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Palmer: Cardinals ‘most talented’ team of career

By WTOP Staff

BOB BAUM
AP Sports Writer

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Carson Palmer looks around him and sees just how good the Arizona Cardinals could be.

“I think this is by far the most talented team I’ve ever been on, top to bottom,” he said.

Whether that talent translates to success on the field could depend in large part on the performance of the 34-year-old quarterback in his second season in coach Bruce Arians’ system.

A year ago at this time, Palmer was trying to figure it out.

Now, he knows it well, reacting to situations rather than having to think too much about what he is supposed to do.

“It lets you play with a certain level of confidence but also just lets you play with some comfort,” he said. “It’s not experimental this year like there were some things last year as you put in a new system and you’re trying to find what guys do well, what guys don’t do well, what guys can do this, what guys can’t do certain things. We have a very good feel for that.”

Palmer spoke to reporters after the morning walk-through and before the first full-fledged practice of training camp on Saturday afternoon.

After being on some bad teams and teams engulfed in turmoil, he is enjoying the stability of his situation.

“It’s been awhile since it’s been so stable around me. It’s been five years, six years,” he said. “… It’s not up and down. It’s not possibly going to change drastically right before camp like it has before for me. Just being very stable, an even-keeled mood and flow coming through July and OTAs and all that and now that camp’s here, I feel just different than I’ve ever felt.”

When Arizona went 10-6 last year, just missing the playoffs, it was just the third winning season of his NFL career.

The Cardinals’ success was anchored in their defense as Palmer and the rest of the offense grappled with the intricacies of Arians’ system.

As the year went on, the offense got better.

In the first half of the season, Palmer threw for 10 touchdowns and was intercepted 14 times as the Cardinals went 4-4.

In the second half, he threw for 14 touchdowns and was intercepted eight times — four of them in one game — and Arizona went 6-2.

“When you look at some of his interceptions he had last year, he was right on target for his first and second reads,” Arians said. “The pressure hit him and it was ‘Where’s my dump off? Where do I get rid of the ball?’ We threw a couple of interceptions to guys that were running across the field where we weren’t on the same page.

“Those, knock on wood, were pretty much eliminated this spring.”

Palmer said it just took time to get comfortable with the offense.

“You know that this guy is going to do exactly this and you’re supposed to do exactly that,” he said. “Just that kind of comfort level, that ease of being on the field and knowing exactly what you’ve got going on around you, and that’s something you don’t get until you experience it over and over and over again.”

The chemistry with the receivers also took some time.

“It comes from repetition and just continuing to work with each other, ” Larry Fitzgerald said. “He can look at me and I can understand what he wants me to do, the adjustments he wants me to make. It’s comforting knowing that you have that rapport with your quarterback.”

Palmer put up some big numbers last year, as he has done often in his career. He threw for a career-high 4,274 yards — his fourth 4,000-yard passing season and second in a row.

The yards passing ranked third on the Cardinals, behind only Neil Lomax (4,613 in 1984) and Kurt Warner (4,583 in 2008).

This year, with the addition of speedy receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and John Brown and an expanded role for dynamic second-year running back Andre Ellington, Palmer sees an Arizona offense ready to take off.

Training camp, Palmer said, will be crucial to that success.

If players succumb to the inevitable lulls in the weeks leading up to the season and lighten up on the effort, he said, “you’re just going to be an OK team.”

If they live up to Arians’ mantra of getting better from each walk-through to each team meeting to each practice, Palmer said, “you have a chance to be special.”

___

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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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