History of the Chicago Butchers
This article details the history of the Chicago Butchers International Simulation Football League club.
Contents
Origins
The Chicago Butchers are an expansion team to the ISFL. The team was founded in 2030 and had their debut season in 2031.
2031 Season
Roster
Players leading the team in the statistics include: Rose Jenkins, QB, who completed 216 out of 388 passes for a total of 3106 yards; Sam Torenson, RB, whose 347 carries on the season resulted in 1458 yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry; and Kazimir Oles, WR, with 57 receptions totaling 1131 yards, for an average of 19.8 yards.
Preseason
The Butchers lost all four preseason games of 2031, the first two losses coming from the Wraiths, followed by losses to both the Liberty and Outlaws.
Season Performance
Chicago started the season strong with three wins in a row, getting revenge on the Outlaws and Wraiths and claiming victory over the Yeti. The Butchers lost games 4 and 5 of the season, both away games, one to the Hawks, one to the Liberty. Game 6 was the start of another win streak, where Chicago claimed 7 victories in a row - first securing their second wins of the season against Colorado and Yellowknife before going on to their first ever wins against the Hawks, Copperheads, Liberty, SaberCats, and Otters. Their win streak was broken to finish the season on a loss in week 13 against the New Orleans Second Line. They finished the season with a record of 10-3-0 and were undefeated at their home stadium during the regular season.
Postseason
As a result of their record, the Chicago Butchers were named regular season champions in 2031. In the conference postseason, Chicago clinched the division championship but were unable to progress further.
2032 Season
Roster
Players leading the team in the statistics include: Rose Jenkins, QB, who completed 202 out of 325 passes for a total of 2491 yards; Sam Torenson, RB, whose 334 carries on the season resulted in 1478 yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry; and Kazimir Oles, WR, with 47 receptions totaling 919 yards, for an average of 19.6 yards.
Preseason
Chicago showed scoring ability through the preseason, putting up an average of 25.25 points per game. Results were mixed, however, with the Butchers winning two of the four games.
Season Performance
The Butchers completed the season with an 8-5-0 record, equaling the Baltimore Hawks and Yellowknife Wraiths at the top of the NSFC. The team maintained a very strong record at home, winning 6 of the 7 games played in Chicago.
Postseason
The Chicago Butchers qualified for the 2032 postseason, but were eliminated inside their division. This would be the final playoff appearance by the Butchers until 2039.
2033 Season
Roster
Major roster changes for the 2033 season include the release of well-performing running back Sam Torenson, and the week 5 trade of Kazimir Oles, WR, to the Outlaws in exchange for Josh Parker. In week 9, Chicago was sent Action Jackson from the New Orleans Second Line in exchange for future considerations. The Butchers continued to rely on Rose Jenkins in the QB position. Jenkins completed 302 of 530 attempted passes, totaling 3652 yards. Stepping into the void left by Torenson was RB Marquise Brown, whose 196 carries were good for 825 yards, or 4.2 yards per carry. The week 5 pick-up, Parker, made 64 pass receptions averaging 17.8 yards each for a total of 1141 yards.
Preseason
Chicago exited the 2033 preseason with only one tally in the win column. They faced three losses in a row before picking up a win over the Yeti - a positive momentum swing going into the season.
Season Performance
The Butchers ended the regular season of 2033 with a record of 5-8-0, placing them in a tie for third in the division. Only two of the five wins came from division rivals Hawk and Yeti. Other wins secured were over the Outlaws, Copperheads, and Second Line.
Postseason
The Chicago Butchers did not participate in the 2033 postseason.
2034 Season
Roster
Quarterback Rose Jenkins maintained his position for another season, completing 326 of his 578 pass attempts, resulting in 3716 total yards. Aksel Danielsson, RB, was the standout in terms of rush statistics: his 263 carries this season averaged 4 yards each and came in at a total of 1040 yards. Justin Parker, WR, lead the team in receptions for the second year in a row - 75 receptions averaging 15.6 yards each for a total of 1168 yards on the season.
Preseason
The Butchers secured an early win in the preseason with a 23-10 victory over the Colorado Yeti in the first game of the preseason. They were unable to continue the trend, losing the remaining three preseason games.
Season Performance
In the worst performance of their young career, Chicago finished the season with a record of 3-10-0, placing them at the bottom of the NSFC. Of their three wins, two were against divisional rivals Liberty and Wraiths, with their third and final win coming over New Orleans.
Postseason
The Chicago Butchers did not participate in the 2034 postseason.
