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Jets rookie Amaro unfazed by rocky start to camp

By WTOP Staff

DENNIS WASZAK Jr.
AP Sports Writer

CORTLAND, N.Y. (AP) — Jace Amaro trudged his way from the field after a particularly rough practice and was met along the way by John Idzik.

The New York Jets general manager gave the rookie tight end what amounted to a brief pep talk and then patted him on the back.

“John was just telling me what he sees in me and what he believes I can do, and he’s right,” Amaro said Wednesday. “I’ve just got to go out there and play.”

The Jets are counting on that from the second-round draft pick who was perhaps the best receiving tight end in college last season. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Amaro had 106 catches and seven touchdowns in Kliff Kingsbury’s spread offense at Texas Tech, where he often lined up as a slot receiver.

But he hasn’t made an immediate impact just yet — although it’s still early in training camp. It’s a new style of offense, which takes some getting used to. Amaro also missed a little bit of time with tendinitis in his right knee, but was back on the field Wednesday. The knee is fine now, he said, but it’s the on-field mistakes that are hurting.

“A lot of people have a lot of expectations for me,” he said, “And, right now, I’m just trying to figure it all out.”

First off, he needs to better familiarize himself with the offensive concepts and language of plays in the pros, which has been a difficult transition.

“It’s like (going from) speaking Chinese to English,” Amaro said. “It’s like numbers to crazy lingo from Texas Tech to here. It took me a while, and I’m still figuring it out. I feel like I’m getting there, but eventually it’s going to start clicking.

“And, when it does, I feel like I’ll really be able to showcase what I can really do.”

On Wednesday, Amaro dropped a pass and ran a few bad routes. Quarterback Geno Smith got on him for one mistake, and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg barked at Amaro at one point to “get in the (play) book.”

He slipped on another play, leading to an interception for Michael Vick.

“We know he’s got the physical skills to do it,” coach Rex Ryan said. “He’s got to focus, and sometimes if your head’s in other places and you’re thinking and all of that, it’s hard to be at your best.”

The Jets envision Amaro teaming with starter Jeff Cumberland and perhaps Zach Sudfeld to form perhaps one of the league’s most athletic trios of pass-catching tight ends. Amaro flashes during his best moments, often getting himself free in one-on-one coverage.

“Hopefully he can be more consistent and be the receiver that we think he can be,” Ryan said.

Despite the mistakes, Amaro didn’t think his day was all that bad. He acknowledged that he could have done better on some plays, but thought the coaches would also see a few positives.

“I made mistakes and stuff like that, but we’re doing a lot more stuff than we did in the OTAs and minicamp and it’s just figuring it all out,” he said. “I missed practice yesterday and was a little behind today and kind of overthought some stuff, got some plays wrong and I’m not doing the little things right. But so far, I felt like I’ve done a really good job on beating 1-on-1 and running really good routes and I feel like I’ve been open.”

Amaro routinely runs extra routes against linebacker Demario Davis and safety Antonio Allen after practice, trying to sharpen that aspect of his game.

“I have big expectations for myself,” he said. “I know what I can do. I’m making a lot of things a lot more difficult than they really should be. Just because I’m not completely comfortable yet with this entire organization just from the playbook to knowing how the coaches coach and just the little things.

“It took me a little bit to get Kingsbury’s offense down and once I did, I felt like I really took off.”

After just 25 catches for 409 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore with the Red Raiders, Amaro set the NCAA Division I records for tight ends with 1,352 yards receiving and 104.0 yards per game.

“I wasn’t an All-American my freshman year,” Amaro said. “It takes some time. I feel like I’m on a different level and I feel like I’m more advanced than I was coming into college, and that’s a plus. I feel like it’s going to come a lot quicker than a lot later. I’m not really worried about it.”

NOTES: CB Ras-I Dowling (foot) returned to practice, but S Calvin Pryor (concussion) remained sidelined as he goes through the NFL’s protocol on head injuries. … S Brandon Hardin (foot) sat out practice, and CB Johnny Patrick left early after injuring a hamstring. WR David Nelson (groin), RBs Bilal Powell (hamstring) Alex Green (chest) and DE Zach Thompson (shoulder) all missed practice.

___

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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
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