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Sam’s end another rookie’s start with Rams

By WTOP Staff

R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) — No one could get enough of Michael Sam’s trail blazing role at St. Louis Rams training camp. The fellow rookie who outplayed him to win a backup spot has a pretty nice back story, too.

There was zero hoopla accompanying the 15 undrafted free agents who arrived anonymously, unlike the fanfare that accompanied the historic seventh-round pick. Four of them made the 53-man roster, among them a decorated defensive lineman from a directional school.

Soft-spoken Ethan Westbrooks, the Division II defensive player of the year in 2012 at West Texas A&M, had been confident he’d done enough. He was pleased to learn Sam had been signed to the Cowboys’ practice squad.

“I know how hard it is to make an NFL roster, or just even get into camp,” Westbrooks said. “I’m definitely happy to see he made it to another team.”

Westbrooks had 19 1-2 sacks in 2012, one shy of the D-II record, and was among 15 players from the school located in Canyon, Texas who were in NFL training camps this summer, including Rams veteran end Eugene Sims. Westbrook jumped ahead of the first openly gay player drafted in the NFL early on and impressed coaches with production and versatility.

Sam got the second-most snaps among defensive linemen, trailing only Westbrooks. All of them were at defensive end, and the Rams are loaded at that spot. Westbrooks, listed as a tackle in the media guide, was used at all four positions.

“It was cool, I enjoyed it,” Westbrooks said. “I’ve been enjoying playing the whole D-line since college, so it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

He enjoyed watching the media throng that followed Sam, too.

“It was entertaining,” Westbrooks said, “to say the least.”

Things to watch for in Vikings-Rams:

ZIMMER’S DEBUT: Mike Zimmer makes his head coaching debut for Minnesota after serving as defensive coordinator in Dallas, Atlanta and Cincinnati the previous 14 seasons. The Bengals made the playoffs the last three years and averaged 10 wins. Leslie Frazier was fired after the Vikings started 1-7 and finished 5-10-1, but there’s promise with seven first-round picks the last three drafts, and everybody’s No. 1 fantasy draft pick in 29-year-old RB Adrian Peterson. Preseason records mean nada, but still it has to be a confidence builder going 4-0.

“The administrative stuff is obviously different. Thinking about the 46-man game-day roster, the communication with the referees, those things are all different. The football part I’ve been doing a long time,” Zimmer said.

Fisher has 156 wins, third on the active list, but says he’s just as excited as he was before his first game in the middle of the 1994 season when he replaced Jack Pardee in Tennessee.

PETERSON RULES: The All-Pro running back embarrassed the St. Louis defense at home with 212 yards rushing in the last meeting in December 2012. He was so far in the clear at the end of an 82-yard touchdown run there was time to sneak a peek at the video board. “Yeah, yeah, I was able to see myself,” Peterson said.

New Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has players braced for the challenge. End Chris Long remembers Peterson “just destroying the game plan.”

“He doesn’t avoid contact and if you’re a DB, he’s going to find out if you like to hit people or not,” Long added.

WAIT FOR IT: As a rookie, Cordarrelle Patterson was the NFL’s best kickoff returner and set a franchise record with a 32.4-yard average and two touchdowns. Naturally, the Rams are wary.

“If you want to create problems for yourself, give him a returnable ball,” coach Jeff Fisher said on a conference call with Minnesota reporters.

Patterson didn’t buy it, citing a conversation he had with Fisher this summer in Los Angeles.

“I told him, ‘Just make sure you kick me the ball, man,'” Patterson said. “And he told me, ‘Just be ready.’ So I’m ready for that.'”

NO BRADFORD: Sam Bradford missed the final nine games last season with a torn left ACL, and appeared to be completely back before reinjuring the same knee in the third preseason game. The offense is now in the hands of 34-year-old journeyman Shaun Hill, who has thrown just 16 passes the last three seasons.

CASSEL’S TIME: Veteran Matt Cassel earned the starting nod over first-round pick Teddy Bridgewater, getting the edge based on experience and leadership. Cassel was among three quarterbacks who started in 2013, and returned with the assurance he needn’t fear looking over his shoulder after every mistake.

PASS RUSH: Robert Quinn led the NFC with a franchise-record 19 sacks and the Rams have plenty more who can make a quarterback flinch in Long (8 1-2), Michael Brockers (5 1-2), Williams Hayes (5) and Kendall Langford (5). Plus, pass-rushing tackle Aaron Donald was a first-round pick this year.

___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://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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