This was just yesterday.
Dwayne Haskins was having fun with his Steelers teammates and getting ready for a new season, a new sense of purpose carrying him.
Cherish every second while you can.
Najee Harris' rookie season:
307 carries
1,200 rushing yards
7 rushing touchdowns
74 receptions
467 receiving yards
3 receiving touchdowns
0 fumbles
He's one of two rookies to EVER have 1,650+ scrimmage yards and not fumble, joining Saquon Barkley in 2018.
A 🌟 is born.
Myles Jack is just 26.
He's started 82 of 86 games since entering the NFL in 2016.
His missed tackle percentage of 3.6% was the second-lowest of ALL inside linebackers to start 15+ games last season.
The
#Steelers
just got a true baller.
#Steelers
center Mason Cole had a 28.7 PFF grade against the Bills yesterday. Allowed a team-high six pressures.
All year, he had just three games with a grade north of 70.
Cole was the worst pass-blocking center in the NFL, min. 1,000 snaps.
Center a big need for Pittsburgh.
#Steelers
QB Justin Fields posted the highest PFF passing grade (99.4) on deep attempts in Week 1.
Threw three excellent balls with touch + accuracy to George Pickens (although only two counted).
The deep ball added an element to this offense that had been lacking under center
Also, I'm here to jog your memory about this ludicrous catch by Antonio Brown, one of the best in recent times.
As
@CollinsworthPFF
put it: "I think that is one of the most brilliant plays I've seen in a very long time."
A truly unforgettable win for the
#Steelers
back in 2017.
For reference,
#Steelers
OLB Alex Highsmith had more sacks last year than:
Micah Parsons
Maxx Crosby
Brian Burns
Danielle Hunter
Za'Darius Smith
Khalil Mack
And more pressures than:
Bradley Chubb
Aidan Hutchinson
Quinnen Williams
Pretty impressive names to be ahead of.
Maybe the coolest
#Steelers
story from today:
7th-round pick Mark Robinson made the team.
He didn't start playing linebacker until spring 2021. He wasn't on scholarship at Ole Miss until last fall.
Now, he's on an NFL roster and one of the best defenses as a linebacker.
Mitch Trubisky when asked about the
#Steelers
on The Adam Schefter Podcast:
"A legendary franchise. You think of the black and gold, Coach Mike Tomlin, Ben Roethlisberger slinging it around."
Mentioned that Pittsburgh is close to home and "hard-nosed football" in the AFC North
Myles Jack saw limited action in his
#Steelers
debut, but the linebacker looked excellent in the run game.
Jack's athleticism manifests itself in avoiding blockers/traffic, hitting the hole and getting to backs, which he does perfectly on this 3rd and 1 TFL.
Several Northwestern coaches/staffers, including OC Mike Bajakian, are donning "Cats Against the World" shirts with No. 51 — Pat Fitzgerald's old jersey number — on them.
Among the items that were/are on sale from Ryan Field:
A massage/training table ($550!)
A sink ($250)
A sign about coaches using elevators ($125)
Bathroom signage ($75)
Oh, and the 50-foot vinyl banner over seats (a cool $1,000)
I think we've reached peak sicko
JUST IN: former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron "would have interest" in coaching at Northwestern, but has not yet heard from the school, per source.
The full story here:
Per
@ZebraTechnology
, Cam Heyward's interception of Justin Fields marked the least amount of time a ball has been in the air before being intercepted in the Next Gen Stats Era.
Heyward snatched the pigskin just 0.1 seconds after Fields let it go.
The
#Steelers
haven't finished last in their division since 1988, the longest active streak in the NFL.
That year, their starting quarterback was Bubby Brister, who had a 47.3 completion %, 11 TDs and 14 INTs.
In fact, Pittsburgh has only come in last twice since 1969.
When Ben Roethlisberger takes the field for the
#Steelers
against the
#Seahawks
, he'll be playing his first Sunday Night Football matchup at Heinz Field since December 2018.