2035 Season
Roster
Rose Jenkins continues to perform in the quarterback position for Chicago in the 2035 season. Jenkins completed 347 of 614 attempted passes, 4275 yards total for the season. Justin Parker, last year’s best performing wide receiver, drops off the roster this year. To take his place, Chicago signed Ahri Espeeyeeseetee. Their new acquisition was good for 77 receptions of 18.5 average yards, totaling 1427 yards. The team relied on Aksel Danielsson in the running back position, where he provided a dependable 4 yards per rush on average (733 yards over 182 carries.)
Preseason
In a pattern consistent from the time of their founding, the Butchers struggled in the preseason. It proved to be an especially difficult preseason schedule with all four games scheduled away from Chicago’s home stadium. They picked up a single win out of the four, in Arizona over the Outlaws.
Season Performance
At the end of the regular season, the Chicago Butchers held a final record of 4-9-0, placing them at the bottom of their division for the second year in a row. The Wraith and Yeti each fell to the Butchers one time in the ‘35 season, adding fuel to the rivalries in the division. Though they struggled through the season, Chicago found their footing for the first time in week 12, stringing together two wins to finish the season strong - the first against the Orange County Otters, the second against the Austin Copperheads.
Postseason
The Chicago Butchers did not participate in the 2035 postseason.
2036 Season
Roster
For the sixth straight season, Chicago retains Rose Jenkins for the quarterback position. This season, Jenkins was good for a total of 3242 yards, completing 267 of 464 passes. In an interesting twist, the team’s best player for rushing and receiving was DT Ryan Leaf, Jr., who they signed in the 2034 season. Leaf, Jr. averaged 4.4 rushing yards over 209 carries and received 59 passes for 12.8 yards each, on average. In the fifth week of the season, the Butchers signed DT Johnson Harding.
Preseason
The 2036 preseason was a balanced one for the Butchers, with two wins and two losses, both in competitively scoring games. They traded wins with the Copperheads, each picking up a victory at their home stadium. The other win of the preseason for Chicago was against the Yellowknife Wraiths, also at home.
Season Performance
The Chicago Butchers finished the 2036 regular season with a final record of 5-8-0, earning them the fourth place position in the standings, saving them from their third year in a row at the bottom of their division. The team showed glimpses of their good scoring potential, but were ultimately unable to put two wins together throughout the season.
Postseason
The Chicago Butchers did not participate in the 2036 postseason.
2037 Season
Roster
2037 brought a host of roster changes to Chicago. The Butchers released their DT-turned-RB in Ryan Leaf, Jr, who was the 2036 rush leader for the team. Filling the Running Back positions are Julia Tirtawidjaja and Charles Allan. Tirtawidjaja would prove to be the more effective of the pair, averaging 4 yards per carry over 230 carries in the 2037 season. In the ninth week of the season, Chicago released their QB Rose Jenkins and brought in new talent in the form of Franky LaFleur.
Preseason
The preseason of 2037 was an indicator of what the regular season had in store for Chicago. After a win to start the season, the Butchers found themselves losing the next three of the preseason. Especially gutting were the two back-to-back losses against the Austin Copperheads, who outscored the Butchers by a massive 65 points across the two games.
Season Performance
Chicago suffered from abysmal offensive output this season, claiming only one win in the regular season, finishing with a record of 1-12-0. The most points in a single game scored by the Butchers this season was 20, where on average, opponents scored 29 points per game against Chicago. Certainly a low point in the history of the team, the Butchers ended their season dead last in the standings.
Postseason
The Chicago Butchers did not participate in the 2037 postseason.
2038 Season
Roster
The career of Franky LaFleur was a short one in Chicago, lasting only half a season. The Butchers replaced the short-term QB with new signer to the team George O’Donnell. O’Donnell would complete 275 of his 504 attempts, totaling 3083 yards for the season. Tirtawidjaja continued to perform in the RB position with a consistent 4 yards per carry. WR Sean O’Leary, with the organization since the ‘34 season, pulls down 73 receptions averaging 14.3 yards.
Preseason
Chicago put a single tally in the win column during preseason in an incredibly close game against the SaberCats (final score 28-27) after a string of competitive losses. The Butchers offense played well enough to keep them in the game, but they were simply outscored in the first three games of preseason.
Season Performance
The team bounced back somewhat from the year prior, but only barely, as they finished the season with a record of 3-13-0, sitting dead last in the standings for the second year running, and the fourth time in the last five seasons. The offense faltered once again, with their opponents holding them to single-digit scores in seven games in the regular season. The defensive side of the ball saw statistical improvement as well, but not enough to cause any upward mobility in standings.
