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Seeing Patriots in opener a big test for Dolphins

By WTOP Staff

TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — There may never be an ideal time to play against the New England Patriots.

And Week 1 might be the worst time of all.

The most recent time the Patriots were topped in Week 1, gas prices were about $1.70 per gallon on average nationally, Barack Obama was in the Illinois Senate and list of names on the Miami Dolphins’ all-time starting quarterback list was 14 people shorter than it is now.

“When you play a team like the Patriots,” Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill said, “it takes the whole team.”

Clearly, Miami understands the challenge. The Dolphins — with a much-anticipated new-look offense — open their season at home Sunday against New England, the perennial AFC East favorite and a team that has started 1-0 in each of the past 10 seasons.

“There’s not much more you could ask for than to have such a great opportunity,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said. “The Dolphins, we always play them tough, we always have a battle on our hands, especially when we play down there. That’s really what we expect this time.”

The teams split two games last season, both winning at home. But the Patriots have owned the series in recent years, taking 17 of the past 23 matchups against Miami.

So the Dolphins are hoping that a little more preparation time for the Patriots might pay off Sunday. The schedule was released in April, meaning Miami has had about five months to think about the tasks that would await in Week 1, and Tannehill acknowledged that the Dolphins were working on Patriot-week things even before the final preseason game.

“Miami is obviously a good football team,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “They handled us down there last year and gave us a real competitive game up here. I think they’re good in all areas.”

Here’s what to watch when the Patriots visit the Dolphins:

BRADY LOVES MIAMI: Sun Life Stadium has been open for 27 years, and only two quarterbacks — Dan Marino and Jay Fiedler — have thrown more touchdown passes there than Patriots star Tom Brady. Not bad, considering Brady plays there but once a year. Brady has more completions and touchdown passes against the Dolphins than any opponent in history, and is 92 yards shy of topping Drew Bledsoe for the top spot in regular-season yards thrown against Miami as well.

KNOWSHON KNOWS: The Patriots have allowed one running back to top 200 yards against them in their past 211 games, and that running back is now wearing Dolphins colors. New Miami back Knowshon Moreno had 224 yards on the ground against New England last season for Denver, in a game where the Broncos wasted a 24-0 halftime lead and fell 34-31 in overtime. “It was all right . (but) we still lost,” Moreno said.

WEATHER ISSUES: The theory has long been that when the Dolphins are at home in steamy South Florida, the weather should be an advantage. That hasn’t exactly held true in recent years. Miami has lost eight of its past 12 home games on days when the mercury has climbed past 81 degrees. Forecasters say Sunday should reach the upper 80s, with a strong chance of rain.

THE STANDARD: Week 3 of the 2012 season. That’s the previous time the Patriots didn’t have at least a share of the lead in the AFC East, a streak that Miami could end with a win on Sunday. To say New England has been dominant in division games is an understatement — over the past 10 seasons the Patriots are a combined 48-12 vs. the other teams in the AFC East. The Jets are 29-31, the Dolphins are 22-38 and the Bills are 21-39.

TANNEHILL’S SACKS: Somehow, Miami’s Ryan Tannehill is one of 13 NFL quarterbacks to play in all 32 games over the past two seasons. Tannehill — who will have five new offensive-line starters blocking for him this week — has gotten sacked 93 times in that span, 10 more than any other quarterback. The previous quarterback to get sacked more in a two-year stretch was Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, a 96-time sackee in 2007 and 2008. New England registered 48 sacks a year ago, its most since 1986.

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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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