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Kraft suffered along with fans in rout of Patriots

By WTOP Staff

HOWARD ULMAN
AP Sports Writer

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Robert Kraft looked down from his seat high above the field and watched his New England Patriots fall apart.

The offense led by Tom Brady struggled to move the ball. The defense that had been stingy couldn’t stop the Kansas City Chiefs from reeling off long gains. And Bill Belichick lost by at least 27 points for just the third time in his 336 games as an NFL head coach.

“It’s horrible,” Kraft said Tuesday after seeing the team he owns lose the previous night in Kansas City 41-14.

The image of Jamaal Charles leaving would-be tacklers in his wake, and scoring three touchdowns, lingered even as Kraft expressed confidence that the Patriots would rebound from the rout.

“He supposedly had an ankle problem,” Kraft said. “We were sitting pretty high and you could have a birds-eye view. He is so fast and quick. It was just a bad day. We’ve got to bury it and move on and, hopefully, get back on track this Sunday.”

That won’t be easy, not against the AFC’s only unbeaten team, the Cincinnati Bengals (3-0), on Sunday night.

“They’re very good,” Kraft said, “but, somehow, I think playing here in Foxborough will be special and this team has a lot of fight and grit. At the same time, I have this empty feeling that so many of our fans, I know, felt.”

In his other 20 seasons as owner, Kraft had rarely seen such ineptitude. In 15 of them, including the last 11, the Patriots had at least 10 wins. They won six AFC championships and three Super Bowls.

“Last night was one of the worst games since I’ve owned the team,” Kraft said, standing in the rain after a ribbon-cutting ceremony for an elementary school playground built with the help of a $60,000 grant from the Patriots’ charitable foundation.

“It was very draining, but the worst part was flying home and getting home early a.m. and then having an eight o’clock dentist appointment,” he said with a grin.

Then he tried to cast a positive light on a negative night.

“I feel pretty bad after what happened,” he said, “but, for the record, we are in first place, as strange as that might seem.”

At 2-2, the Patriots are tied with the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins for the lead in the AFC East, a division New England has won 10 of the past 11 seasons.

“We’re not robots,” Kraft said. “It was just a bad night.”

Two rookies started in the shaky offensive line for the first time as Belichick kept searching for the right combination. Brady had two poorly thrown interceptions. Stevan Ridley led the ground game with just 28 yards. The 303 yards the Patriots allowed in the first half were the most since Belichick became coach in 2000.

“We didn’t really just do much to help ourselves,” Belichick said. “The offense didn’t help the defense. The defense didn’t help the offense. We just didn’t play a good complementary game.”

The Patriots punted on their first five possessions and committed three turnovers while getting none.

And they still haven’t had an impressive performance against a top opponent.

They lost at Miami 33-20, beat Minnesota 30-7 when the Vikings played without Adrian Peterson and then managed just one touchdown in a 16-9 win over Oakland that was preserved by a last-minute interception.

“We have a high standard here and we should,” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. “Every year is a process that you go through, and I don’t think you’re really ever where you’re going to be when you start the year.

“But I think the key thing for us is we’ve got to improve each week,” he said. “You can have patience, but I think you also need to make strides each week.”

After his early-morning flight home, Kraft heard cheers as he sat in front of about 400 pupils seated on the floor of their school gymnasium, many wearing Patriots shirts with the last names of Brady and Rob Gronkowski on the back.

“It was like my mother welcoming me. So it was a good balance” after Monday night’s debacle, he said while standing near the swings and slide he helped pay for. “I still have faith in this team, and it’s really not what happens now. It’s what happens after Thanksgiving that counts.

“So let’s hope things are a lot better by then.”

___

AP NFL websites: 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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