Photo Courtesy of Briane Amodeo Chicago Blitz/BriAmo Photography 

​Villa Park IL-The Chicago Blitz (4-3) dropped a heartbreaker to the River City Raiders (7-1) by a final score of 37-31 at the Odeum Sports and Expo Center.  For the second time this season the Blitz fell to the Raiders despite having a fourteen point lead in each of the games.  “We let another one slip away to these guys, it is getting to be a bad habit getting up 14 and losing the game in the second half” recalled a disappointed Chicago Blitz head coach Mike Oliver.  The Blitz got out to a great start scoring on the first pass of the game and rolled to a 24-10 halftime lead.  Unfortunately the Blitz could not maintain their momentum in the second half being outscored 27-7 in the second half.  When asked what changed in the second half Blitz coach Mike Oliver had this to say “There are some darn good coaches in this league and they made a good adjustment they started bringing pressure up the middle and spying the QB.”
 
Offensively it was an up and down game for the Blitz putting twenty four points on the board in the first half and only managing seven points in the second half.  Quarterback Andre Locke had a very strong first half with three touchdown throws, two of which to Brian “Boobie” Miles and one to returning Blitz wide receiver David Brown.  Locke’s lone touchdown pass in the second half was to Bryant “Speedy” Pascascio.  “We had too many penalties, you can’t have those kind of mistakes when you have a young quarterback, you have to build a drive and we didn’t do that” shared Blitz head coach Mike Oliver on the difference for the offense between the first and second half.  When asked for his thoughts on the game Blitz running back Keenan Miller replied “This was very similar to the first time we played these guys, we were high energy, we were up 14 points at the half and almost had the knockout punch.” Chicago’s offensive line had trouble with the Raiders pass rush giving up more pressure and sacks of the quarterback than usual.  “We have to complete our drives and we have got to keep our energy up” was the response of Miller when asked what needs to change for the Chicago offense.
 
The Blitz defense had a strong outing despite the loss.  A few injuries in the second half of the game really affected the defenses effectiveness allowing the Raiders to claw back into the game and ultimately take the victory.  An obviously frustrated Blitz linebacker Lorenzo Hood had this to say about the loss “We followed the fundamentals of what we talked about all week and we get on the field and didn’t do that tonight especially in crucial situations.”  Much like the offense Chicago’s defense had a very strong first half only allowing one touchdown and one field goal.  The Blitz defense continued forcing turnovers with two total interceptions in the defeat.  Chicago’s defensive line had another strong game getting good pressure on the Raiders QB throughout.  Lorenzo Hood had a thought on the game that seemed to echo throughout the Blitz locker room with both players and coaches saying “It’s disappointing to get this far and work this hard against a team we were beating twice.”
 
Chicago’s special teams had a very difficult outing in Saturday night’s loss.  River City came into the game with a very dangerous return man that presented the Blitz with many problems in the first matchup.  He was very dangerous once again giving the Blitz kick coverage team fits all night long and even returning a missed field goal for a touchdown late in the game.  The Blitz return team did a good job of giving Chicago’s offense good starting field position for much of the game.  Kicker Igor Materic had an up and down night going 4-4 on extra point attempts and only 1 for 4 on field goal attempts. 
 
Disappointing does not even begin to describe the feeling around the team with this loss.  Just when the Blitz seemingly had this game in hand River City dug deep and found a way to win.  This loss was almost a mirror image of the team’s loss in River City back in late April.  Coming into this game it seemed like a loss would knock the Blitz out of playoff contention in the AIF.  However shortly after the game was over it was discovered there was an unfortunate situation with the Philadelphia Yellow Jackets making them ineligible for the playoffs and thus giving the Blitz new life.  “We are still in the playoffs there is a situation with philly and as a result we are still in the playoffs and we have to beat West Michigan in two weeks” replied Blitz coach Mike Oliver when asked about the playoffs.  So hold on to your seats Blitz fans as this could be a wild ride in the coming weeks and could lead to something very special.  Should the Blitz beat West Michigan at home in two weeks the likely first round matchup would be against River City.  And we all know what they say about beating a team three times in one season, but the Blitz need to get the win at home in two weeks first.   If the attitude and feeling surrounding the team when news of this chance spread is any indication, the Blitz should put on quite the show in their final regular season game. 
 
