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Brady’s favorites carry bulk of pass offense

By WTOP Staff

HOWARD ULMAN
AP Sports Writer

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Tom Brady is very comfortable throwing to Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski.

The other Patriots he sends out on pass patterns? Not so much.

Of Brady’s 44 completions this season, 20 have gone to Edelman and Gronkowski. Of his 78 passes, 32 were aimed at them.

“I’ve got to do a better job finding the other guys because it’s a lot of good routes, they’re big targets,” Brady said Wednesday. “Guys are working really hard to get open. So, hopefully, it shows up this week in our pass game.”

New England (1-1) plays its home opener Sunday against Oakland (0-2). The Raiders are tied for second in fewest yards allowed passing, with teams preferring to run against the NFL’s worst rushing defense.

Of course, both teams have played only two games. But the Patriots already have seen a troubling pattern — like the percentage of passes thrown to Edelman and Gronkowski.

The discrepancy was most glaring in last Sunday’s 30-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Edelman and Gronkowski caught 10 of the 13 passes aimed at them. The other wide receivers and tight ends caught just two of the five balls Brady threw toward them.

But rookie offensive tackle Cameron Fleming saw considerable action as an extra tight end, giving the Patriots one less potential receiver.

“We could certainly stand to get a lot more balance into our attack overall,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “We didn’t have it in the run-pass ratio in Miami and we didn’t really have enough of it in the passing game last week, or really for Miami for that matter.”

In a 33-20 loss to the Dolphins, Edelman, Gronkowski and wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins caught 15 of Brady’s 21 completions to wide receivers and tight ends. They also were targeted on 29 of the 43 passes thrown to players at those positions.

But Thompkins was inactive against the Vikings despite being healthy. Another second-year pro, Aaron Dobson, took his spot and caught one of the two passes thrown toward him.

Running back Shane Vereen has been effective out of the backfield with six catches in two games, but two veteran wide receivers have had disappointing starts.

Danny Amendola, signed before last season, has just three catches while being thrown to only six times. Brandon LaFell, in his first year with the Patriots, didn’t catch any of the six passes thrown to him in the opener, LaFell wasn’t thrown to at all in the second game despite playing 38 snaps.

“I have a lot of trust in Danny,” Brady said. “It’s my responsibility to get him the ball and there were a few catches that got turned back (by penalties), a few big plays that would extend drives.

“But I don’t think our passing game has been really stellar to this point, so it’s hard to sustain much over the course of the game and get those guys the ball when we’re not doing as good a job as we’re capable of.”

Brady has forged an excellent connection with Gronkowski since the tight end’s rookie season in 2010. Gronkowski had 226 receptions in 50 games over his first four seasons.

How did he gain the trust of his star quarterback?

“I’ve been here for a few years now, so you’ve just got to go out there every practice, work hard, work overtime, stay after practice, get the same chemistry down,” Gronkowski said. “It’s not just chemistry with Tom. It’s chemistry with the other wide receivers, with the timing, chemistry with the offensive linemen.”

When Brady distributes the ball more evenly, defenders can’t focus as much on Edelman and Gronkowski. With 14 regular-season games remaining, there’s plenty of time for that to happen.

“I have a lot of confidence in all our receivers and tight ends and backs in the passing game,” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. “I would anticipate that we’ll go forward and the ball will get distributed to a lot of those guys that can do a lot of good things with it.”

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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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