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Dolphins coach says he has to do a better job

By WTOP Staff

STEVEN WINE
AP Sports Writer

DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — Criticism of coach Joe Philbin filled the South Florida airwaves Monday, with fans complaining he passed when he should have run, ran when he should have passed, called timeouts that helped the opposition, and used the wrong defense on the touchdown that beat the Miami Dolphins with three seconds left.

A wrenching 27-24 loss to Green Bay inspired lots of second-guessing — on the radio, at the water cooler, even in the locker room — and Philbin accepted a share of the responsibility for the defeat.

“I have to do a better job, first and foremost,” he said. “I’m the head coach. There are things we could have done better in all three phases, coaching as well.”

The defeat did nothing to help the shaky job security of the third-year coach, who is 2-3 this season and 17-20 overall. The Dolphins will try to bounce back Sunday at Chicago (3-3).

But nearly 24 hours after Miami blew a seven-point lead in the final five minutes at home, Philbin was still rehashing his late-game decisions, all of which seemed to backfire.

“Some of them I wish worked out better,” he said.

Aaron Rodgers took advantage of a mismatch in coverage to throw the winning 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Andrew Quarless, who easily outmaneuvered linebacker Philip Wheeler for the score.

After the game, Wheeler blamed the touchdown on “50 percent bad coverage, and 50 percent bad call.” Philbin defended the choice of defense.

“Sometimes linebackers cover tight ends in football,” he said. “It’s a coverage we know. It’s a coverage we’ve practice. It’s something we do and believe in. It’s easy to say that play cost us the game. There are 170 plays in the game. There are a lot of plays prior to that one that certainly could have changed the outcome, so I don’t want to blame that play for the loss.”

Defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle conceded the coverage left Wheeler mismatched, but said Rodgers hadn’t thrown to Quarless out of that formation previously.

“It was a difficult spot for Philip to be in, and the guy made a great throw,” Coyle said. “I can question it, we all can question it, but we saw the results.”

The Packers were out of timeouts during their winning 60-yard drive, but Philbin called timeout twice, including just before the winning touchdown. That gave Green Bay’s offense a chance to get more organized, but Philbin said he called timeout to make sure there was no confusion on defense.

“It certainly didn’t turn out to be the right decision, but it’s something I’ve done in the past and obviously will continue to think about doing in the future,” he said. “I’m most concerned about our team and what our team does.”

Play selection during Miami’s final possession also inspired plenty of debate. Leading 24-20, the Dolphins started at their 20 with four minutes left, and Philbin wanted to be aggressive in trying to seal the victory.

Of the seven plays in the series, four were passes, and two fell incomplete to stop the clock. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor defended Philbin’s approach.

“We tell the players we want to play to win, play aggressive, play loose, and I think it’s our job to coach that way too,” Lazor said. “When Coach makes certain decisions on how we are going to play the game, then I think the players appreciate giving them a chance to go win the game.”

But the Packers mounted a strong pass rush, sacking Ryan Tannehill once, and on third-and-9 with three minutes left, Philbin opted to run off tackle. The play gained 1 yard, and Miami had to punt.

“I got a little queasy when I saw those guys running free, with the quarterback running for his life,” Philbin said. “I didn’t want to see us fumble the football or do something potentially devastating.”

Instead, something devastating came moments later, leaving the Dolphins and their coach with a long list of what-ifs.

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

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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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