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Belichick, Reid have history with franchise QBs

By WTOP Staff

DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tom Brady and Bill Belichick arrived in New England together, one an overlooked sixth-round pick out of Michigan and the other a failed head coach during his first stint in Cleveland.

Over the more than a decade, they’ve learned together. Grown together. They’ve won together.

Now, as Brady approaches yet another milestone — 50,000 yards passing, which he could accomplish on Monday night in Kansas City — his relationship with his coach made Chiefs coach Andy Reid reflect on the years he spent with his own franchise quarterback in Philadelphia.

Over the course of 11 years, Reid and Donovan McNabb won nearly 100 games together.

“I think it’s important. It’s hard to have a lot of success in this league if you don’t have a good, solid quarterback playing back there,” Reid said. “I was very fortunate to have Donovan for all those years, and I know Bill would say the same thing, he’s lucky to have Tom.”

There are plenty of memorable coach-quarterback combinations scattered across history.

Don Shula and Dan Marino ushered in an era of pass-happy offenses in Miami. Bill Walsh and Joe Montana refined them in San Francisco. Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr in Green Bay, Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw in Pittsburgh — all of them left their mark on the NFL landscape, winning a bunch of titles.

Yet perhaps none of them has been quite as successful as Belichick and Brady.

They’ve won 150 games together, and their winning percentage tops just about any list you could put together. They’ve prepared for 18 postseason games together, five of them Super Bowls, and three times celebrated a world championship with a parade.

“They’ve just been a good match,” Reid said. “I think both of them would tell you that. They work very well together. They’ve done it for a number of years. And they’ve had a lot of success.”

Of course, there’s that all-true-saying that all good things eventually come to an end. Some people believe that could be happening to Belichick and Brady.

After turning 37 in August, Brady is off to one of the worst starts of his career. He has completed a career-worst 58 percent of his passes, averaged just 210 yards passing per game, and his inability to stretch defenses with the deep ball has become glaring.

It doesn’t help that New England’s retooled offensive line has put him under duress.

Longtime assistant coach Dante Scarnecchia retired at the end of last season after 30 years with the Patriots, and Dave DeGuglielmo took over the offensive line. That change, combined with the trade of veteran Logan Mankins, has resulted in a front five that resembles supermarket turnstiles.

He’s been sacked seven times, and hit or hurried a league-leading 44 times.

“It’s not just one thing on our offense,” Brady said. “We’re trying to identify the things that we need to do better, and then certainly go out there in practice and try to do them better. It’s not really one area, it’s all areas. That’s what is going to hopefully make the most effective team we can be in November, December, just by working hard, continuing to correct mistakes.”

After all, that seemingly mundane Belichick-Brady recipe has been successful so far.

“We need to do everything better offensively. It’s not any one problem,” Belichick said. “It’s a number of lack-of-consistency issues, lack of execution. We have to do a better job on everything.”

The Chiefs could be the tonic to get better. They’re missing four starters to injury, including a pair of Pro Bowl players in linebacker Derrick Johnson and safety Eric Berry.

“They have a good front. They’re big inside. They’re fast on the edge. They’ve got good depth. We’re going to have to block all of them,” Belichick said. “It will be a challenge for every guy. It will be a challenge for our receivers to get open, for our running backs to find holes and space in the running game. We’re going to have to do a good job with 11 guys. Coaching staff, we’re all going to have to do a good job. It’s a good defense. They have a lot of good players.”

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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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