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Julius Thomas says chop block wasn’t intentional

By WTOP Staff

ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Pro Football Writer

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Julius Thomas said Monday that he never intended to hurt Calais Campbell despite Arizona coach Bruce Arians calling the Pro Bowl tight end’s chop block the “dirtiest play I’ve ever seen” in 37 years in the NFL.

Thomas said he and tackle Ryan Clady would never try to hurt anyone and the play Sunday that sent Arizona’s star defensive end out with a sprained right MCL was a matter of miscommunication, not malice.

Broncos coach John Fox passionately defended Thomas, too. He said he’s been in the league just two years less than Arians and “it’s not the dirtiest play I’ve seen this year, let alone in 35 years.”

Fox said that no matter how bad it looks, Thomas meant only to legally cut block Campbell, which would have been OK had Clady not gotten into his pass protection stance just as Thomas went low and took out Campbell’s knees.

“There wasn’t anything dirty about a player. There wasn’t anything dirty about coaching. It’s just something that happened where they screwed up and it cost us a 77-yard touchdown,” Fox said.

Campbell is expected to miss one to three weeks.

Arians didn’t back off Monday, saying, “You’ll never convince me it wasn’t premeditated.”

“His opinion is his and he’s entitled to that,” Thomas responded. “But as far as I’m concerned, I just want to make it clear that there was no intent to hurt anybody on that play.”

“I respect what everybody does in order to play this game and how much hard work goes into it and I would never want to take away somebody’s ability to go out there and play football,” Thomas said. “Unfortunately, it’s tough, but he came up injured on the play. That was definitely not the goal or the intention.”

The chop block wiped out a 77-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to Demaryius Thomas. Otherwise, Thomas, who finished with a franchise record 226 yards on eight catches, would have posted just the sixth 300-yard receiving game in NFL history.

And Manning, who threw for a career-high 479 yards, would have had 556.

Once Campbell went out, the Broncos (3-1) were able to run the ball and turned a tight game into a 41-20 wipeout that knocked the Cardinals (3-1) from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Thomas leads the league with seven TD catches, including the 500th of Manning’s career, which he caught in the first quarter Sunday. But he’s only played football for four years, taking up the sport after leading Portland State to a pair of NCAA basketball tournament berths as a power forward.

His blocking has never been his strong point.

It was an odd set of circumstances that brought this trio, each of whom has a reputation as being among the classiest players in the league, into the spotlight together.

The Broncos were in a two-tight end set without any running backs when the Cardinals lined up in a three-man front, something they hadn’t shown all game and for which the Broncos hadn’t prepared. So, Manning audibled and brought Thomas up toward the line of scrimmage.

That’s where things went wrong.

Instead of chipping him high and going out on his route, Thomas went for the cut block, diving at Campbell’s knees. Recognizing this, Clady tried to back away but it was too late; Campbell was preparing to engage with Clady and couldn’t protect himself.

It was the first cut block whistled on the Broncos since 2010, the year before Fox’s arrival in Denver.

“Cut blocking’s allowed in the National Football League,” Fox said. “It’s utilized by everybody in the league. But you cannot have the tackle engaged and cut block at the same time. All right? It’s called a chop block. But that in no way was intentional. It’s never been coached by me or anybody on my staff or any player we have on our football team in four years.”

NFL spokesman Michael Signora said a decision on a possible fine for Thomas would be made later in the week.

Arians suggested a suspension was in order.

“I don’t spend much time worrying about what others think of me or what should happen,” Thomas said. “You can spend all day with all the opinions from any play of any game of what others think. So, I’m just not going to make too much attention to what he feels should happen. Like I said, the main thing is that there was no intention for anybody to be hurt on the play. And hopefully he’ll be back soon.”

Notes: RB Montee Ball said his MRI on Monday showed his strained right groin wasn’t a season-ending injury as first feared.

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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

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AP Sports Writer Bob Baum in Tempe, Arizona, contributed.

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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