The Blitz return home to the Odeum Expo and Sports Center on May 28 for a 7PM kickoff versus the West Michigan Ironmen

Photo Courtesy  of Briane Amodeo Chicago Blitz/BriAmo photography inc.

​Villa Park IL-The Chicago Blitz (4-2) got back on track with a dominating 73-6 victory over the Memphis X Sound (0-1) Saturday May 7, 2014 at the Odeum in Villa Park.  Chicago really dominated the game from the opening kickoff to the final play of the game.  “We got back on track tonight, nobody was happy after last week’s loss when we had a two possession lead that slipped away in the second half” explained Chicago Blitz head coach Mike Oliver when asked what this victory meant to the team.  The Blitz dominated in all facets of the game never allowing Memphis to gain any kind of momentum.  Getting a win for the Blitz was very important Saturday night as just one more loss could end Chicago’s playoff hopes.
 
The Blitz offense had their strongest outing of 2016 in Saturday night’s victory.  Quarterback Andre Locke had a solid outing tossing eight touchdowns getting everyone of his receivers involved in the scoring action.  When Locke was asked about what this win means to him stated “This puts back on the right track to make the playoffs.” Blitz head coach Mike Oliver evaluated his quarterback saying “Andre is really an athlete and it is real fast at this level, even faster than it is outdoors and Speedy (Bryant Pascascio) did a great job of getting open making Andre’s job even easier.”  Locke to Speedy was a common occurrence in this game as the two connected for five touchdown passes on the night.  Locke had nothing but praise for his favorite target Saturday night saying “He gets open; it’s easy when you have someone that can take a two yard pass and take it fifty yards any given time.”  Jermel Smith, James Walton, and Brian “Boobie” Miles all had touchdown grabs in the victory as well.  Chicagos offensive line had a strong outing giving Locke a lot of time to find his receivers and work through his progressions.   An obviously happy Coach O had a lot of praise for his offensive performance stating “I’m real happy right now, we haven’t been averaging a ton of points.  I really wanted these guys to concentrate and get things right in this game.  They stayed focused and put a ton of points on the board tonight which was real nice.”
 
Defensively the Blitz dismantled the Memphis offense Saturday night only giving up one touchdown the entire game.    When asked what this win meant to him defensive end Deandre Mosley had this to say “This win means a lot to us, we started off hot needing to finish off the second half and I think we did that today.”  The Blitz defensive line continued their strong play creating constant pressure and forcing the Memphis quarterback to get rid of the football much sooner than he wanted to.  The defensive front five also did a tremendous job of completely shutting down the running game of the X Sound.  Chicago forced five turnovers in the victory.  Defensive end Deandre Mosley had two fumble recoveries that also ended up as touchdowns.  Linebacker Lorenzo Hood had a fumble recovery and an interception in the win.  Defensive back Jorrick Calvin added to the turnover party with an interception of his own.  “It feels great!  It’s always good when a defensive player gets to score a touchdown and I was lucky enough to get two fumbles in the end zone to help our team win” beamed Mosley when asked about his performance Saturday night. 
 
The special teams unit of the Chicago Blitz put together another solid performance to help setup the big win.  Kicker Igor Materic had arguably his best game of the season Saturday night going 1-1 on field goal attempts and 7 for 8 on extra point attempts.  The kick coverage teams had a good night containing the Memphis returners never allowing an opening for any kind of big return.  Chicago’s kick return teams setup the offense with good field position throughout the night. 
 
The Chicago Blitz needed a dominating game like this.  With only two games left on the schedule and both of those games being against the only teams to defeat the Blitz this season every game is a must win.  The confidence boost and momentum this gives the Blitz going forward was very important.  Seeing the chemistry build throughout the game on offense was a very good sign moving forward.  The defense that already was one of the, if not the best defense in the AIF seems to just get better and better as the season goes on.  Looking at and talking to everyone with this team you get a great sense of how important this final stretch of the season is.  Seeing the Blitz go on an incredible run of a five game winning streak to end the season as AIF champions is looking to be more and more of a reality.  But before they win five in a row the Blitz have to make it two in a row with a payback win over the River City Raiders next Saturday night at home. 
 
