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Manning 3 short of joining Favre in 500-TD club

By WTOP Staff

ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Pro Football Writer

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Peyton Manning is three touchdown throws shy of 500 for his career and a dozen short of surpassing Brett Favre for the most in NFL history.

Marvin Harrison caught the most (112), and 12 players have caught one TD pass from the five-time MVP.

Manning is famous for his memory — his former coach, Tony Dungy, calls it “his No. 1 asset. He is so smart, he’s got such a great memory, such great recall.”

So, it wasn’t a surprise this week to hear Manning rattle off the names of some of the 44 players who have been on the receiving end of his TD throws.

“Believe it or not, I found a few minutes to think about some of them,” Manning said Wednesday. “Marvin had like 113 of them or something, 112, yeah. A guy named Trevor Insley, he caught one. Of course, Mitch Unrein would be that category.”

Unrein is among the current Broncos who have caught TD passes from Manning, a group that features Demaryius Thomas (25), Julius Thomas (16), Wes Welker (10), Jacob Tamme (8) and Bubba Caldwell (3).

Unrein’s is probably the most unlikely name of all.

Denver’s defensive tackle lined up at fullback on Dec. 2, 2012, slipped into the left flat on first-and-goal from the 1 and hauled in Manning’s floater to help the Broncos beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-23.

“It’s still kind of a shock to me that I have a touchdown from Peyton,” Unrein said Wednesday. “I mean, I felt honored, playing with a Hall of Fame player like that and getting to score a touchdown from one of the best ever.”

Just then, defensive end Derek Wolfe walked past and razzed Unrein.

“You’re still talking about your touchdown?” Wolfe said. “That was two years ago.”

“He asked me about it,” retorted Unrein, who called the TD the highlight of his career, save perhaps for making it to the Super Bowl last season.

“Luckily, I didn’t drop it,” Unrein said. “I didn’t have very much time to get nervous, but I was definitely thinking about it a little bit before the snap. It happened so fast.”

Unrein spiked the ball, then immediately chased it down.

“I kept it and had Peyton sign it,” Unrein said.

As if reading from a script, Manning ticked off not only names but the plays of some of his TD throws over his 17-year career.

“There was a tight end named Mike Roberg in there, Tom Santi, Lamont Warren. I have not seen Mike Roberg in quite a long time, I’ll say that. Tom Santi from Virginia. Gijon Robinson,” Manning said.

“The scary thing is I can actually remember the touchdown. Gijon Robinson caught — a goal-line naked against New England in New England. Fake bootleg left, roll right, wide open because nobody thought we would be throwing it to Gijon Robinson.”

Manning shook his head as if trying to rattle the memories from his mind.

“I can’t remember a lot of things, important things, but I have a lot of useless information,” Manning said with a chuckle. “I can remember Trevor Insley caught a pass up the left sideline against Atlanta on a fake screen pass.”

He could go on he said, but he had some more preparation to get to for Sunday’s showdown at Seattle.

“So, that’s actually a very disturbing memory,” Manning said.

And just what did he have for breakfast, someone asked.

“Exactly,” Manning said. “Couldn’t tell you.”

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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

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Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton

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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