Postseason
The Chicago Butchers did not participate in the 2038 postseason.
2039 Season
Roster
The team relied on O'Donnell, Tirtawidjaja, and O’Leary for the second year in a row to provide the core of their offense. In week 10, the Butchers traded Eric Richards to the Sailfish in exchange for Raphael d’Alcott. Week 13 brought with it another trade, this time receiving SaberCats’ Cadillac Harris for Tyler Oles, Jr.
Preseason
The preseason was not an encouraging one for Chicago. They dropped both preseason games against Colorado as well as a close loss against the SaberCats. The one bright spot from preseason was a victory over Baltimore in their first home game of the preseason.
Season Performance
In a much improved performance from 2038, the Butchers finished the regular season with a record of 7-9-0, a strong enough finish to place them third in the NSFC and into a playoff position.
Postseason
The Chicago Butchers qualified for the 2039 preseason but did not progress outside the division. Butchers special teams legend, Sam Sidekick, began a long career of record-setting performances during the 2039 postseason with the Longest FG record (54 yards) and Longest Punt (71 yards), both records which would be surpassed in time by none other than Sidekick himself.
2040 Season
Roster
The Chicago Butchers primary offensive core remained the same from 2039 to 2040. The O’Donnell-O’Leary connection was one of their most powerful threats on the field. Their FB, Yoda, led the team in rushing yards for the season, 939 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Preseason
In what would become a theme for the season, the Butchers won half of their preseason games. A tough loss to the Wraiths at home started their preseason, and a tight loss in Sarasota finished it. They picked up victories in the middle two games - a single-point victory over Colorado, and a more commanding 24-3 win over the Fire Salamanders.
Season Performance
The Chicago Butchers finished the 2040 season with a record of 8-8-0, exactly .500 on the season, a small step up from the ‘39 season. Their record would be strong enough to place them third in the NSFC, trailing Colorado and Sarasota. The season started strong with a streak of three wins, but the team was unable to match that streak for the rest of the season, finding their wins mostly one at a time, with one back-to-back win in the middle of the season.
Postseason
While their record was good enough to allow the Butchers entry to the postseason, it would not amount to any great success. They were unable to win the division, the same fate as the previous season.
2041 Season
Roster
With the increased success of the previous season, the Chicago Butchers opted to maintain the same core roster. Notably, they did pick up wide receiver Raphael Delacour in week one of the regular season. This year, O’Donnell would throw a staggering 30 touchdowns, completing 372 of an attempted 638 passes.
Preseason
In their first game of 2041, Chicago secured a one touchdown win against the Baltimore Hawks. The team lost games two and three, but picked up a second win in the fourth preseason game. That win would be the first in a string of four, providing some much needed momentum in the early season.
Season Performance
The regular season began the same way preseason did: with a win over the Hawks. This would be the most successful season in recent history for Chicago. They found wins at home and away with consistency through their entire schedule. Two of their six losses came from the league-leading Yellowknife.The Butchers completed the season with a final record of 10-6-0. At second in the NSFC (and the league overall), Chicago was bested by divisional rival, the Wraiths.
Postseason
Chicago qualified for the postseason, but were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Sarasota Sailfish in a tight game that ended with a score of 24-23.
2042 Season
Roster
Luca Scabbia, a wide receiver picked up in the 2039 season, finds his footing in the league this season to surpass O’Leary in receptions. The breakout year included 89 receptions for 1324 yards and 12 touchdowns. O’Donnell continued to be a reliable QB for the team. The Yoda/Tirtawidjaja duo in the running back position were also a strong scoring resource.
Preseason
In a bittersweet start to the preseason, the Chicago Butchers defeated the Yellowknife Wraiths, a feat they failed to accomplish for the entire 2041 season. Following that game, they alternated wins and losses, ending the preseason 2-2.
Season Performance
The Butchers continued their upward movement, finishing the season at the top of the standings and in a tie with the Sarasota Sailfish. Their final record on the season was 12-4-0. The Butchers found their success in streaks; they won their first four regular season games, and also had another four-in-a-row as well as three wins in a row to finish the season.
Postseason
For the fifth time since the 2031 season, the Chicago Butchers qualified for the postseason. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Colorado Yeti, with a score of 24-19.
