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Sage advice from Pacman Jones

By WTOP Staff

The Associated Press

Bengals cornerback Adam Jones, the player formerly known as Pacman, isn’t talking about the issues facing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell except to say that he disagrees with some things.

Goodell suspended him for the 2007 season and again for six more games. Jones also sat out the 2009 season when nobody gave him a call before going to work for Cincinnati.

But Jones has talked with incoming players at the league’s rookie symposium. He says his advice is simple is for rookies: be careful with their choices and decisions because each is his own corporation.

And when the NFL is taken away, it’s gone.

“No one is going to be calling your phone and all that, so enjoy the time now and make good decisions and get all the money you can while you can get it,” Jones said. “When the checks stop coming in, they stop coming in.”

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SANU CAN FLING IT: Bengals receiver Mohamed Sanu has one of the best arms in the NFL. And he doesn’t even warm up before he shows it off.

Sanu took a pitch from Andy Dalton and completed a 50-yard pass down the sideline to Brandon Tate during Cincinnati’s 24-10 win over the Falcons on Sunday. That left Sanu 3 for 3 in his career for 148 yards and a touchdown with a perfect passer rating of 158.8.

Coach Marvin Lewis expects completions out of his receiver.

“Every time he lines up to throw one,” Lewis said. “He’s got great ability.”

Sanu was a quarterback in high school and threw out of wildcat formations at Rutgers. The Bengals took him in the third round in 2012 in part because of his versatility. He threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Green as a rookie and completed a 25-yard pass last season.

“You’ve just got to have that confidence in yourself to be able to make that throw,” Sanu said. “It’s just excitement when you know you get to make a big play for the offense.”

His pass on Sunday was his most impressive. Sanu delivered the ball between two defenders, hitting Tate right along the sideline.

“It was a perfect throw,” Tate said.

And it was unrehearsed. Sanu doesn’t throw before the game because he doesn’t want to tip off the opposition.

“He doesn’t even warm up!” Dalton said. “You just kind of get it to him and let him throw.”

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CHALLENGING: Maybe the coaches’ challenge system is overrated. It certainly hasn’t been overused this season.

Through two weeks of the schedule, there have been just two challenges — and both failed.

Green Bay’s Mike McCarthy made his 70th career challenge against the New York Jets in last week’s Packers victory. The play was upheld by replay.

Bill O’Brien made his first challenge as an NFL coach in Houston’s opener against Washington and also got it wrong.

According to SportsInteraction.com, which tracks coaches’ challenges, Denver’s John Fox has made the most challenges since he became a head coach in Carolina in 2002, 110. Next is the Giants’ Tom Coughlin with 102, followed by New England’s Bill Belichick with 95 and Kansas City’s Andy Reid with 89.

Fox has won only 40 of those challenges. Indeed, of those four frequent red-flag throwers, Reid comes closest to breaking even at 43-46. Coughlin is 49-53 and Belichick is 39-56.

Baltimore’s John Harbaugh has the best success percentage at 47.619, while Carolina’s Ron Rivera has the worst at 25 percent, going 3 for 12.

The small number of challenges thus far in 2014 can be attributed in part to the extension in recent years of what automatically gets reviewed, including all turnovers and all scoring plays.

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TOP HIGH SCHOOL: Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida has 10 players in the league, tops among prep schools as of the opening of the season.

In all, NFL players attended 1,376 high schools in 48 states and the District of Columbia, six countries and two U.S. territories (American Samoa and U.S. Virgin Islands).

The 10 from Saint Thomas Aquinas are Cincinnati’s Geno Atkins and Giovani Bernard; Chicago’s Jeremy Cain; Pittsburgh’s Marcus Gilbert; Jacksonville’s Brandon Linder; St. Louis’ Marcus Roberson; Atlanta’s Dezmen Southward; New England’s James White; Tampa Bay’s Major Wright; and Jacksonville’s Sam Young.

“It was an honor to play for a school with such rich history and tradition,” says Jaguars tackle Young. “We had an incredible coaching staff that took a lot of pride in preparing their players for the next level and above, and I think that shows in the program’s longstanding success. It was great to be a part of building the winning culture and I’m sure it will continue on for many years.”

California tops the list of states with 213 NFL players, followed by Florida (200) and Texas (172).

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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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