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Bears off to up-and-down start with Carolina next

By WTOP Staff

GENE CHAMBERLAIN
Associated Press

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman watched his defense struggle to stop Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a home loss and saw the proverbial tip of the iceberg for his inconsistent team.

Whether it’s a Jay Cutler interception at an inopportune time, a running game that took three games to come alive, or an injury-plagued defense failing against Rodgers’ aerial assault, the Bears have had an assortment of problems in a 2-2 start to the season.

Chicago was beaten 38-17 by the Packers on Sunday.

Trestman said the Bears’ start is no different than that of many other teams, and he pointed to Tampa’s upset of Pittsburgh after a 56-14 loss to Atlanta as an example.

“Atlanta goes into Minnesota, you see what happened (Vikings 41, Falcons 28),” Trestman said Monday. “Philadelphia has 12 yards rushing going into the last drive of a game. This is a very, very good league, it’s a highly competitive league. We’ve got to be the kind of team that puts the past behind us very quickly.”

Cutler’s passer rating is 94.7, which is 5.5 higher than his personal best for a season. He had a four-touchdown game against San Francisco and led a road win over the New York Jets, but threw two key interceptions in Sunday’s loss to the rival Packers and tossed a critical interception in a season-opening 23-20 overtime home defeat to Buffalo.

“We put up 500 yards of offense but we just didn’t finish the way we wanted to finish (Sunday),” said tight end Martellus Bennett, whose play has been one of the few consistent aspects of the Chicago attack.

The Bears gained 496 yards to go with their 17 points, which Bennett said is “like having dessert before dinner.” They got only a field goal out of two trips to the 1-yard line. In addition to Cutler’s two interceptions, they committed a special teams penalty and a defensive penalty that led to more Packers points.

Bennett said the offense has to pick up the defense.

“Some games there’s going to be a shootout,” he said. “Man, our defense I thought they fought well, played, but they (the Packers offense) were on fire, too. Sometimes guys just get really hot. But some games we have to be really hot, as well.”

The Bears defense had worried about stopping the run through the first three games, and eventually achieved success to some extent. Then they couldn’t stop Rodgers.

It could have helped having a pass rush from defensive end Jared Allen, who was out due to illness. Trestman wouldn’t acknowledge reports that Allen has pneumonia, but did say Allen was back on Monday as preparations began for Sunday’s game at Carolina.

“It was good to see him in the building, good to see him in all the meetings. He got some work in the weight room,” he said. “That’s encouraging.”

Wide receiver Brandon Marshall has been fighting an ankle problem, part of the reason the offense has relied on Bennett as its chief receiver to date with 29 catches for 295 yards.

“Actually before the game this week it probably looked better and felt better than it had the last two weeks,” Trestman said about Marshall.

Cutler summed up the loss as the kind that doesn’t end a season even if it was the fifth straight at home to their rivals from Green Bay.

“Not an easy one, not an easy one, especially the way we played the first half, the way we were clicking,” he said. “But, it’s early in the season. A lot of good things happened in this game. We have a lot of football left to play.”

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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