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Saints focused on lingering position questions

By WTOP Staff

GUERRY SMITH
Associated Press

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — With Drew Brees back healthy, the New Orleans Saints are free to work on the little things that can make the difference between a Super Bowl run and something less.

Rolling through the preseason at 3-0, the Saints still have to choose a placekicker, settle on a starting center, figure out veteran defensive back Champ Bailey’s role and determine Brees’ backup.

They don’t have to worry about Brees, though. After throwing two touchdowns in the first quarter against the Colts on Saturday in his return from a strained left oblique, Brees missed Monday’s practice, but not for health reasons. Rather, he was excused to be with his wife, Brittany, who is expecting their fourth child.

Brees’ absence gave Luke McCown, an 11-year veteran, and second-year undrafted free agent Ryan Griffin plenty of snaps in Monday’s workout. McCown took advantage, hitting tight end Jimmy Graham deep down the middle of the field in tight coverage for one of several on-target completions.

“I felt good,” McCown said. “Tempo is always the buzzword through training camp, but that’s what you want to see. I felt like our tempo was good from the onset to the last throw in the 2-minute drill.”

McCown started the first two exhibition games and played before Griffin against Indianapolis, but coach Sean Payton said not to read anything into the order. McCown has completed 22 of 40 preseason passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Griffin is 35 of 57 for 404 yards with three scores and one interception.

“Ryan will get a ton of work this week,” Payton said.

Center Jonathan Goodwin worked with the first-team offense in practice Monday after starting against Indianapolis, appearing to move ahead of Tim Lelito. Still, Payton said that competition was not done, either.

Lelito is in his second year. Goodwin, entering his 13th season, is in his second stint with the Saints after starting from 2008 to 2010.

“They both provide position flexibility,” Payton said. “They are two different players in their careers. We will see where that’s headed, but we are getting pretty good consistent play and that is encouraging.”

The competition between kickers Shayne Graham and Derek Dimke will continue, too, with Payton saying it likely would go to the final cut day.

Graham replaced former Saints kicker Garrett Hartley for the final two regular-season games of 2013 and the playoffs, converting six of eight field-goal attempts, including a game-winner at Philadelphia in the wild-card round. Dimke has not kicked in a regular-season game.

Neither has missed a field goal in the preseason, with Graham going 4 of 4 and Dimke 2 of 2.

“Both of them have done well in practice,” Payton said. “Tomorrow we will try to create a competition period again and then give them plenty of work on Thursday. We’ve not made a decision.”

Payton was happy just to get a chance to look at defensive backs Patrick Robinson and Bailey, who are trying to carve out roles in the secondary, with one of them possibly starting at cornerback. Both returned from undisclosed injuries last week and played against Indianapolis. Robinson, a first-round pick in 2010, started ahead of Bailey, a 15-year veteran released by Denver in March.

“We are getting healthier, and that’s good,” Payton said. “We have some good competition.”

NOTES: With Brees unavailable, Payton stepped in to take some snaps at quarterback in Monday’s practice, which was not in full pads, and then moved to cornerback briefly, “With safety help,” he quipped. The 50-year-old Payton played quarterback in college for Eastern Illinois, and was briefly a replacement player with the Chicago Bears during the 1987 players’ strike. . The Saints waived WR Andy Tanner, S Ty Zimmerman and OT Ty Nsekhe on Monday afternoon, a day before rosters go down to 75.

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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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