2043 Season
Roster
Major roster changes this season happened in that the team saw several of its veteran players leave during the offseason. Star wide receiver Sean O’Leary, running back Julio Tirtawidjaja, and cornerback Tyler Oles, Jr. are the most startling of the changes. New recruit Madison Hayes, RB, picked up where Tirtawidjaja left off, rushing for 720 yards and 11 touchdowns through the season.
Preseason
After a tough loss at home to the Sarasota Sailfish, Chicago was able to rally and find success through the rest of the preseason. They finished the preseason with good momentum, as ideal a start to the season as any team could ask for.
Season Performance
The Butchers stumbled substantially from their dominant position the previous season. The team’s final record was 6-10-0, a tie for fifth place in the division. After two wins to start the season, the team took four consecutive losses before rallying for another two wins. They would then lose 6 of the final 8 games of the season, a team clearly struggling.
Postseason
The Chicago Butchers did not participate in the 2043 postseason.
2044 Season
Roster
2044 was a busy one for the team in terms of mid-season trades. In week 5, Chicago traded Tyron Shields, CB, to Berlin for future considerations. Week 14 saw the team make a deal with the Outlaws, swapping Julio Jones for Rigby Raccoon, both offensive tackles.
Preseason
For the first time since 2039, the Chicago Butchers were able to win only one of their four preseason games. The victory came in game 2, at home against the Yeti. Where preseason built momentum in 2043, it did the opposite in 2044.
Season Performance
The team’s regular season record finished at 5-11-0. That record was good enough to tie them in fifth place in the division, next to the Philadelphia Liberty. The team struggled on both sides of the ball, but the offensive weaknesses seemed to be most obvious. The team suffered streaks of losses throughout the season. Their wins came in a pair of back-to-back wins and a single week 2 victory over the Yeti.
Postseason
The Chicago Butchers did not participate in the 2044 postseason.
2045 Season
Roster
The biggest roster move made by the Butchers in the offseason was the release of running back Baby Yoda. Madison Hayes continued to expand their responsibilities for the team, making 163 carries through the season, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Quarterback George O’Donnell completed 395/685, totaling 4611 yards and 23 touchdowns. Luca Scabbia, WR, averaged 13 yards per reception and totaled 8 touchdowns for the season.
Preseason
The Chicago Butchers preseason record was 2-2 in the 2045 season. Their first game was in Philadelphia, where the fell 10 points short of the Liberty. They grabbed back to back wins from the Silverbacks and Hawks before losing a tough defensive battle against Honolulu at home.
Season Performance
The Butchers finished the season placed fifth in the NSFC with a record of 6-10-0. They put up a paltry 318 PF this season, only managing to out score the Baltimore Hawks. They had the worst Points Against numbers in the NSFC, allowing 458 points. Week 7 started a losing streak that lasted through week 12, a devastating six week stretch for the team.
Postseason
The Chicago Butchers did not participate in the 2045 postseason.
2046 Season
Roster
2046 represents the end of an era: George O’Donnell is replaced with new QB talent Kazimir Oles, Jr. Oles had a great first season with the team, passing for 4119 yards and 30 touchdowns. Scabbia was surpassed in stats this season by Mike Hunt, one of the three WR on the team’s roster. Hunt would make receptions for an average of 12.9 this season, and he scored 8 touchdowns.
Preseason
The Butchers struggled through the entire preseason, unable to pick up a single win through the four games. This performance may have been a result of the roster changes, but the true cause is unclear.
Season Performance
Chicago finished the season in a tie for second place, matching Sarasota’s record of 10-6-0. The Butchers defensive unit stood out especially strongly this season: they allowed the fewest Points Against in the entire league, 330.
Postseason
The Chicago Butchers won their quarterfinal game against the Sarasota Sailfish, but fell in the semifinal to the Colorado Yeti.
2047 Season
Roster
Chicago made two interesting acquisitions during the preseason: Fullback Dexter Jackson from the Hawks, and Offensive Tackle Julio Jones from the Outlaws. This season saw more evenly divided use of their offensive resources, with no true standout scorers on the team. Oles Jr. took a productivity hit, passing for 20 TDs this season compared to 30 in 2046.
Preseason
The Butchers had an incredible preseason, completing a perfect 4-0 record. This success would not follow them into the regular season, unfortunately.
Season Performance
Chicago finished the season with a record of 5-11-0, which put them in a three-way tie for dead last in the conference. The team was plagued again with a mid-season losing streak six games long, repeating the slack performance of 2045’s team.
Postseason
The Chicago Butchers did not participate in the 2047 postseason.
