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Injuries, blown coverages hinder Raiders secondary

By WTOP Staff

MICHAEL WAGAMAN
Associated Press

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — Oakland coach Dennis Allen is reserving judgment when it comes to his team’s pass defense. After consecutive poor performances in the secondary, Allen is still looking for more evidence of any problems.

Charles Woodson agrees it’s still too early to panic, though the eight-time Pro Bowl defensive back clearly doesn’t share the same optimistic view as Allen.

The Raiders’ first-team defense had several issues in their first two preseason games, giving up three touchdowns in four series while starting quarterbacks Matt Cassel of Minnesota and Matt Stafford of Detroit were on the field.

Allen, a former secondary coach as an assistant with New Orleans, downplayed the problems. Oakland’s coach acknowledged two big breakdowns in the coverage during Friday’s 27-26 win over the Lions but said he’s not reading too much into it.

Woodson, the 2009 Defensive Player of the Year, feels otherwise.

“You have to read into it a little bit because we started those games slow and allowed teams to go down the field and put up points,” Woodson said Sunday. “As a defense, there’s something into as far as that’s concerned. When we come out in games, we have to be ready to go.”

Oakland’s defense has been anything but ready to go so far.

Stafford engineered touchdown drives on Detroit’s first two possessions, completing 9 of 10 throws for 88 yards. He repeatedly threw to wide-open receivers, including a 28-yard touchdown to Golden Tate, who used a double-move to shake Oakland cornerback Tarell Brown.

The Lions scored again on Stafford’s 4-yard touchdown to wide receiver Kris Durham.

A week earlier in Minnesota, Cassel was nearly flawless while completing 5 of 6 passes for 62 yards. The Vikings ended Cassel’s only series with a touchdown.

“There were plays for us to make and we didn’t make them,” Allen said. “What I don’t want to do, and what I’m not going to do, is … it’s hard to look at a quarter, a quarter and a half of football, and try to project what that’s going to look like for an entire season. I thought we did a good job coming back and making the adjustments.”

Things may get rougher before they get better.

DJ Hayden is recovering from foot surgery. Backup Chimdi Chekwa is nursing a knee injury and is likely to miss the remainder of the preseason, as is key reserve Taiwan Jones.

Hayden has been extremely limited in his rehab. He made one appearance in training camp when he did running drills on the sidelines. Beyond that, the former first-round draft pick hasn’t been able to do anything.

With Hayden out, Brown and Carlos Rogers have taken the majority of reps at cornerback. Rogers slides inside to play the slot on third downs.

“We have a little more time in the preseason to get this down,” Rogers said. “Of course you want to win but at the end of the day it doesn’t go on your record. If you get out there and blown coverages and guys are running wild and through your defense, then it’s a problem.”

Seventh-round draft pick TJ Carrie, buried on the depth chart when camp began, took reps with the first-team defense Sunday while Hayden and Jones watched from the sidelines.

Carrie intercepted a Matt Schaub pass that was tipped by Woodson during a team scrimmage. Carrie later made a nice play to take away Schaub’s primary read — an inside slant pattern by wide receiver Denarius Moore.

The secondary did get some good news.

Backup safety Usama Young practiced for the first time since injuring a quad muscle while taking a conditioning test the day before the Raiders held their first training camp practice.

“We feel confident about who we are as a team and what we’re going to be during the season,” Woodson said. “We’re not circling the wagons or anything like that. We’re going to be all right.”

NOTES: Second-round draft pick Derek Carr attended practice but was held out of all drills while he recovers from a concussion and possible rib injury. Veteran quarterback Trent Edwards got his most extensive work in practice as a result of Carr’s absence. … Third-round draft pick OG Gabe Jackson was leveled by Khalif Barnes during a blocking drill and appeared to hurt his right leg but rejoined practice. … Oakland signed tight end Kyle Auffray, who has been cut by three teams in 15 months. To make room, the team waived kicker Kevin Goessling. … General manager Reggie McKenzie took part in the ALS ice bucket challenge after practice. Wide receiver Andre Holmes and fullback Jamize Olawale dumped the water on McKenzie.

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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