The Chicago Blitz next play Saturday May 14, 2016 at home in the Odeum in Villa Park with a 7 PM kickoff.  Please visit www.chicagoblitzfootball.com for tickets

​ST Charles MO-The Chicago Blitz suffered its second loss of the season to the River City Raiders by a final score of 47-34 on Saturday April 23, 2016 at the Family Arena in St. Charles Missouri.  Saturday night’s game was truly a game of two halves with River City pulling away late in the game.  At one point late in the second quarter the Blitz rolled off twenty one straight points and had a two score lead early in the third quarter before the Raiders took over.  This was not a typical indoor football game as both teams scored in bunches with the Raiders scoring three straight touchdowns after the Blitz twenty one straight points. When asked to evaluate his team’s performance Chicago head coach Mike Oliver recalled ““The first and second half were two completely different games, we came into half time and went up two scores which was our plan and we didn’t play so well in the second half.”  Wide receiver James Walton had a similar explanation on the Blitz  performance “We played hard and honestly they made more plays than we did, we had a two score lead and didn’t do enough as an offense to hold onto it.”
 
The Blitz offense got off to a slow start in Saturday night’s loss but that is to be expected with Andre Locke starting his first game of the season.  However after a slow first quarter Locke did a tremendous job in the second quarter leading his team to twenty one unanswered points.  “Andre did a great job and this was his first start he took quite a bang but bounced back from that” explained Coach O when evaluating his quarterbacks performance.  The Blitz wide receivers made life a little easier for their new quarterback with their performance against a very tall and talented Raiders defensive backfield.   “They had some holes in the zone that we were trying to exploit, Boobie (Brian Miles)and Speedy (Bryant Pascascio) did a great job of taking the top off allowing the underneath routes to come there” explained wide receiver James Walton on the wide receivers performance.  The Chicago offensive line did a solid job of protecting Locke in the first half.  However the Raiders began blitzing more often creating more pressure on Locke.  “They blitzed us pretty heavy and we had a hard time with that and it knocked him out of his vision and lane “explained Blitz coach Mike Oliver on the offensive lines second half performance.
 
The Chicago Blitz defense is currently the top ranked defense in the AIF and they showed why in Saturday night’s game despite falling short on the scoreboard.  Defensively the Blitz continue to force turnovers game in and game out with interceptions by defensive back Deshon Conley, defensive end/linebacker Deandre Mosley and one fumble recovery by defensive linemen Karl Grant against the Raiders.  When asked what makes his defensive unit so strong defensive linemen Karl Grant explained “We are all hungry to be the best defense in the league, I give the credit to the rest of this defense for all of us playing strong, and coach Stone for getting us ready up front every week.”  The Blitz also had another very strong game up front getting consistent pressure on the Raiders quarterback throughout the game.  Grant also had this to say about why this unit continues its success “The fact that we all bond well as players and teammates.” 
 
Special teams were a bit of a mixed bag in the loss.  Blitz defensive back/kick returner Jorrick Calvin had a solid game returning kicks and setting up the offense with good field position for the majority of the contest.  The kick coverage unit struggled a bit against a very dangerous returner for the Raiders they were awarded some very good field position much of the game on some long kick returns.  Blitz kicker Igor Materic evaluated his game saying “The Open high ceilings helped a little bit but I could have been better.”  It was an onside kick that was returned for a touchdown that sealed the victory for the Raiders.  It was a bit of an unusual onside kick as Materic barely kicked the ball letting it dribble the ten yards in an attempt for the Blitz to recover and give their offense the ball back.  The ball ultimately went off of a Raiders player’s foot into the endzone and River City recovered the football for a touchdown.  When asked about the onside kick Materic explained “We worked on it with the semi pro team I played with, we tried to get it ten yards down the field while trying to get the point guys to create the opening for me to recover it.  Unfortunately the ball took a bad bounce and went backwords instead of forwards”
 
This loss was a very difficult one for the Blitz on Saturday night.  With a short eight game schedule this loss will make it a much tougher road for the Blitz to make it back to the playoffs.  “We are 2-2 and we could still qualify mathematically so we have to pick up the pieces, move on to our next game and get right back to work” explained Blitz head coach Mike Oliver about where the Blitz goes from here.  The resolve of this Blitz team is going to be strongly tested over these last few weeks of the AIF regular season.  That being said this Blitz team has shown every game they do not back down no matter what the situation presents.  Running the table and making the playoffs is not out of the question for the Chicago Blitz.
 
The Blitz returns home for their next game on Saturday May 7, 2016 for a 7 PM kick versus the Memphis X Sounds at the Odeum in Villa Park

​Villa Park IL- The Chicago Blitz (2-1) bounced back this week with a solid 36-24 win over the North Kentucky Nightmare (0-4) on Saturday April 9, 2016 at the Odeum in Villa Park.  Getting off to a fast start was the goal for the Blitz and ultimately it was the key to getting the win over the Nightmare for the second time this season.  Chicago exploded out of the gates outscoring the Nightmare 20-6 in the first quarter.  However the Nightmare would not go away clawing their way back into the game and giving the Blitz everything they could handle in what could be best described as a slugfest right until the final seconds of the game.  Ultimately a interception returned for a touchdown by defensive back Deshon Conley with less than a minute to play in the game sealed the victory for the Blitz.  “This win gets us back on track, we really need to win out to make sure we make the playoffs, we have our work cut out for us but we are back on track” explained Blitz head coach Mike Oliver on the importance of this victory.  When asked about his team’s resiliency for a second straight week a beaming Coach Oliver responded “They are warriors there’s no give up in these guys, there are some things we need to work on but these guys just never give up”
 
The Blitz offense was really able to find its openings early on in this game putting up 20 points in the first quarter.  Chicago’s offense did a particularly good job of running the ball at the goal line as evidenced by running back Keenan Miller’s back to back rushing touchdowns in the first quarter.  Not to be left out of the scoring party receiver and team captain Bryant “Speedy” Pascascio found the end zone late in the first quarter.  In his second game with the team and first full start of the season Quarterback Tony Powell put another solid game together spreading the ball around and not allowing the Nightmare defense to key on any particular receiver.  A key piece to the Blitz offense the last two weeks has been the return of wide receiver Brian “Boobie” Miles.  When asked how he has been able to make such an impact Miles explained ““The anxiousness of getting back to the team and really missing it, and really having a passion of being back with the guys it has just been really great.”  The second half however was not as kind to the Blitz offense as they were only able to muster three points for the entire half. 
 
Defensively the Blitz put together yet another strong outing. “The talent and the comradery, we play great as a defensive unit and it is all working in our favor right now” explained defensive back Deshon Conley about the strength of his defense.  The defensive line continued to impress with constant pressure on the Nightmare quarterback.  The Blitz defensive line was able to continue to play well despite losing defensive end Ryan O’Neill and defensive end Deandre Mosley playing linebacker this week.  Defensive back Jorrick Calvin continued his strong season with an interception with just under seven minutes to play in the game.  The Nightmare were knocking on the endzone door with less than a minute to play in the game when Blitz defensive back Deshon Conley read a passing play intercepting the pass and taking it all the way back for the game sealing touchdown for the Blitz.  When asked about what he saw on the play Conley reminisced “I knew from when we played them in week one what they like to run in the goal line situation, so I read it and just broke on the flat.” 
 
The Chicago Blitz special teams had a strong bounce back game with this week’s win.  New Blitz kicker Igor Materic had a very solid outing going 4-5 on extra points and 1-2 on field goal attempts.  Kick returns were another area of strength for the Blitz giving the Chicago offense good starting field position for the majority of the game.  Brian “Boobie” Miles had a very impressive kick return for a touchdown early in the second quarter.  “Everyone keeping composure and just keeping that next play mentality, it’s not always going to happen and be in our favor we always have to have that next play mentality and keep moving and going” explained Miles about his thought process on the kick return touchdown.  Chicago’s kick coverage teams had a much improved game not giving the Nightmare returners any room to work with. 
 
While this game was not a perfect one, it was a win and in the end that is all that matters. The Chicago Blitz refusal to get rattled by any situation continues to loom large in every game they have played this season.  Adversity continues to knock on the door of this team and continually the Blitz refuse to answer that door, and that is the mentality that champions are made of.  The Blitz have played in 3 fairly close games scoring wise to start 2016.  With only eight games played in the AIF (American Indoor Football league) schedule the Blitz are already near the midpoint of the season.  With River City and West Michigan each suffering one loss already this season it is a tight race for who will make the playoffs.  The mental makeup of this team will continue to be important moving forward as it could be the difference in making the playoffs or not.  If the showing by the Blitz the first three games is any indication it would not be wise to sleep on the 2016 Chicago Blitz.
 
