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Marvin Austin finally healthy in Year 4

By WTOP Staff

ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Pro Football Writer

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Marvin Austin was an afterthought in the Denver Broncos’ $110 million defensive makeover this offseason.

Long after fellow free agents DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward signed their mega deals and posed with their orange jerseys, Austin slipped into town in May and quietly began his latest comeback.

The fourth-year defensive tackle who signed a one-year, $570,000 contract might just prove to be general manager John Elway’s latest rummage-sale find to produce a big payoff.

“Camp has gone pretty good,” said Austin, who moved up Tuesday to take snaps with the starters. “Most importantly I feel great, healthy, just going out there and playing with the guys. It’s great to be back in football, back able to move around like I’m supposed to, like people know I can.

“And the coaches just want to see what I can do out there against the 1s. We’ve got the top offense in the league and they just wanted to see can I bring that tenacity and fire against the 1s.”

He did, the latest step in his return from career-saving back surgery last November that he feared at first would end his playing days.

“Oh, my spine works now,” Austin said. “It feels great. I’ve been humbled throughout my career, so I know what type of opportunity I have. So, I’m just grateful to be here. I’m grateful to be able to say that I can still play football and especially at the NFL level.”

Austin (6-foot-2 and 319 pounds) said this is as good as he’s ever felt, and the Broncos believe he looks better than ever, too.

“He was a good acquisition,” coach John Fox said. “I think John and his staff did a good job in that evaluation process. He has come off of a fairly significant injury and he looks like he’s got that explosiveness and quickness he had when he came out of Chapel Hill.”

Funny that Fox should say that because Austin said, “I feel like college again.”

He was a second-round draft choice of the New York Giants in 2011 but he missed his rookie season with a torn chest muscle. He played in eight games in 2012 while dealing with a bad back that resulted in a weak right leg. And he played in a total of three games last season for Miami and Dallas. The Cowboys released him after just one game and one tackle when his bad back acted up in practice.

Told he needed surgery, “I just cried my eyes out,” Austin said. “I knew my career was over, being a second-round pick, being cut, and then coming back to that situation. It was over with for me in my mind.”

He underwent surgery to remove a herniated disc in his lower back and to take out part of the vertebral arch in order to decompress the corresponding spinal cord or spinal nerve root. The surgeon also “took out some of the bone in my spine to open up my spinal canal because I was born with a little bit of stenosis,” Austin said.

“I feel 10 million times better now,” he said.

He said his surgeon told him his back was in such bad shape it’s a wonder he wasn’t paralyzed. “And I played with that for two years,” Austin said.

Able to work out as feverishly as he once did, he attacked his latest comeback dripping with gusto.

“Now, to be out here playing and feel good, this is easy,” he said as sweat drenched him after Tuesday morning’s practice. “I was out there playing with a bum back, a bad leg. I’m a grinder. At the end of the day, they ain’t going to say I didn’t work. Regardless of whatever happens, if I’m here or if I’m not, if I’m playing football or if I’m not, you’re not going to be able to say that Marvin Austin is lazy.”

He said he looked out at the crowd during the Broncos’ stadium scrimmage last weekend “and I was like, I love football again. I had lost the love for it, man, because I was dealing with so many injuries and they were so frustrating.”

Notes: The Broncos signed DL Brian Sanford, a 6-2, 280-pound fifth-year pro who appeared in a dozen games with Cleveland (2011-12) and Oakland (2013).

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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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