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Packers looking to improve defense

By WTOP Staff

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Mike McCarthy hadn’t yet watched the film of Sunday’s victory over the Chicago Bears.

But the Green Bay Packers coach already knew plenty about how his defense did.

The Packers had given up 496 yards, including 235 yards rushing, dropping them to 26th in the 32-team league in defense (390.0 yards per game) and last in rushing defense (176.0 yards per game) entering Monday night’s New England-Kansas City game.

“I’m aware what the numbers are,” McCarthy said Monday, one day after a 38-17 victory at Soldier Field put the Packers at 2-2 entering Thursday night’s game against another NFC North rival, the Minnesota Vikings (2-2).

“Nobody likes it.”

But it’s up to McCarthy, defensive coordinator Dom Capers and the coaching staff to fix it on a short week.

Although the Vikings will be without six-time Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson, they got plenty of production in the run game during Sunday’s 41-28 victory over Atlanta.

Rookie Jerick McKinnon carried 18 times for 135 yards and Matt Asiata ran 20 times for 78 yards and three touchdowns.

McCarthy, who didn’t watch his team’s film because he “started on Minnesota” during the flight back from Chicago, said he talked over the team’s problems against the run with his assistant coaches Monday.

Their assessment?

“(The Bears) hit us on some things schematically that we really haven’t seen,” McCarthy said. “Then, fundamentals (were poor).”

As a result, Bears running back Matt Forte, who came in averaging just 3.2 yards per carry, ran 23 times for 122 yards, a 5.3-yard average.

As a team, the Bears ran the ball 41 times, averaging 5.7 yards per attempt.

“Giving up that much yardage, there’s no excuse for that,” McCarthy said. “We understand that.”

The large yardage number was the latest in a series of big games opponents have had against the Packers defense since giving up 579 yards in a 2012 NFC division playoff loss to San Francisco.

Last season, the 49ers put up 494 yards in the regular-season opener, and the Detroit Lions gained 561 yards in a Thanksgiving Day blowout last November.

The Packers allowed 400 or more yards in seven of 16 regular-season games last year.

Still, McCarthy expressed optimism that the mistakes were “correctable” ones.

“Your job as a coach is to put the player in the best situation to be successful. We’re very critical of ourselves and our players are very accountable,” McCarthy said. “One thing about what happened yesterday, they’re all things that are all correctable.

“Give Chicago credit. Offensively, they did some really good things. They played well. They’re a good offense. But giving up that much yardage, there’s no excuse for that. We understand that. But there are things we can definitely work on and improve on.”

During the offseason, the Packers remade their defensive line, allowing former run-stuffing defensive linemen Ryan Pickett and Johnny Jolly, both of whom weighed roughly 340 pounds, to leave as free agents.

After losing nose tackle B.J. Raji (6-2, 337) to a season-ending torn biceps, the line consists of Mike Daniels (6-2, 300), Datone Jones (6-4, 285), Letroy Guion (6-4, 315), Josh Boyd (6-3, 305) and undrafted rookie free agent Mike Pennel (6-4, 332).

“We’ve got good players. We just have to play better sound football,” Daniels said Monday. “There’s really nothing else I can say about it.”

Asked if giving up 704 yards rushing in four games makes him second-guess the approach the team took on the defensive line, McCarthy said no.

“I don’t think anybody disagrees with our approach,” he said. “We’re utilizing our players, we’re playing to our players’ strengths. Everything we’ve adjusted is in the best interest of our players.”

Despite the huge chunks of yardage the unit allowed and the fact that the Bears, like the Packers, never punted in the game, the defense did force two turnovers.

Cornerback Sam Shields and linebacker Clay Matthews each intercepted Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, and each takeaway led to a Packers touchdown.

“You look at the points first and foremost, but we can’t allow ourselves to be in that position and have our offense win games for us,” Matthews said.

“It’s something we need to address. “We’ve just got to buckle down and get off the field. That’s kind of been our how we’ve operated — bend, don’t break. But that’s no excuse. We’ll make the corrections and hopefully it starts with this short week against Minnesota.”

___

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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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