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Broncos dismiss talk of moral victory at Seattle

By WTOP Staff

ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Pro Football Writer

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — John Fox doesn’t want to hear about moral victories.

Sure, there were plenty of positives to take from Denver’s 26-20 overtime loss at Seattle on Sunday that was such a far cry from the shellacking the Broncos endured in the Super Bowl.

Emmanuel Sanders’ career day. Wes Welker’s return. Peyton Manning’s poise. Demaryius Thomas’ toe tap. A swarming defense that played lights out before getting gassed in overtime.

“Do you mean is there a moral victory? The answer to that would be no,” Fox said Monday. “But like all games, you have things you do well and things you don’t do well. We call it the good, the bad and the ugly. We ended up on the short end.”

All those good things could prove ample tinder for another Super Bowl run, however.

“As I told the team, it was good,” Fox said. “But we’re looking for great. And we’re not there yet.”

Nose tackle Terrance Knighton said Denver’s defense, while finally showing the physicality and edge that GM John Elway spent more than $100 million in free agency to obtain, wasn’t without blame.

“We watched the tape. We played great in spurts,” Knighton said. “It hurt to see some plays … that we should have made.”

Knighton didn’t take any solace in making a game of it this time, either.

“To me, 43-8 and 26-20 are the same thing,” Knighton said. “It’s still a loss.”

The bulk of the blame this time went to an offense that’s struggled to resemble the record-breaking unit that piled up points last year, when Manning set NFL records with 55 TD passes and 5,447 yards passing.

“You don’t do that two years in a row,” Fox said. “That formula doesn’t necessarily work. So, we’re not trying to mimic statistics. … Everybody’s looking at statistics. The only statistic that matters is winning.”

And the Broncos are 2-1 heading into their bye week.

Although it comes early, the Broncos welcome the break because they have plenty of corrections to make and changes to ponder, as the inconsistency and miscommunication in Seattle showed.

Denver’s ground game has struggled without Knowshon Moreno. Thomas had two more drops, giving him five so far. Montee Ball fumbled the ball away on his first carry and gained just 29 yards on his final 13 runs.

C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman weren’t any better, leading fans to clamor for changes to the O-line and for the Broncos to take the bubble wrap off rookie running back Juwan Thompson.

Asked about his offensive line, Fox didn’t dismiss the possibility of changes.

“We evaluate everybody every day,” Fox said. “So, those are all options at any position.”

There was a notion this offseason that the Broncos made wholesale changes on defense but only tweaked their offense.

That’s simply not true, Fox said.

“There’s five new starters,” he said. “You’ve got Emmanuel Sanders, he’s a new link. You’ve got Orlando Franklin at guard, you’ve got (right tackle) Chris Clark on a wholly different side. You’ve got (left tackle) Ryan Clady coming off of injury.

“I mean, it’s not a well-oiled machine,” Fox said. “We’ve played three games. And one of those was against a pretty good defense in a pretty hostile environment, particularly on offense.”

As for Denver’s 75-yard rushing average, Fox said it’s not unexpected given the small sample size, the tough opponents — the Colts, Chiefs and Seahawks averaged a dozen wins last year — and all the changes.

“We’re all new. All those moving parts haven’t played together yet,” Fox said. “We have a completely different offensive line. We have a completely different running back as a starter.”

Ball insisted Monday that Manning’s not going to have to carry this team by himself again.

“It’s still early in a long season and we’re going to get things going,” Ball said. “Some people may disagree, but I believe we are tough. We do fight. I think we proved that yesterday.

“I just think we went up against three really good opponents in the first three games. Nobody’s panicked. We’ve played the Colts, Chiefs, the Seahawks. Those aren’t really cupcake teams.”

Notes: S David Bruton (sprained right ankle) is day-to-day. … TE Virgil Green (concussion) won’t practice this week. … Fox chuckled when asked in jest if he’d consider sending Manning out to catch a pass the way Russell Wilson did Sunday. “You just never know,” Fox said. “Big target.”

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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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