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Patriots DBs train together in Phoenix

By WTOP Staff

HOWARD ULMAN
AP Sports Writer

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The downpour began as practice was about to end for the Patriots on Sunday.

It was nothing like the conditions in Arizona where four New England defensive backs had prepared for training camp.

“You play football in whatever the weather is,” cornerback Logan Ryan said after he and his teammates scurried for shelter Sunday.

Even if it’s 110 degrees and dry. That’s the way he remembers it when he and three teammates worked out for about two weeks in Phoenix.

“I think it rained for five minutes one time,” Ryan said. “They called it a monsoon.”

Ryan went to the Fischer Institute in Phoenix last year to hone his skills for the NFL draft combine. The Patriots drafted him in the third round out of Rutgers and he started seven of the 16 games in which he played.

He was back in Phoenix this summer, along with other NFL players from different teams. Cornerback Darrelle Revis has done that in the past and he was joined this year by Patriots safeties Devin McCourty and Tavon Wilson along with Ryan.

It was a chance for Revis, signed as a free agent in the offseason, to bond with three returning Patriots.

“This is great for us to get guys that are committed and want to come out to Phoenix,” Revis said. “It was good for us to just be out there and just get more camaraderie with each other and just hang out with each other a lot every day.”

They trained with Will Sullivan, a coach at the facility who works closely with defensive backs. They did drills, watched film, lifted weights and did other conditioning work.

McCourty went after talking about it with Adrian Wilson, a safety who spent the entire season on the Patriots injured reserve list before signing with the Chicago Bears on June 23.

“We all happened to end up on the same team this year so it worked out that way,” said McCourty, whose brother Jason is a cornerback with the Tennessee Titans. “My brother was there. He was mad that all the Patriots were down there together. So it was just guys working on individual skills.”

The training could have a big impact on Tavon Wilson. He had a solid rookie season in 2012 with four interceptions then regressed last season when he rarely played defense.

“Being around Darrelle and Devin and Logan was a good experience for me,” he said, “being able to become closer friends with those guys, just spend a lot of time with them. You can’t really do too much scheme stuff. They helped me out a lot as far as how to be a professional. I’m still fairly young in my career, so it was great being around those guys.”

Revis and McCourty are starters in an improved secondary. Cornerback Brandon Browner also figures to start once he serves his four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Duron Harmon, a rookie from Rutgers last season, appears to have the edge on the other starting safety spot.

The training in Arizona involved more than physical work.

“We watched a lot of film,” Ryan said. “That’s the best part about it. Will Sullivan would watch your film with you from last year and games and kind of tell you straight up, evaluate you.

“Every day would have a different emphasis for each player and everybody would work on their strengths and weaknesses. There’s no hiding anything. Everything was clear cut and out in the open.”

Now the Phoenix Four are continuing their preparation for the season with all their teammates.

“You see guys at the top of their game, All-Pros, come in there and be coachable and repeat a drill they may have gotten wrong,” Ryan said. “It makes a younger guy like myself want to do it that much better and see why these guys are at the top of their game.”

NOTES: The Patriots have Monday off after four days of practice and return to the field Tuesday. … Rookie QB Jimmy Garoppolo ran laps for the third straight day after messing up a play. … Second-year WR Kenbrell Thompkins was wide open on a slant route but dropped Tom Brady’s well-placed pass. … Director of player personnel Nick Caserio said signing physical cornerbacks Browner and Revis doesn’t signal a change in the team’s philosophy. “We try to look at our team, try to improve our team and do what we think is in our best interest,” Caserio said.

___

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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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