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Tomlin not worried as Steelers pile up penalties

By WTOP Staff

WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Tomlin’s list of issues with the Steelers is lengthy.

The number of flags his team has piled up during the first two weeks of the season is not on it.

While the Pittsburgh Steelers have been flagged 20 times during their 1-1 start — the third-highest total in the league — Tomlin believes there’s plenty of time for things to even out.

“We’re two games into this one,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “Hopefully by the time we’re able to compare this year to last or any year for that matter over a 16, 19-game schedule or 20-game schedule if you will (that) we’ll have a better showing than we have to this point.”

The Steelers have typically been among the NFL’s more well-behaved franchises during Tomlin’s tenure. They’ve only finished in the top half of the league among most penalized teams twice since 2008.

Pittsburgh was the 10th-most penalized team in 2010 and still went to the Super Bowl. The Steelers ranked 16th in 2011, but went 12-4 and advanced to the playoffs. That doesn’t mean Tomlin wouldn’t like to see some improvement heading into Sunday’s game at Carolina (2-0), it simply means there are bigger issues at the moment.

Asked if he sees the uptick in flags on his players symptomatic of a league-wide crackdown and he shrugged his shoulders.

“I haven’t looked at it globally,” Tomlin said. “I’m not really familiar with anything going on outside of Pittsburgh right now.”

And what Tomlin sees is a group that’s trying to do the right thing most of the time even if Pittsburgh leads the NFL in unnecessary roughness penalties (three) and personal foul facemasks (three).

Two of the unnecessary roughness calls came in a span of a minute during last week’s 26-6 loss to Baltimore. Safety Troy Polamalu was flagged when officials ruled he hit Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta when Pitta was trying to complete a catch.

A couple of snaps later, safety Mike Mitchell drew a whistle for slamming into Baltimore wide receiver Steve Smith at the goal line. Replays showed Mitchell — who was fined several times last year for dangerous hits while playing for Carolina — appeared to lead with his shoulder.

The call on Mitchell set up a short Baltimore touchdown that made it 17-6 and the Steelers never recovered.

“I don’t have major concerns about our ability to respect the player-safety initiative and lowering the target and things of that nature,” Tomlin said. “I know that we were called a couple of times in the football game, but largely in regards to our guys and our approach to it, I have very little concern.”

The Steelers had a similar rough start in 2012, drawing 28 penalties through the first three games. They turned it around quickly enough to end up the seventh least-penalized team that year.

While Tomlin allowed keeping the referees from reaching into their pockets would help his team avoid the kind of sloppy play that highlighted the loss to Baltimore, he’s more worried about a rush defense that is allowing 170 yards per game.

Pressed on if it’s simply bad tackling or players being out of position, Tomlin just laughed.

“It’s all something that needs to be addressed and quickly rectified,” he said.

Doing it against the Panthers won’t be easy. Carolina has one of the better running back combinations in the league in Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams. Throw in quarterback Cam Newton and Carolina is among the most physical teams in the NFL.

“It starts with working to minimize what they are capable of doing in the run game for us,” Tomlin said. “We haven’t been our best in that area.”

Pittsburgh needs to improve quickly or risk its third consecutive start of 1-2 or worse.

NOTES: WR Lance Moore (groin) practiced on Monday and will make his season debut if he goes through the rest of the week without a setback. … NT Steve McLendon is dealing with a right shoulder injury is questionable.

___

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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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