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Seahawks not satisfied despite dominant victory

By WTOP Staff

TIM BOOTH
AP Sports Writer

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Richard Sherman stood at his locker going through all the areas that he believed needed work: tackling, capitalizing on potential turnovers, avoiding big penalties.

This after the Seattle Seahawks opened defense of their Super Bowl title with a 20-point win over Green Bay, an expected contender in the NFC.

The Seahawks came away from Thursday night’s season opener believing they didn’t impress anyone, most of all themselves.

“It was off. We weren’t up to par. We weren’t up to snuff, and I think everyone feels that way,” Sherman said after the victory. “We’ve got to play better.”

There didn’t seem to be anything overwhelming about Seattle’s season-opening win over the Packers, other than the final score.

Russell Wilson threw for two touchdowns, but he’s had more efficient games. Marshawn Lynch ran for 110 yards and two scores, but he’s had more memorable nights. The Packers were held to 255 total yards on offense, but Seattle’s defense didn’t seem to dominate in the same way as its Super Bowl win over Denver.

The impression left from Thursday night was that Seattle didn’t play its best and still won easily. And that could be a scary thought for everyone else in the NFC trying to catch the Seahawks.

“We were really impressed with how hard the guys played across the board, all three phases were really aggressive. And the effort was really there. And they were really excited to play on opening night,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said on Friday. “It turned out to be a terrific effort in general. That really jumped out.”

The Seahawks should be pleased with how they played, especially on defense and in the run game. The 255 total yards were the third-fewest for Green Bay since the start of the 2012 season. Aaron Rodgers was held under 200 yards passing for just the 13th time in his career when attempting at least 15 passes.

Notable was Rodgers’ never throwing a pass Sherman’s direction. Sherman remained as the left cornerback all night, and Rodgers never dared go that way. According to STATS Inc., Rodgers attempted passes to the right side of the offense — where Sherman was playing — 52 percent of the time last season.

“If a team lets you know they’re not throwing the ball to one side of the field, it helps everybody that is playing in pass defense. If it’s not going over there, it’s going over here,” Carroll said.

“We can’t bank on that totally, but after a while in a game it’s pretty clear,” he said.

On the other side, Lynch looked fit and spry with his 20th 100-yard rushing game since the start of the 2011 season. Seattle’s front bullied Green Bay’s defensive line, including a solid first performance by rookie right tackle Justin Britt.

The one injury concern for Seattle coming out of the opener was a groin injury suffered by cornerback Jeremy Lane. Carroll did not go into specifics on how long Lane might be out, other than saying “he’s going to be down for a while.”

Between Lane’s injury and backup cornerback Tharold Simon having minor knee surgery to repair cartilage damage, the Seahawks depth in the secondary is suddenly a little thin. Seattle hopes Simon will be back in about four weeks.

“There is some stuff that we’ll be working on here,” Carroll said.

Lane’s spot as the third cornerback was going to be important early in the season with Seattle opening against pass-happy offenses in Green Bay, San Diego and Denver before getting to its bye in Week 4. For now that role belongs to Marcus Burley, acquired in a trade with Indianapolis late last week.

“We really liked the kid coming in and did a fantastic job of being ready to play in that game down the stretch. We’re really pleased,” Carroll said. “He’ll play for Jeremy at this time. We have no other alternatives that we would think of at this point, but we were really happy with what he did.”

NOTES: Asked if Earl Thomas would remain his punt returner, Carroll said, “sure.” Thomas fumbled a punt in traffic in the first half. … Carroll said OL Lemuel Jeanpierre was placed on injured reserve earlier this week because of a nerve problem in his neck. … LB Bruce Irvin (hip) was in for 19 plays, and the goal is for him to play half the game in Week 2.

___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

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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