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Packers’ Daniels laments loss to Seahawks

By WTOP Staff

ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer

SEATTLE (AP) — Defensive lineman Mike Daniels lingered in the Green Bay locker room, seething.

Mistakes cost the Packers. They dropped a pair of interceptions, had imprudent penalties and a couple of costly turnovers in a 36-16 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.

Daniels was taking it personally.

“Watch film. Take a hard look at it. I want to spit on the way I played. I can only speak for myself. It was a pitiful performance. I know I can do way better than that,” he said. “Watch the tape, make the corrections, there’s a lot.”

After unfurling the first Super Bowl banner in Seahawks’ history, Marshawn Lynch ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns and the Seattle defense stymied Aaron Rodgers’ up-tempo offense to kick off the NFL season.

“This is the Seattle Seahawks. A great defense,” Rodgers said simply.

Green Bay erred on Seattle’s opening drive when Daniels ran into punter Jon Ryan, giving Seattle a first down. Percy Harvin gained 13 yards on the next play and the series ended with Steven Hauschka’s 35-yard field goal to give the Seahawks the early lead.

With Green Bay down 17-10, Rodgers threw an interception on his first pass of the second half. That led to Hasuschka’s 20-yard field goal.

Later in the third quarter, Seattle’s Michael Bennett sacked Rodgers on the first play of a drive. Rodgers fumbled and the ball was recovered by Derek Sherrod in the end zone for a safety to push the margin to 12.

Lynch scored on a 3-yard run to open the fourth quarter and the rout was on.

Rodgers, who said this week he’d combat the deafening noise at CenturyLink Field by using sign language to call plays, completed 23 of 33 passes for 189 yards. He was sacked three times.

Rodgers threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb after Lynch’s scoring dash in the fourth quarter, but by then it was too late for the Packers. The Seahawks held Green Bay to 255 total yards — the third fewest by Green Bay since the start of 2012

“They just got after us. That’s the best way I can say it, they just got after us,” Daniels said. “You could see it in their eyes, they just got after us.”

Rodgers’ counterpart, Russell Wilson, threw for 191 yards and a pair of touchdowns: a deep 33-yard pass to Ricardo Lockette early in the second quarter and a 15-yard pass to Derrick Coleman with 2:31 left in the game for the final margin.

Coach Mike McCarthy said the Packers got off to a poor start and couldn’t recover.

“Our fundamental inconsistencies throughout the game coincided with timely penalties, to combat the momentum swings,” he said. “We weren’t able to swing it back tonight. It was a hard loss, a hard defeat.”

Green Bay was also hurt by a number of injuries.

Starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga left with a left knee injury early in the second quarter and did not return. Tight end Richard Rodgers also left with a neck injury but did come back into the game.

Late in the game, running back Eddie Lacy retreated to the locker room with what McCarthy said was a concussion. Last season, Lacy ran for 1,178 yards and 11 touchdowns.

It was the first meeting between the teams since the infamous “Fail Mary” game two years ago. A disputed touchdown throw from then-rookie Wilson to Golden Tate as the clock wound down gave Seattle the 14-12 victory and paved the way to a resolution between the league and its locked-out game officials.

Following that game, the Green Bay locker room was filled with angry players watching video of the pass.

This time, the players who didn’t escape the team busses quickly were solemn. The game had been hyped as an early season clash between two teams that could contend for the NFC title.

Daniels, who had gone into the game suggesting the Packers needed to play “a lot meaner” said the loss was a frustrating way to start the season.

“Absolutely. You put everything, blood, sweat into this thing and to come up and not short, but come up tiny like we did tonight, it’s definitely infuriating,” Daniels said. “I think that you get wake up calls and then you get drill sergeant kick-you-out-the-bed calls, and I think we just got kicked out the bed onto a cement floor, and it hurt.”

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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