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TD on 1st touch again? Sure, Peterson says.

By WTOP Staff

DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Pro Football Writer

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) — Adrian Peterson took his first carry last year all the way for a 78-yard touchdown.

He predicted it, too, during a conversation the week of the season opener with fellow Minnesota Vikings running backs Toby Gerhart and Matt Asiata.

“I’m going to take it to the house,” Peterson told them, a few days before he scored to start that game at Detroit. “Then when it happened, I came to the sideline and they reminded me of it. They were like, ‘Oh, man, you said you were going to do that.'”

So how about this year, Sunday at St. Louis?

“Hopefully I will try to say it again and hopefully it will work on the same way,” Peterson said.

Thanks to some prompting from a reporter Thursday, Peterson turned that hope into a prediction.

“Yeah, I might as well speak it,” he said. “Touchdown. First run.”

Far more important than the net gain from the first time he touches the ball, of course, is the production Peterson can provide over 16 or more games. The cruel irony of that highlight-reel first carry of 2013 was that the Vikings lost that afternoon to the Lions and went on to finish 5-10-1 after making the playoffs the prior season.

Peterson was nagged by injuries and a sprained right foot kept him out of two December games. He finished with a career-low 1,266 rushing yards.

This year, with Norv Turner now the offensive coordinator, the Vikings will try to preserve Peterson’s health with more carries outside of the tackles and short passes to cut down on some of the contact.

“Listen, there’s some great backs just as good as him in the tackle box, but I think when he gets in the second level and you let him out into the back end of your defense he’s the best,” Rams defensive end Chris Long said. “That’s what separates him: his ability to break a run. He’s not just going to chip away at you. You can have him pinned down at the 7-yard line, and he’s going to go for 93 yards and a score.”

The last time the Vikings faced the Rams, Peterson rushed for 212 yards on his way to a 2,097-yard season.

That, he said, was also the first time he mouthed off to an opponent.

“Those guys had me so hot, like I haven’t ever been that mad playing football,” Peterson said. He added: “Those guys were talking so much noise, and then we ripped off a long run and they got kind of quiet. So hopefully things play out the same way.”

The offensive line will have a lot to do with that.

For the third straight year, the Vikings have the same lineup intact. Only Washington has more combined starts (159) by the front five over that span than Minnesota (157), according to STATS research, due to one game each missed to injury in 2013 by Brandon Fusco, Charlie Johnson and Phil Loadholt. John Sullivan and Matt Kalil have had perfect attendance.

Facing All-Pro Rams defensive end Robert Quinn, Kalil will be counted on heavily Sunday, and coach Mike Zimmer said Kalil had his two best practices of the season Wednesday and Thursday. Another player in the spotlight will be wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who’s eager to show off his kickoff return skills again along with a significant expansion of his role in the offense from his rookie year.

But as long as Peterson is with the Vikings, the show is going to start and end with him.

“It should be exciting,” Zimmer said. “It’ll be fun to have him on my side for a change.”

___

Online:

AP NFL websites: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/DaveCampbellAP

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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