Slaughter prepares to bear down

The undefeated Chicago Slaughter, coached by former Bears Pro Bowl defensive tackle Steve McMichael, will not make the same mistake that he and the Super Bowl XX champions made in a 38-24 loss to the Miami Dolphins that was the only blemish in an 18-1 season.

The Slaughter are the favorites to win the Continental Indoor Football League playoffs after rolling to a league-best 12-0 regular season, and "Mongo" promises he won't allow his team any chance to come in overconfident.

"Don't you think I'll be talking to these guys on the field and in the locker room every day about that game with the Dolphins in 1985?" McMichael said. "You know why we lost that game? We were so good we didn't think it could happen. But that's when something will jump up and bite you right in the (butt). You never know when someone's going to have the game of their life. That's what you have to prepare for."

The Slaughter earned some down time because of their perfect regular-season record, so their postseason begins at 7:05 p.m. Saturday, June 20, at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, against the Wisconsin Wolfpack. A victory in that game would send the Slaughter to the title game, which they would host the following Saturday.

So far, the Slaughter has been a well-kept secret, drawing modest crowds, but McMichael says fans who have followed his team have received great entertainment value.

"I defy you to find anybody who's been out to see us play and didn't see a great game," he said. "And we cater to the kids, letting them come on the field, kick the ball around and have fun. They remember that, and that's what they're a fan of. For the parents, it's quality time with their kids. A family of four can come and see a game for $50."

The Slaughter are led by some of the best players from the Chicago Rush of the Arena League, which suspended operations for 2009. Wide receiver Bobby Sippio, a late addition who also played in nine games with the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs last season, caught 8 TD passes in two games. Another wide receiver, Donovan Morgan, had a tryout with the Buffalo Bills.

Former Rush quarterback Russ Michna, a graduate of Conant High School and Western Illinois, has put up prolific numbers, throwing 70 TD passes in the first 11 games, 22 of them to Morgan, who played just seven games because of injuries but should be healthy for the playoffs.

While the CIFL stage can't match the NFL's, its players bring just as much passion to the game and maybe something more than their more famous counterparts, according to McMichael.

"These guys play hard-nosed football," he said. "They really bash each other, and you know, I like that. These kids are not self-entitled bonus babies, they just want to play football, and that's what I respect. These guys still have to go to work, go out and make a living, and then play football. That takes some resolve. That's the kind of football player fans should want to idolize, not some self-entitled guy that you can't even ask for an autograph."

But there isn't much time left.

"Tell the fans it'll be too late after we win the championship," McMichael said. "It'll be too late to see this team, and later you'll realize you missed something."