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Aqib Talib gives props to Peyton Manning

By WTOP Staff

ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Pro Football Writer

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Aqib Talib figures he’s upgraded quarterbacks by moving to Denver and he’s definitely traded up when it comes to the wide receivers he’s facing in offseason workouts.

Talib first weighed in on the Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady debate last week when he was a guest on the NFL Network, which chose him as one of the league’s top 100 players of 2013. He said that with all due respect to Brady, who will always be his friend, he’s now playing with the best quarterback in the business.

Manning said last week he hadn’t seen the segment, but he certainly returned the compliment, suggesting Talib — and therefore not Super Bowl champion cornerback Richard Sherman — “was probably the toughest corner that we played against last year.”

Talib was asked after the Broncos’ latest offseason practice Tuesday to expound upon his choice of Manning over Brady, and he said, “The question was, ‘Who won last year?’ It was an honest opinion. I mean, who had the better (season) last year? If you throw that many touchdowns and you won the last head to head, then you’ve got to say you had the better year last year.”

Manning threw an NFL-record 55 TD passes and beat Brady’s Patriots in the AFC championship game.

Talib was knocked out of that game when Wes Welker, another former Patriots player, took him out on a pick play at the line of scrimmage in the second quarter. Talib went to the locker room with a bruised knee and didn’t return.

With the Patriots’ best cover player out, Manning finished with 400 yards passing and two TDs — nearly 300 of those yards coming with Talib sidelined. In his season-ending news conference the next day, Patriots coach Bill Belichick suggested Welker deliberately tried to hurt Talib and complained to the league about it. The NFL said no infraction had occurred.

When Talib signed a six-year, $57 million free agent deal with Denver this spring, he called Welker, “a good friend of mine,” and said, “I watched that play 1,000 times and I can promise you he didn’t do it on purpose.”

Welker put to rest any notion of bad blood between the two on Tuesday, saying, “We got along really well in New England and we’re still good friends no matter what anybody else thinks from the AFC championship game. We’ve always gotten along really well and we continue to.”

With Welker in Denver along with Demaryius Thomas and newcomer Emmanuel Sanders, this group of wide receivers is the best Talib has had to work against in offseason practices in his six seasons in the NFL.

“I’ve had my hands full this whole time. One day I’ve got D.T., the big, fast, physical receiver. The next play I’ve got the shorter, quicker, speedy receiver in Emmanuel,” Talib said. “It’s great work out there.”

Not only is that preparing him for the 2014 season, but it’s showing his new team that he’s healthy. Talib, bothered by a thigh injury last season, has never played all 16 games in a season.

“My health is great. I feel great,” Talib said. “I’m out here moving, running with Emanuel and D.T. If I can run with them guys then I must be feeling great.”

NOTES: The Broncos signed two more draft picks Tuesday, third-rounder Michael Schofield, an offensive lineman from Michigan, and LSU linebacker Lamin Barrow, a fifth-rounder. That leaves only their first-round draft choice, CB Bradley Roby of Ohio State, unsigned.

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

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Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton

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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