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Jets’ Milliner hurts ankle, McDougle tears ACL

By WTOP Staff

DENNIS WASZAK Jr.
AP Sports Writer

CORTLAND, N.Y. (AP) — The New York Jets are banged up in a big way at cornerback.

Dee Milliner, a major part of Rex Ryan’s defense in his second season, was helped from the practice field after injuring his left ankle. A half-hour earlier Sunday, rookie Dexter McDougle was carted off after tearing a ligament in his left knee.

“Those things happen and it’s unfortunate, but you’ve got to move on,” Ryan said before the team announced the severity of McDougle’s injury. “Who plays in their place, I’ve got to find out who’s still out there.”

Veteran Dimitri Patterson, projected as a possible starter opposite Milliner, missed practice for the second straight day with ankle and calf injuries — making the Jets’ secondary extremely thin. Their next preseason game is at Cincinnati next Saturday.

Milliner, expected to be the team’s No. 1 cornerback, went down after defending wide receiver Quincy Enunwa on a long pass and writhed in pain on the sideline at SUNY Cortland.

“He came down and rolled his ankle,” Ryan said.

Trainers rushed over to Milliner, the team’s No. 1 draft pick last year, and examined him.

“I was focusing on the ball,” Enunwa said. “He might have run into me or something. I’d have to go back and look at it, but I don’t know honestly what happened.”

Added quarterback Michael Vick: “It hurt me to see Dee on the ground.”

Milliner got up after several minutes, but didn’t put any weight on his leg before being carted to the medical tent. Milliner grimaced while trainers placed his foot in a tub of ice. He was then carted to the locker room.

Ryan didn’t want to speculate as to whether Milliner’s ankle was sprained or broken, but thought the fact he was told he rolled it would indicate it could be a sprain.

Milliner struggled as a rookie last year before rebounding with a solid final month. After parting ways with Antonio Cromartie in the offseason, the Jets envisioned Milliner being their top cover guy — and he said during camp he had the confidence to believe he’s the best cornerback in the league.

McDougle was expected to make an immediate impact, either as a backup or potentially as a starter over Patterson. The third-round pick out of Maryland was hurt during a 1-on-1 drill with wide receiver Stephen Hill, who jumped over the cornerback to catch a pass. McDougle went down, tore off his helmet and stayed on his back as fellow cornerback Darrin Walls and wide receiver David Nelson came over to check on him.

“I guess he came down, a cleat got caught,” Ryan said. “I just listened and was there for him, but he felt a sharp pain, and that was it.”

He walked off the field, but was eventually carted to the locker room to be further examined.

“Thank you everyone who has sent me your support and prayers,” McDougle wrote on his Twitter page. “This is a tough blow but I promise, I will be back better than ever. (hashtag)GodSpeed.”

McDougle missed nearly all of last season at Maryland with a shoulder injury, and said he teared up while standing on the field at MetLife Stadium last Thursday night before making his NFL debut.

“I know he was like, ‘Oh, you’ve got to be kidding,'” Ryan said.

Ryan said both Milliner and McDougle would have MRI exams to check on the severity of their injuries; the team was still awaiting results on Milliner. With them sidelined along with Patterson, Walls and Ellis Lankster worked with the starters.

Kyle Wilson, Johnny Patrick, Ras-I Dowling and Brandon Dixon are the only remaining cornerbacks. Backup Jeremy Reeves has been hobbled with a knee injury.

“It’ll be adversity for some and opportunity for others,” Ryan said. “We’ll put the best 11 out there and we’ll be able to play defense.”

___

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
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