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Steelers looking to address penalty issues

By WTOP Staff

WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Antonio Brown was giddy. Le’Veon Bell was fired up. Cam Heyward was offering a pointed critique.

Different emotions, same result: the kind of after-the-whistle penalties that have plagued the Pittsburgh Steelers during an uneven 2-2 start.

The Steelers were flagged 13 times for 125 yards in Sunday’s confounding 27-24 loss to previously winless Tampa Bay. And while coach Mike Tomlin can live with the miscues that pop up during play, it’s the ones like the three personal fouls drawn by three of his team’s stars that are maddening.

“Post-play penalties are ridiculous,” Tomlin said. “That we have full control.”

At the moment, Pittsburgh is out of control.

The Steelers are drawing 11 flags a game, ranking second to San Francisco for the most in the league. They Steelers drew six 15-yard fouls against the Buccaneers, some of them the kind of immature mistakes that are easily avoidable.

Brown drew a celebration penalty when he used the ball as a prop and went to the ground following his 11-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter that tied the game at 10. It was a little more elaborate than his usual scoring rituals and Brown said he didn’t know he was breaking the rules.

The Pro Bowler isn’t blaming the NFL for taking a hard stance, saying he simply has to cut down on the histrionics.

“Obviously there’s excitement,” he said. “You want to have some fun but you’ve got to be smart.”

Brown’s score came at the end of a drive in which Bell was flagged for taunting a pair of Buccaneers after a 16-yard run. Bell contends he was doing the kind of trash talking that is commonplace between the lines.

“It happens every game,” he said.

Maybe, but the dynamic second-year back understands there’s no real reason to put yourself in a vulnerable position.

“If I’m not disciplined it’s on me,” he said. “Everybody else should take the same approach.”

Heyward’s penalty may have been the most forgivable. He gave an official an earful following a 3-yard touchdown run by Tampa Bay’s Doug Martin that made it 17-17 early in the third quarter. Steelers linebacker Sean Spence appeared to be held during the play, and as the sellout crowd at Heinz Field roared its disapproval Heyward advocated for his teammate.

The fourth-year defensive end copped to cursing at the official and crossing the line.

“There are going to be bad calls, there are times we’re going to be upset,” Heyward said. “It’s just part of the game. If it was perfect, we wouldn’t need refs. I went too far. I messed up.”

A sentiment echoed throughout the locker room as the Pittsburgh attempted to regroup following another baffling early season loss to a seemingly overmatched team.

On Sunday it was the Buccaneers, who were coming off a 42-point loss to Atlanta. Last fall it was Oakland, who turned an early 93-yard touchdown run by Terrelle Pryor into a 21-18 win. In 2012 it was road upsets at Oakland and Tennessee. The Steelers missed the postseason by one game last year and two in 2012.

While linebacker Lawrence Timmons stressed “it’s still early” he knows his team missed an opportunity.

“Nobody ever takes us out of the game. We’re always in it,” he said. “We’ve got to do the necessary things to close those close games like the ones yesterday, like the Oakland games, things like that. If we get those games, it will be easier for us to make the playoff push.”

It’s a notion Pittsburgh can scuttle if it doesn’t clean up its act. The Steelers will get another chance to beat a seemingly hopeless team when they travel to Jacksonville next weekend. Yet a game that looked like a gimme on the schedule appears decidedly more uncertain.

Pittsburgh has mixed flashes of dominance with long stretches of mediocrity in the season’s first month. The mixed bag needs to stop soon, and the Steelers know it.

“We just lost to one of the worst NFL teams in our house, we blew the game,” Brown said. “We feel embarrassed. We feel ashamed. We’ve got to do better to minimize those things. Losing at the end of games is unacceptable.”

___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://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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