Ben is 18-11 all-time on SNF and is on a 4-game losing streak, but he's 2-0 in October SNF home games.
Joey Porter Jr. against Puka Nacua yesterday:
3 targets, 0 catches allowed, 1 PBU
Porter Jr.'s passer rating allowed is still 0.0 (!). His 91.1 PFF man coverage grade is the best in the NFL, minimum 100 coverage snaps.
The
#Steelers
rookie has been lockdown so far.
Random stat of the day:
In 2020, Gardner Minshew had the highest rating of any quarterback on 3rd down (min. 50 plays) at 118.2.
Yes, higher than Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady.
Nebraska has 15-20 offensive linemen vomiting PER PRACTICE...
Northwestern hasn't named a starting quarterback (and may not)...
The Huskers and Wildcats combined for 6 wins last year...
And this is being played in Ireland!
A week away from maybe the biggest sicko game ever
NEW: A recent former Northwestern player confirmed to me that the allegations of sexual hazing are "100% true" and that the issue is "widespread."
Story will be posted on
@insidenu
shortly.
32 of Ben Roethlisberger's 38 completions were within 10 yards.
The saddest part: if you tried to find the swing pass to Najee Harris on 4th and 10, you couldn't.
How much longer before the
#Steelers
realize that this can't work in the modern NFL?
A very telling stat:
Northwestern is the only team in the Women's College World Series to start one (1) pitcher in all of its postseason games.
Danielle Williams has been a one-woman wrecking crew, throwing 681 (!) pitches in six starts.
A new level of stamina and dominance.
Northwestern LT Peter Skoronski ended the 2022 season with a 93.7 PFF pass-blocking grade, the highest in the country.
That's also the best season pass-blocking mark by any offensive lineman in the last two full years.
He allowed just six pressures and one sack. Unreal.
Teams to win 1+ games in March Madness in both of the last two years
UConn
Houston
Kansas
Duke
Tennessee
Gonzaga
Creighton
Michigan State
Marquette
Baylor
Alabama
SDSU
Texas
*Northwestern*
NU is one of 14 teams to reach that feat. Considering the company, that's pretty special.
Boo Buie against top-10 competition:
vs. No. 1 Purdue: 31 points, 10-for-20 FG, nine assists, zero turnovers, two steals, W
vs. No. 10 Illinois: 29 points, 12-for-25 FG, seven assists, two turnovers, three steals, W
Think it's time to anoint him the best player in NU history.
The more you know:
5 of the 2018 Pro Bowlers (Roethlisberger, Turner, Heyward, Schobert, Boswell) and 6 of the 2019 Pro Bowlers (Smith-Schuster, Ebron, Turner, Heyward, Ingram, Watt) are now on the
#Steelers
.
Lots of star power from the last few years in the Steel City.
Just in: according to a former Northwestern player who graduated in 2007, the team engaged in the "car wash" hazing activity when he was an active player.
One outstanding takeaway from this entire situation:
This likely would not have happened without the outstanding reporting — of a very complicated and difficult situation — of all of the journalists involved, especially students.
Some more career news: I'm thrilled to share that I'll be joining
@nypostsports
as an intern in NYC this summer!
Will be a dream come true to cover some of the most iconic teams/venues in all of sports and to work with so many legendary figures in the industry.
Official now:
Northwestern's first season at Ryan Field (then Dyche Stadium) was 1926. The Wildcats went 5-1 at home that season.
In 2023, the last year at Ryan Field, NU also went 5-1 in Evanston.
Can't make it up.
Even after the loss, Northwestern fans stayed in the Golden 1 Center to congratulate the team on its unbelievable season.
A fitting tribute to a year nobody will forget.
The tinkering with the microphone... The counting with the fingers... This is sheer perfection down to every nuance
If you watch one thing today, make it this
Northwestern football not only lost a significant chunk of its 2022 contributors, but had maybe the most turbulent summer in program history.
Braun, who had never been a head coach *ever*, calmly stepped in and won more games than the last two years combined.
No-brainer.
Sources: Northwestern is expected to hire interim coach David Braun as the school’s permanent head coach. Braun has Northwestern at 5-5 after a 1-11 season last year.
Personal update: I'm very excited to announce that I'll be sticking around with Pro Football Focus this summer as a freelance writer!
Can't wait to analyze and cover NFL/college football with some of the best in the business and longtime inspirations of mine.
Personal news: I'm stoked to announce that I'll be joining the Data Collection Team at
@PFF
for this upcoming college football season!
Learned a tremendous amount during a rigorous training process and can't wait to expand my knowledge even further with an industry leader.
Collins on his ejection: "I'm not going to go into the officiating. We have great officiating. I'm just not sure if I've ever seen a box score like that. I don't know if you've ever seen a disparity like that in a Big Ten game. I feel like we're aggressive, though, too."
2015: Warriors win the Finals, Northwestern football goes 10-3
2017: Warriors win the Finals, Northwestern football goes 10-3, wins Music City Bowl
2018: Warriors win the Finals, Northwestern football goes 9-5, wins Holiday Bowl
2022: Warriors win the Finals, ???
👀👀
One final thought from tonight...
Northwestern men's basketball in its last four games against Purdue and Michigan State: 4-0
Pretty incredible work by Chris Collins' bunch to best some of the top of the class in the Big Ten, and two elite programs, over the last few years.
Daniel Jeremiah said that NFL coaches are "overwhelmingly convinced" that the Commanders will take Jayden Daniels at No. 2, but that he's personally leaning Drake Maye.
Emphasized suspense knowing GM Adam Peters and how he operates.
Najee's 381 touches are the most by a rookie in NFL history without a fumble.
His 1,667 scrimmage yards rank 7th in a single season in
#Steelers
history.
In spite of volume, Harris never missed a game or "hit the rookie wall."
Over the last few weeks, I reached out to the company that made these shirts, which were circulated by players on social media and available to buy until July 31. The company would not disclose if any Northwestern players/team members were involved in their creation.
Probably the best trait Brendan Sullivan has shown as Northwestern's starting quarterback thus far: improvisation.
This play on third-and-eight — down seven, in the fourth quarter against No. 2 Ohio State — is unreal.
Something I don't think most appreciate until you walk along the lake/Martin Stadium: the room between the path and the water is very thin
A shanked punt + Lake Michigan winds and yeah, we might have a splash hit
Northwestern is sending a conceptual image of its temporary lakeside football stadium, which will host games in the 2024 and 2025 seasons, to season-ticket holders today. The image shows general concepts behind the facility, which is being designed and built by InProduction.
To filter this further:
Teams to have won a 2023 football bowl game and 2024 March Madness game
Northwestern
Arizona
Kansas
Tennessee
Oregon
Clemson
Duke
Just seven schools.
Teams to win 1+ games in March Madness in both of the last two years
UConn
Houston
Kansas
Duke
Tennessee
Gonzaga
Creighton
Michigan State
Marquette
Baylor
Alabama
SDSU
Texas
*Northwestern*
NU is one of 14 teams to reach that feat. Considering the company, that's pretty special.
For Northwestern to win in Xfinity Center — where Maryland was 11-4, and where NU had won just *once* before — is pretty remarkable.
But to do that *without* Ryan Langborg is thoroughly impressive.
Sitting at 11 wins, feels like the Wildcats need just one more victory to dance.
On the heels of now-No. 25 Northwestern MBB:
NU is one of just 25 schools to make the 2023 NCAA Tournament *and* a football bowl game. The 'Cats are one of only four Big Ten teams to achieve that.
Both times that NU has made the tourney, it's made a bowl game later that year.
I still have a few pieces on Northwestern left in the tank. But after an incredible 2.5 years, the time has come to say farewell to Inside NU.
So many people to thank, and so many experiences I could've only dreamt of.
