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Don’t let QBs take spotlight from WRs

By WTOP Staff

BARRY WILNER
AP Pro Football Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Yes, the NFL is a quarterback-driven league, and that’s pretty much the way the league wants it.

In the past 20 years, quarterbacks have won The Associated Press Most Valuable Player award 14½ times — Brett Favre shared it with Barry Sanders in 1997. Peyton Manning, with five, and Favre with 2½ account for more than half of the QB choices.

During those two decades, no wide receiver has been honored. Indeed, a wideout never has been MVP. No, not even Jerry Rice.

Ask Manning or Favre or Kurt Warner or Steve Young about the importance of dependable and, hopefully, game-breaking targets, and their support is unending.

Nothing better illustrates the significance of having a top wide receiver or two — or three plus a tight end — than what’s going on with Tom Brady.

Anyone who questions Brady’s standing among the greatest quarterbacks to play the game hasn’t been paying attention for the past dozen years.

Brady won Super Bowls by making Deion Branch and Troy Brown key contributors, but his best work has come when he’s had dynamic and healthy stars to throw to: Randy Moss, Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker.

All three of New England’s championships came before the NFL became a Wild West aerial show.

Before rules changes that heavily favor the passing game. And before college programs dropped their Neanderthal offensive approaches and sparked the wave of scoreboard-lighting tallies that now has become common in the pros.

New England should be among the leaders in every passing category with Brady at the helm. Except that Welker is in Denver, Gronk is in and out of the lineup with injuries, and other than Julian Edelman, no one else has stepped up.

The Patriots rank, GULP!, 27th in passing offense. Brady has three TD passes in three games — he and Moss averaged just under 1.5 a game in 2007 — and New England has fewer points in 2014 than 13 teams. That includes Cleveland, whose starting quarterback is Brian Hoyer, Brady’s backup for three seasons in Foxborough.

Brady’s bunch has had problems in pass protection, and he’s been sacked seven times, pressured plenty of others without being knocked down. A big part of that is that Brady has only two targets he trusts implicitly, Edelman and Gronkowski.

Not that he’d ever say so publicly.

So he lays the blame not on a mediocre, albeit inexperienced, group of receivers, but on — who else? — himself.

“Just be the best quarterback I could be,” he said. “I think that’s what my job is, and my responsibility as a player is to do whatever the coaches ask me and do it the best way I can.

“That’s trying to do everything well on a consistent basis. Be a good leader, obviously make the plays when they’re there, have great command and understanding of what we’re doing, try to put our team in the best position possible to win.”

In the current NFL, with reliance on the running game so diminished and rules to protect pass catchers so emphasized, teams that can’t win through the air will struggle.

Of the top nine receivers in yards through three weeks, all but Denver’s Emmanuel Sanders already had truly established themselves as major threats. And Sanders appears headed for a career season with Manning throwing to him.

“I mean, as a receiver to say that you’re going to the No. 1 offense in the National Football League last year, why wouldn’t you want to be a part of that?” said Sanders, who left Pittsburgh as a free agent in the offseason.

“My whole deal is when I first came out in free agency, I wanted to go to a spread attack. I like to block, but I didn’t want to block 75 percent of the time. I’m 185 pounds.

“Of course. I can’t even express how I feel. I can only smile.”

Perhaps most encouraging for NFL offenses is how ready young receivers are when they come out of college. Even the classic non-throwing teams such as Alabama, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Oklahoma turn them out. Try Julio Jones, Calvin Johnson, Demaryius Thomas, DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watson, for instance.

Pro teams also have learned to look everywhere for receivers because, well, colleges are throwing the ball everywhere — from the traditionally pass-happy Pac-12 to the NAIA programs.

Sanders went to Southern Mississippi. His former teammate with the Steelers, Antonio Brown, went to Central Michigan. Washington’s Pierre Garcon went to Division III power Mount Union in Ohio. Those three are among the latest NFL standouts at the position.

And hey, high school kids go to 7 on 7 passing camps. Receivers can find a place to hone their skills year-round even before they become eligible for the NFL draft.

Plus, they generally are the best athletes on their college teams — and their pro clubs.

Who knows, maybe Kenbrell Thompkins and Aaron Dobson will eventually earn Brady’s confidence and see more balls coming their way. Their development might become essential for the Patriots to keep up with the other bigtime passing teams.

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AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton contributed to this story.

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

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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