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McGloin buried on Raiders depth chart again

By WTOP Staff

NAPA, Calif. (AP) — Not a lot has changed in the year since Oakland Raiders quarterback Matt McGloin entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent.

He’s still buried on Oakland’s depth chart, still spending most of his time in practice waiting for the occasional rep or two with the offense.

The only difference might be in McGloin’s expectations.

“Coming in here last year, I wouldn’t get any reps actually,” McGloin said. “To now get a few here and there is a lot better. In terms of being prepared mentally, it kind of makes you feel more comfortable day in and day out.”

After starting six games during his rookie season and drawing high praise from coach Dennis Allen and offensive coordinator Greg Olson, the former Penn State walk-on didn’t flinch when Oakland made a pair of offseason moves for quarterbacks and immediately penciled them in ahead of McGloin.

He embraced the arrivals of Matt Schaub and Derek Carr as positives for a team struggling to end an 11-year playoff drought. Still, he wants another crack at the starting job.

McGloin had an up-and-down day Sunday when the Raiders held their first practice in full pads but he finished strong with a pair of nice throws late in the afternoon workout.

In between, he stood behind the offense and patiently watched as Schaub ran the first-team offense while Carr worked with the second unit.

“My mentality has always been it is what it is,” McGloin said. “There’s two ways you can go: You can either be the guy who shows up every day and doesn’t want to be there and complains and pouts, or you can be the guy who says I’m going to make the most out of my reps, I’m going to do whatever I can and I’m going to continue to fight and scratch and claw and compete every day.”

A year ago McGloin would have been happy just to have a member of the coaching staff remember his name. The Raiders invited him to camp to give the other three quarterbacks ahead of him at the time a break.

It quickly became clear he could do much more than that.

By the time camp ended McGloin had outplayed Tyler Wilson, making the fourth-round draft pick expendable. When veteran Matt Flynn was released in October and Terrelle Pryor suffered a knee injury four weeks later, McGloin got the nod.

He passed for three touchdowns in a 28-23 win over Houston, raising hopes that Oakland might have accidentally stumbled upon their franchise quarterback.

Instead, what followed were five consecutive losses in which McGloin and the offense regressed. He sat out the season-finale against Denver when Allen opted to go with Pryor.

“There’s good things you take away from it, and also a lot of bad things happened,” said McGloin, who passed for 1,547 yards with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. “I’m always searching for something better. That’s what gets me up and gets me going every day.”

Allen, who at times last season seemed to gush over McGloin, says the second-year quarterback remains a part of Oakland’s plans.

“I love our quarterback room … all the way from one to four on the depth chart,” Allen said. “We feel very confident that if we needed to call on Matt to go in and perform and win a game for us, that he could go in and perform at a high level.”

For now, McGloin will continue to try to soak up whatever knowledge he can from the two quarterbacks ahead of him.

“I’m glad it’s a guy like Matt Schaub, who I can learn from every day, and a guy like Derek Carr who I can compete with every day,” McGloin said. “It’s a good opportunity for me. I’m learning a lot and I’m a lot further ahead than I was last year.”

Notes: LB Marshall McFadden (hip flexor) and wide receiver Rod Streater did not finish practice. Streater was pulled out after landing hard on the ground trying to make a catch. … TE Jake Murphy was held out after suffering a concussion Saturday.

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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