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Develin’s versatility could help Pats at tight end

By WTOP Staff

HOWARD ULMAN
AP Sports Writer

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Rob Gronkowski isn’t ready for full-time activity. Michael Hoomanawanui has been sidelined the past two practices.

The New England Patriots are short-handed at tight end so James Develin is getting another chance to show the versatility that has earned praise from coach Bill Belichick.

“He gets better all the time,” Belichick said Wednesday. “It’s a little bit like a relief pitcher. He has a role, but sometimes you don’t know when that role is going to occur.”

Develin played defensive line at Brown but, at 255 pounds, realized any shot at making the NFL depended on his ability to contribute in other ways. With the Patriots, he’s a fullback and a solid special teams contributor.

And once his NFL career is over, he can always use his Ivy League mechanical engineering degree.

“That’s on hold,” he said.

Now he’s seeing more time at tight end while Gronkowski continues his comeback from knee surgery and Hoomanawanui nurses an undisclosed injury.

“The unique thing about James is he’s a very versatile player,” Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio said. “We saw that going back to last season. He was able to line up in the backfield, at tight end, detach from the formation.”

Develin participated in 27.6 percent of the team’s offensive snaps last season, mostly as a blocker. He caught four passes for 62 yards and ran four times for 10 yards and a touchdown.

“He’s not a game-breaking type of (player). That’s not really his role,” Belichick said. “But the plays, like the play he had in Houston last year, breaking four tackles to get into the end zone from the 1-yard line, those kind of plays sometimes say as much as an 80-yard touchdown.”

On his second rush of the season, Develin was stopped as he hit the middle of the line. He kept his legs churning and was stopped again and again and again as he kept moving to the left. Finally, he fell into the end zone. The Patriots ended up winning the game 34-31.

“The past is in the past and I’ll leave it there,” Develin said. “At this point, there’s no use in looking back on it, just trying to do it again this year.”

After leaving Brown, he played the 2010 season with the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League.

“I was just trying to stay in the game and get some film” of himself for scouts to study, Develin said. “That’s the whole reason I went down there. I wasn’t really getting any looks from NFL teams so I figured why not go down there and play the game I love and just keep trying and keep trying. And, luckily, everything worked out for me.”

His coach with the Tuskers was Jay Gruden, now the coach of the Washington Redskins. The Patriots will hold joint practices at Washington’s training facility next week before they meet in a preseason opener next Thursday night.

“I’m excited to see him,” Develin said. “I’m glad that he’s doing so well and that he’s been given the opportunity to move up.”

Playing for the Tuskers was a critical steppingstone.

“It was very valuable for me,” he said. “I was a rookie. I didn’t have really any experience playing professional football and that kind of got my feet wet in it and I was able to learn from a lot of ex-NFL guys.”

After his stint with the Tuskers, he joined the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad for the last five games of the 2010 season. He stayed on it throughout the following season but was waived late in the 2012 training camp and was signed to New England’s practice squad one day later. The Patriots waived him twice after that before signing him last Sept. 6.

He played all 18 games, including the playoffs, last season.

“James is very smart, works very, very hard. He had a great offseason … very strong in the weight room,” Belichick said. “From day one that he entered the program to where he is now, he’s really improved.”

Now he has a chance to improve at tight end.

“Wherever the coaches put me, whenever they give me an opportunity, I’m just trying to go out there and do it to the best of my ability,” Develin said.

___

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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
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