Reflecting on this amazing ride:
Northwestern men's basketball has now gone 8-1 at home this year and is 13-3 in its last 16 home games, with wins over Purdue (2x), Indiana, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Dayton and Iowa.
Welsh-Ryan Arena turning into a pretty legit home-field advantage.
Overheard from Northwestern players/coaches on the field postgame:
To Ben Bryant: "That's some of the best s--- I've ever seen. F----- incredible!"
"We kept all the receipts!"
Northwestern WR A.J. Henning becomes the first Wildcat to (publicly) announce he'll be in NCAA College Football 25.
Punt returns with him will be tremendous, have to say
Northwestern has beaten Illinois in football *and* basketball for the first time since 2019.
Also, it's the first time NU has beaten the Illini on the hardwood in two consecutive years since the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.
Pretty good time to be a Wildcat fan.
Incredibly honored to announce I'll be one of the next Editors in Chief of Inside NU!
So grateful to have learned under so many amazing editors of the past who have shaped me immensely.
Can't wait to guide this site — which has given me so much — with Gavin and Iggy.
We're thrilled to announce our next Editors in Chief will be Iggy Dowling, Bradley Locker and Gavin Dorsey. These three have done tremendous jobs leading the site already, and will continue their great leadership over the next year. Please join us in congratulating the EICs!
Northwestern LT Caleb Tiernan's PFF grades against Wisconsin:
89.7 offensive grade
87.4 pass-blocking grade
85.4 run-blocking grade
Also allowed zero pressures on 31 opportunities.
Tiernan was the highest-graded FBS O-lineman in the nation (!) this week, minimum 50 snaps.
With its win over Minnesota, Northwestern has ended the 2023-24 season with just two losses at home.
First time that's happened in over 40 years for the Wildcats.
Another ridiculously impressive accomplishment for Chris Collins, who continues to reset expectations.
One former Northwestern player, who last played nearly ten years ago, told me he "can't even fathom" hazing being associated with Pat Fitzgerald, or the coach being aware.
The player added he hasn't heard anything about hazing since he left, and has former teammates on staff.
Safe to say announcing my first football game since at least senior year of high school did not disappoint.
Here's how Northwestern's game-winning touchdown pass from QB Ben Bryant to TE Charlie Mangieri sounded on
@WNURSports
!
From watching Justin Jackson and Northwestern growing up in the late 2010s to covering NU since the 2021, hard to imagine the Wildcats playing anywhere other than Ryan Field.
Excited for the future — but for its nooks + crannies and highs and lows, will never be another like it.
It's been quite the week for Northwestern star Boo Buie.
Buie was featured on the cover of the Spring edition of North by Northwestern, and proposed to his longtime girlfriend.
Considering he announced his return to Evanston earlier this month, certainly a May to remember.
One
#Steelers
defender who had a very solid showing in Kansas City was Alex Highsmith.
Highsmith is known for his run-stopping prowess, but he was really putting in work against Pro Bowler Orlando Brown. Whether getting sacks or forcing Mahomes to step up, 56's impact was felt.
Chris Collins: three March Madness trips, three wins.
Zero Round of 64 losses.
In a tournament where the unbelievable becomes ordinary, that's another impressive notch on the ledger. One of America's most underrated coaches.
Always lucky I get an opportunity to cover Northwestern football, but tonight was particularly special.
A bowl game win, in the home of Super Bowl 58, over a storied program, with some of my closest friends and peers.
Will have more coverage, but so long from Las Vegas 🫡🎲
Tonight's game was a tough way to see Northwestern exit after two excellent years.
But couldn't have been more grateful to have witnessed so many unbelievable stories as co-editor-in-chief.
Can't thank
@idowling11
and
@david_a_gold
enough for their collaboration and friendship.
Boo Buie walks off the floor as a Northwestern Wildcat for the final time, with a long embrace with Chris Collins.
He scored just nine tonight, but his legacy will not be forgotten. The program's best player, who somehow found a way to improve after a stellar 2022-23.