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Julius Thomas won’t surprise anyone

By WTOP Staff

The Associated Press

Julius Thomas has lost the element of surprise.

The Denver Broncos’ big tight end had a big opener a year ago, when he caught five passes for 110 yards and two TDs in a walloping of Baltimore. That sent fantasy football players scrambling to their laptops to pick him up.

He caught three touchdown passes in Denver’s 31-24 win over Indy last week, and by now every football fan knows him.

Thomas caught Peyton Manning’s eye as soon as the quarterback arrived in Denver in 2012.

Players couldn’t work out at the team’s headquarters, so Manning and a few teammates, including Thomas, went to nearby Valor Christian High School, “which was a great facility,” Manning said.

“And the track team is practicing track, running around the track and the FedEx guy filming the whole workout. I don’t know if the package got there on time that day or not,” Manning said. “So it’s just the little things you got to deal with.

“But Julius was one of the few guys, he and (Eric) Decker, I was throwing with and I remember going, ‘Golly, 6-4 tight end, those guys don’t come around very often and they can really run.'”

Thomas, however, aggravated a leg injury during the workouts and wouldn’t be himself until a year ago, when he had a breakout season with 65 receptions for 788 yards and a dozen TDs.

His seven-catch, 104-yard performance and trio of touchdowns against the Colts earned Thomas his first AFC Offensive Player of the Week honor.

“I think he’ll be a better player this year than he was last year, I really do,” Manning said.

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COUGHLIN’S CHARITY: Giants coach Tom Coughlin’s Jay Fund Foundation is helping Childhood Cancer Awareness Month this Sunday. Twelve families of pediatric oncology patients will attend the game with Arizona as guests of the fund. They will wear special edition Jay Fund #GoGold T-shirts.

Coughlin and his coaching staff will also wear #GoGold pins to show their support; Coughlin will wear the pin during all September games.

Before kickoff, two ambassador patients, Ahtziri Garcia, 12, who was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma in 2012, and Shameem Crooks, a 2014 graduate of Teaneck, New Jersey High School who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2011, will join the captains of the Giants and Cardinals for the opening coin toss.

“We hope attending Sunday’s game puts a smile on the faces of all of the children and their families, and creates life-long memories for everyone,” said Keli Coughlin, executive director of the fund.

The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation was created in 1996 in honor of Jay McGillis, a player for Coughlin at Boston College who developed leukemia and passed away.

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JOHNNY’S JERSEY: It didn’t take long for Johnny Manziel’s jersey to slide from the top of the popularity charts.

Manziel sat for Cleveland’s loss at Pittsburgh on opening weekend while Brian Hoyer quarterbacked the Browns. After leading in sales in Dick’s Sporting Goods’ Jersey Report, Johnny Football stood fifth in the week ending Sept. 11 — although he was still first overall since the draft.

He was, by far, the top-rated non-starter in the league, as well as the highest-ranked Brown. Cornerback Joe Haden came in 33rd for the period.

Fans were most interested last week in purchasing the jerseys of Peyton Manning, Joe Flacco, Andrew Luck and LeSean McCoy in the last week.

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TENNESSEE MOUNTAIN HOME: Cowboys tight end Jason Witten will play at Tennessee for the second time in his 12-year career. He grew up in the state and was a standout for the Tennessee Volunteers before Dallas drafted him in the third round in 2003.

The nine-time Pro Bowler goes home on the verge of becoming the third tight end in league history with 10,000 yards receiving. It’s unlikely he’ll get there against the Titans — he still needs 187 yards after being held to a pair of catches for 14 yards against San Francisco. But it will be a special weekend for him either way.

“It’s really kind of where the dream started for me,” said Witten, who had two catches for 19 yards at the Titans early in the 2006 season. “A lot of people invested in me when they didn’t have to, a lot of family, coaches, high school and college.”

Witten isn’t getting carried away in the sentiment, though. He’s not big on socializing on such trips. And while he’s taking care of family and friends, he says it only amounts to about 15 tickets.

“I’m pretty strict on those things, but I’m sure there will be a pretty big crowd this week,” Witten said.

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RUNNIN’ DALTON: New offensive coordinator Hue Jackson showed a few surprises in the Bengals’ 23-16 opening win at Baltimore, including Andy Dalton running option plays. He’d fake a handoff as part of a zone-read play, roll out and pitch it out.

Expect to see more of Dalton running around.

“Your goal offensively would be to always keep the other team off-balance as much as you can and get them to have to keep turning the page and turning the page,” coach Marvin Lewis said.

The Bengals haven’t used Dalton very much as part of the running game until now.

“I may not be as athletic as some of the guys in this league, but I feel comfortable doing it,” said Dalton, who ran more at TCU. “The thing we are always looking for is the right matchup. Most of the time I just handed the ball off and got out of the way. We didn’t do that here very much, but in college I ran it a lot.”

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AP Pro Football Writers Barry Wilner, Teresa M. Walker and Arnie Stapleton, and Sports Writers Joe Kay and Schuyler Dixon contributed to this notebook.

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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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