The Blitz are off this coming weekend but return to action on April 23, 2016 with a road game versus the River City Raiders in St. Charles MO.

Photo Courtesy ​Briane Amodeo Chicago Blitz/BriAmo Photography Inc.

Muskegon MI-The Chicago Blitz (1-1) lost a heartbreaker to the West Michigan Ironmen (2-1) by a final score of 34-30 on Saturday night April 2, 2016.   Though the Blitz trailed for a majority of the game they were able to take 30-28 lead over the Ironmen with 45 seconds remaining in the game.  Unfortunately West Michigan returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown taking back the lead with 28 seconds remaining.  A late interception in the end zone with just 14 seconds remaining ended the Blitz comeback hopes.  When asked about his team’s resiliency Chicago head coach Mike Oliver explained “I thought we battled back real well and that was evident when we took the lead late in the game with 45 seconds left.”

 A big story in this game was a hand injury to starting quarterback Demetrious Jones just before halftime.  Recently signed back up Tony Powell stepped up very admirably nearly leading the Blitz to a victory.   When asked about his backup quarterbacks play Blitz head coach Mike Oliver had this to say “”That’s the reason we brought Tony in and he came in on real short notice, and you can’t really replace a guy like DJ (quarterback Demetrious Jones) Tony brings in his own set of skills to the table and he did a heck of a job for us.”  Powell did a tremendous job of spreading the ball around never allowing the defense to key on any one receiver.  “It’s tough but it’s not but it’s not because I know my teammates have my back and they help me with their play” explained Powell when asked how he played so well despite coming into the game cold. 

The Blitz had tremendous success converting fourth downs as the game wore on.  All three Blitz wide receivers getting in on the action making solid contributions throughout the game.  Bryant “Speedy” Pascascio, James Walton, Brian “Boobie” Miles  and running back Keenan Miller all making key catches in crucial moments for the Blitz.  Blitz quarterback Powell had nothing but praise when discussing his wide receiver core “I just tried to make a play and I have some great receivers that helped us keep the ball moving on those fourth downs”

Despite coming out on the losing end of the scoreboard the Blitz defense played a really solid game only allowing 2 touchdowns the entire game.  The defensive line had constant penetration never allowing much time for the West Michigan offense to develop any kind of rhythm.   “We only gave up 28 yards total in the first half and continued to make plays in the second half and unfortunately they scored on some fluky plays” explained Blitz linebacker Lorenzo Hood.  Defensive back Jorrick Calvin had another solid game with one interception and also had an interception returned for a touchdown that was unfortunately called back on a penalty.  Blitz coach Mike Oliver praised his defense “Our defense did a real good job of keeping us in the game, they made some big plays that allowed our offense opportunities and kept the game from getting out of control.”

Chicago’s special teams units had a very difficult time in this game.   Kicker Julie Harshbarger had an uncharacteristically off night in a very difficult kicking environment.  The Blitz coverage units struggled mightily giving up two touchdowns.  The first on a missed field goal attempt late in the second quarter and the second on kickoff return with 45 seconds left in the game. 

​There are no moral victories in football, but the Blitz have much to be proud of despite this loss.  The character this team displayed in their refusal to give up despite so much adversity thrown their way throughout the game is what champions are made of.  Despite being down 28-12 at one point in the third quarter the Blitz battled back to take a 30-28 lead with less than a minute to play.  It is so important in the indoor game to keep battling like that as the momentum can swing so fast like it did in this game.  One loss does not define a season and no team is going to exemplify that more than the 2016 Chicago Blitz!
 
