Skip to main content

Brady’s smarts jumpstarted stellar career

By WTOP Staff

HOWARD ULMAN
AP Sports Writer

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Tom Brady was a solid student as a rookie learning the New England Patriots playbook.

The physical part of playing quarterback was tougher.

“The reason I was a sixth-round pick was I didn’t have much ability,” the two-time NFL MVP said Wednesday. “So you’ve got to try to work hard to improve those things over the years while still keeping my mental game sharp.”

Heading into his 15th season, Brady wants to do that as long as possible no matter what critics say. A recent Pro Football Focus story said he wasn’t one of the league’s top five quarterbacks.

Do such opinions fire him up?

He laughed then said, “I’m always pretty fired up so I think there’s people that always have opinions about us as athletes and you just try to go out there and do your best. You go home at night realizing you left it all on the field and some days you don’t play your best, but that’s sports.”

Then Brady wondered where those comments originated.

“Were they Jet fans or Dolphin fans or Bills fans? Patriots fans?” he said with a grin. “Everyone’s a little biased. My wife thinks I play pretty good. My mom thinks I play pretty good.”

In 2000, though, he was just one of four Patriots quarterbacks. Drew Bledsoe was the starter, John Friesz threw 21 passes, Michael Bishop threw nine and Brady only three.

But he had plenty of time to watch and learn. Since that was Bill Belichick’s first season as head coach, all the quarterbacks were learning a new system.

“I was pretty fortunate to come in at the time that I did with coach Belichick,” Brady said.

Back then, the Patriots held an offseason quarterback camp.

“We had a lot more time than the kids have now,” Brady said. “We had a quarterback (camp) where we met five days a week for like nine hours, all on going through the playbook. And that was really helpful for me.

“If you want to be special at this game then you’ve got to do whatever it takes,” he said. “Some things come a little more naturally to certain people than others. The mental part came pretty natural for me. I think I really had to work hard on the physical part, what it takes to be an NFL player.”

Now it’s Jimmy Garoppolo’s turn to be the team’s rookie quarterback. His leadership and poise have stood out during three weeks of organized team activities and this week’s minicamp.

“Whoever plays that position has to take a strong leadership position,” Brady said. “There’s no one else that’s going to do it if the quarterback doesn’t do it so that’s a trait that all the good quarterbacks have and Jimmy’s got very good leadership skills.”

Offseason practices with the Patriots are much more intense than the ones Garoppolo had at Eastern Illinois.

“I don’t even know if you can compare the two,” Garoppolo said with a chuckle. “It’s night and day.”

There’s little time to waste with so much to learn in so little time. Every day missed with an injury is a setback.

“When you get behind in training camp, it’s hard to make up,” Brady said. “Things are moving so fast at that point and improvements are so dramatic every day with installation and correcting all the errors.

“You’re only a young player for a certain amount of time in the NFL and at that point people are just waiting for you to produce. Nobody can really make mistakes, not if you want to be a good offense.”

A better test of how the offense develops comes late next month when the Patriots start training camp. Thursday’s minicamp session is the last full team practice before then.

So after four weeks of practice, “you know the things you need to improve on,” Brady said. “You have five weeks to focus on it and make it better so you can come into the camp at the most important time, really at your best.”

NOTES: Belichick shed no light on cornerback Darrelle Revis’ absence from practice Wednesday. “All the players that are out there practicing are practicing and the ones that aren’t, aren’t,” he said. … Brady said his wife, Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, would go to the World Cup in Brazil, but he wasn’t sure whether he would. “I haven’t finalized everything. It’s a busy time,” Brady said. “I’ve got three kids at home so they take up a lot of time and energy. I know my wife’s heading down there so it’ll be fun for her.”

___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote