league. In the NSFC they are currently 3 games behind the Philadelphia Liberty who hold the last playoff spot as of this writing. In order to make the playoffs the Butchers would likely have to run the table which while not impossible would be a tremendous feat considering their inability to consistently generate points on offense. A final 3 game stretch at the end of the season in which they play Yellowknife at home followed by away games at the Baltimore Hawks and Colorado Yeti appears to be particularly daunting. This upcoming game against the Sailfish may be the best chance for the Butchers to snag another win as they head into the off-season to regroup.
But, regardless of how the rest of this season plays out, there is certainly a lot of hope for the Butchers as they look towards the future. About two seasons ago, the team appeared to be in dire straits but they now find themselves with a very active roster and a strong culture and locker room stemming from their great GMs and two great draft classes. The Butchers have three times as many wins as they did at this point last season and it's not hard to see them potentially climbing out of last place this season and maybe even making a push for a playoff spot next season.
The strength of this team right now clearly lies in the defensive secondary as the Butchers pass defense lies in the top half of the NSFC and NSFL as a whole as compared to the run defense and run and passing offenses which all rank at the bottom of the NSFC. The defensive secondary for this team is young and full of playmakers: safeties Eric Richards (S23) and Hamish MacAndrew (S22), and cornerbacks Tyler Oles Jr (S22), Tyron Shields (S22) and Osiris Firestorm-Fjord (S21). The unit, known commonly by Butchers fans as the Slaughterhouse Five, is made up of some of the highest profile and most talented players on the team. It would be wise for the Butchers to continue to build around this unit. Most analytics folks will tell you that the best way to build your defense is from back to front with a strong secondary so the Butchers defense is certainly in good shape as they continue to build for the future. It would be wise for them to invest some draft capital in the front 6 though, especially with veteran linebacker Mike Hockhertz getting up there in age.
Where the team really needs the most help though is in getting the offense rolling consistently like it did in this game. The offense has a bevy of weapons including of course star wide receiver Sean O'Leary but aside from him most of the players on the offensive side of the ball still have a lot of room for development. Especially promising quarterback George O'Donnell, who the team has put a lot of faith in, is still just getting his first taste of NSFL action this season. We expect the offense to take a big step this off-season with a full year of playing together under their belts and the likely call up of wide receiver Luca Scabbia and maybe running back Quanter Skrills to add some more juice to the backfield.
The next few seasons look promising for the Butchers with the young core that they have built. With a little more development they should be able to start playing like they did in Week 11 on a more consistent basis. Butchers fans have been waiting a long time to see the team have some modicum of success and for the first time in years might be starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel.
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[OPTION]Regular Season Stats
[OPTION](S2) 14 Games Played
[OPTION](S3) 14 Games Played
[OPTION](S4) 14 Games Played
[OPTION](S5) 14 Games Played
[OPTION](S6) 14 Games Played
[OPTION](S7) 14 Games Played
[OPTION](S8) 14 Games Played
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[OPTION]Playoff Stats
[OPTION] 27839
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[OPTION]Trophy Case/Achievements:
[OPTION]Most Likely to Break the Team Bench When Sitting Down
[OPTION]Pumpkin Chuckin' Rally 2017 Semifinalist
[OPTION]Most Likely to Get Traded in S8 (T-1st)
[OPTION]Ultimus Champion S7, S8