The Blitz are back home this Saturday at the Odeum in Villa Park for a 7 PM kickoff 

Villa Park IL- The Chicago Blitz took the field for the first time on Sunday March 13, 2016 defeating the North Kentucky Nightmare with a final score of 33-22.  Early on in the game it was a back and forth battle between two solid indoor football teams with the experience and depth of the Blitz proving to be too much as the game wore on.  The Blitz were particularly solid on the defensive side of the football making it very difficult for the Nightmare to get into any kind of a consistent rhythm offensively.  On the offensive side of the ball the Blitz overcame some early struggles to put together a very solid performance.  When asked about his team’s performance Blitz head coach Mike Oliver said “We got our glitches out of the way, the guys clicked pretty well, we are pointed in the right direction and got the W!”

First games can be particularly tough to prepare for especially on the offensive side of the football.  The Blitz offense had some growing pains early on in the football game but really found their grove as the game progressed.  Blitz quarterback Demetrius Jones improvement throughout the game was the catalyst in getting the Chicago offense clicking and was named offensive player of the game for his efforts.  Jones had this to say about how the offensive game plan was working “Once we found some rhythm with the passes everything else began to fall into place.” When asked how his offensive group overcame the early struggles Jones explained “We had some guys making some great catches on some bad balls putting us in better position”.  The Chicago offensive line did a particularly good job of not only keeping Jones clean but opening up some big running lanes in a game where running the ball is not particularly easy.  A beaming Coach O had this to say about his running game “I really liked what I saw out of our running game, with these rules it is a passing league but if you’ve got a running game here that’s a real big plus.”

Defensively the Blitz dominated the North Kentucky offense from the opening whistle to the final buzzer of the game.  The front five of the Blitz gave consistent pressure on the Nightmare offense never allowing the North Kentucky quarterback much time to find an open receiver.  Holding a team to only 22 points in the indoor game is very impressive and the Blitz defense surely opened some eyes with Sundays performance.  With two interceptions Blitz defensive back Jorrick Calvin was named the defensive player of the game.  When asked what made it look so easy for him on the field Calvin explained “We have a great D line, and a great linebacking group that put great pressure on the quarterback and just makes our job as DB’s very easy.”  Sunday was Calvins first game in two and a half years due to an injury Calvin talked about his motivation “It has been 2 and a half years since I have been on a football field, so I really came out there with a chip on my shoulder.” 

Special teams for the Blitz looked very good in the season opening win.  Longtime Blitz placekicker and back to back special teams player of the year Julie Harshberger had a strong game despite the difficult conditions that kicking in the indoor game presents.  In what may have been the most exciting play of the game Blitz wide receiver/kick returner Bryant “Speedy” Pascascio returned a missed field goal the entire length of the field for the game’s first touchdown.  The Blitz kick coverage teams had a very solid game giving up very little to the Nightmare in the return game.
 
You never quite know what to expect when it is a team’s first game of the season, but the Blitz definitely answered the bell in this victory.   While there were a few wrinkles that had to be ironed out early on, those wrinkles became less and less as the game progressed.  The offensive growth throughout the game became more and more evident with every drive.  There was already a buzz heading into the gam about what would be seen from the Blitz defense and they looked every bit the part in the victory.  The Blitz next game is not for another 3 weeks.  So if the team showed that much growth throughout a game imagine what they will do with an additional couple weeks of practice.  If Sunday was any indication this Blitz team has the pieces in place to do something truly special in 2016. 
 
The Chicago Blitz next game is Saturday April 2, 2106 7:05 PM at the Western Michigan Ironmen

Game day is fast approaching and the Blitz are excited to open their 2016 season!  Tickets are available through the ticket page on this site or visiting Ticketforce.  We look forward to seeing you at the Odeum!

Tickets for the Chicago Blitz home games are now on sale through Ticketforce.  The Blitz will host five home regular season contests starting March 13th!  Make sure to visit our tickets page for more information on prices and promotions available!

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The Chicago Blitz are pleased to release their 2016 AIF season schedule.  This year, the Blitz play an eight game regular season schedule, which  features five home games at The Odeum Expo Center in Villa Park, Illinois.  The schedule opens up at the Odeum on Sunday, March thirteenth, and includes three home tilts to close out the regular season in May.  

The three road contests consist of two trips to face the Western Michigan Ironmen in Muskegon, Michigan and one trip to St. Charles, Missouri to take on the River City Raiders.

Chicago Blitz tickets will once again this year be available through Ticketforce.  Special group rates and packages are also available.  See our "TIckets" page of this website for more info.

We look forward to seeing you at the Odeum!