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Texans look a lot like Cardinals did a year ago

By WTOP Staff

BOB BAUM
AP Sports Writer

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — A year ago, the Arizona Cardinals were coming off an awful season with a new coach and a roster of considerable talent.

That sounds a lot like the Houston Texans this year.

When the two teams meet in their preseason opener Saturday night, Arizona is looking to build on a 10-6 season and Houston will be looking to erase the ugly memory of last year’s 2-14 debacle and turn things around under new coach Bill O’Brien.

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians expects quarterback Carson Palmer and the rest of the starters to go about 15 plays before giving way to backups. Texas will have Ryan Fitzpatrick at starting quarterback, but won’t have several of their top players.

Wide receiver Andre Johnson, running back Arian Foster and cornerback Johnathan Joseph will sit this one out while nursing minor injuries.

The NFL’s No. 1 overall draft pick, Jadaveon Clowney, missed practice time this week with an undisclosed injury. He says he will play Saturday, but O’Brien has not confirmed that.

O’Brien said playing time for everyone would be dictated by how the game unfolds.

“You go into it wanting to make sure that your substitutions are correct, your play calling is smooth, and substitutions on special teams are smooth,” he said. “You want the operation off the game to go well. If it’s not, you’ve got to determine that as a head coach and determine how much longer certain guys need to be in there.”

A year ago, Palmer was in the early stages of understanding Arians’ intricate offense.

Now, he’s comfortable with it, entering a second season with wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd his primary targets and dynamic second-year running back Andre Ellington bringing a big-play threat carrying the ball and catching it.

Palmer will operate behind a revamped offensive line, and while pass protection will be important, he hopes he gets a few bone-jarring hits as well.

“I actually always hope to get knocked down a bunch of times during the preseason,” Palmer said, “just because if you don’t you get to Week 1, 2, 3 of the regular season, if your body isn’t used to being that kind of sore just because it’s so rare it only happens five months a year, that soreness kind of lingers on for a little bit longer. So I kind of like to get that soreness out of the way before the regular season starts.”

After Fitzpatrick, the Texans will give Case Keenum and fourth-round draft pick Tom Savage a look in their competition for the backup role. Keenum was 0-8 as a starter last season.

“I think these guys have put a lot of time in and they’ve worked extremely hard to learn our system,” O’Brien said, “and they’ve had their good moments and their bad moments on the field. I think Fitzy has really improved. He is very comfortable with the offense. We’re looking forward to how all three of these guys play in these games, starting with Arizona.”

Palmer’s backup is Drew Stanton, who hasn’t thrown a pass in a regular-season game since 2010, probably will play into the second half. Sixth-round draft pick Logan Thomas is expected to play the fourth quarter. Thomas is competing with Ryan Lindley for the third-string quarterback job. Lindley won’t play Saturday but will the following week, Arians said.

The strong-armed Thomas has had accuracy issues in practice.

Asked what he wants to see out of the rookie, Arians said, “throwing it to the right guy, where his eyes belong, read the coverages, get it out of the hand and operate more efficiently than he has been in practice. He’s still missing too many wide-open guys.”

Arizona rookie wide receiver John Brown, the third-round draft pick so impressive in camp before being sidelined with a sore hamstring, was practicing again this week and is expected to play.

With center Lyle Sendein out with a calf injury, right guard Paul Fanaika is the only returning starter on the offensive line for Arizona on Saturday. Left guard Jonathan Cooper, the 2013 first-round pick who missed all of last season after breaking his leg in the preseason, has been bothered by a sore knee but is expected to start.

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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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