Riker’s Block

  • NBA Playoff Preview: Five storylines I’m watching in the first round and beyond

    An NBA graphic from (of course) Sports Illustrated Kids that has stuck with me over the years depicted each of the NBA Finals contenders as pieces on a Risk board, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. That twist on the popular board game represents my favorite type of playoffs — fields with all sorts

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  • Mountain Time: Reflecting on my season on the inside with Broncos Country

    DENVER — Super Bowl Sunday was memorable this year, and for me, it came with plenty of reflections about all things NFL after spending a season on the inside. From July training camp to Week 18 in January, I served as the digital media intern for the Denver Broncos, with responsibilities ranging from uploading press

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  • (Game)Day in the Life: Broncos Edition

    During college, I wrote a couple of “Day in the Life” articles from my freshman and sophomore years. I’m bringing it back today, though the day I picked this time around isn’t random. I’m giving the behind the scenes of the Broncos’ 24-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver’s first win over the reigning

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  • All In: Inside the Las Vegas Grand Prix’s mission to build Las Vegas’ next sports success story

    Note from the author: The following longform feature is my capstone project for my Master’s of Science in Journalism degree at Northwestern University. This marked my first time covering Formula One in any capacity and included interviews with Las Vegas experts, coverage of NASCAR’s first-ever street race in July in Chicago and on-site reporting from

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  • 2023 NFL Season Preview: Unpredictable season culminates in a fantastic Super Bowl rematch

    We’re just over a month away from the start of another exciting NFL season, and as I’ve done since elementary school, it’s time for my annual NFL preview. The tradition includes tearing through hundreds of pages of NFL preview magazines, picking every single game (I used to do this by hand in a notebook!) and

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  • 2023 NFL Mock Draft: QB’s go 1-2-3 in Kansas City

    The 2023 NFL Draft is hours away! Before the proceedings in Kansas City, I teamed up with six NFL experts — John Volk, Patrick Andres, Christian Clark, Davis Johnson, Tristan Tucker and Bradley Locker — to give it a go at drafting for the 31 first-round picks. Each general manager was tasked with improving his

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  • NFL Combine Photo Gallery: Weekend Highlights

    INDIANAPOLIS — Last week, I published highlights from the first half of my trip to the NFL Scouting Combine. Though defensive lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore’s electric combine performance was my favorite part of the week, plenty of great conversations and moments took place over the weekend. In addition to photo and video content, I freelanced a

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  • NFL Combine Photo Gallery: Wednesday and Thursday Highlights

    INDIANAPOLIS — The phrase “NFL offseason” isn’t quite a truthful one. Just a couple weeks after the Kansas City Chiefs captured another Super Bowl title in Arizona, the NFL world has converged on Indianapolis as the draft buzz is starting to pick up. Of course, I felt obligated to make the trip and once again

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  • Mission Impossible: My Super Bowl LVII Week Travel Log

    Covering your first Super Bowl is like a Mission Impossible movie. Picturesque locales. Famous people. Impersonators of those famous people (Andy Reid on radio row especially). Stunts to acquire otherwise unthinkable access. Expensive gear. And for journalists, missions that feel in the moment as if they hold life-or-death implications and require tracking down elusive targets.

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  • From uniform breakdowns to hot-off-the-press profiles, my 15 favorite articles as a Daily Northwestern reporter

    My time writing at the Daily Northwestern was like the animals on Noah’s Ark — a whole bunch of pairs of two.  Two seasons covering volleyball, my first beat. Two seasons covering men’s basketball, my first multiple-times-a-week and travel beat. Two seasons covering baseball. Two seasons covering my favorite sport, football. And two editorial positions

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