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Sparano leads Raiders into meeting vs. Chargers

By WTOP Staff

JOSH DUBOW
AP Sports Writer

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Before starting his first practice as Oakland Raiders interim coach, Tony Sparano dug a hole and placed a football in it and had the entire team bury it with dirt as a symbol of putting the first four games in the past.

Whether that act proves to be anything more than a nice symbol will be the true sign of whether the move to fire Dennis Allen and replace him with Sparano can save what is looking like a lost season in Oakland.

The first test comes Sunday, when the Raiders (0-4) host the San Diego Chargers (4-1) in their first division game of the season.

“You approach it with arms wide open. You got to embrace it. You got to take it in,” defensive tackle Antonio Smith said of the change.

“When you don’t embrace any change, all you’re doing is helping you to stay the same you were, and where we were at wasn’t that good. I’m going to embrace it with arms wide open.”

The streaking Chargers come into their first division game with a bit of caution unsure of how different the Raiders will look under their new coach.

San Diego has won four straight games to move to the top of the AFC standings, but can’t afford any slipup against a lesser team with Denver close behind in the division.

“You don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, but you can’t prepare for what you just don’t know,” linebacker Dwight Freeney said. “You start playing that game of ‘Oh, they could do this, they could do that.’

“You end up playing nothing in the game because they could possibly just do the same thing and you’d be hitting yourself over the head. So, we’re going to go out there and just prepare for them as of what they’ve shown.”

Here are some things to watch when the Raiders host the Chargers:

RIVERS RISING: San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers is playing some of the best football of his career, posting a passer rating of at least 120 in each game during the four-game streak. Only Kurt Warner and Johnny Unitas have streaks that long in NFL history, but Rivers knows how quickly fortunes can turn.

“The one thing about it is when you’ve won a handful in a row that you can’t just think that winning is easy,” Rivers said. “It’s hard to win a game every week and we have that mindset.”

CAPTAIN CARR: Sparano pulled quarterback Derek Carr aside soon after taking over as coach and told him the team had no time for Carr to be a rookie anymore with a leadership void on the losing team. Carr has shown progress in his first four starts, but has not done enough yet for a win.

“He’ll continue to grow,” Sparano said. “He’s had some bumps along the way here, bumps in the road, and he learns from them. But, we’re happy with what he’s done.”

BUFFALO BUDDIES: For a school that is far from a football powerhouse, Buffalo has turned out two intriguing rookies this season. Oakland linebacker Khalil Mack is living up to expectations after being fifth overall but his former college roommate, Branden Oliver, has been a revelation in San Diego. The undrafted rookie ran for 114 yards and a TD last week against the Jets in a performance that was a surprise to almost everyone other than Mack.

“I let everybody know during the draft process that he was one of the best running backs that I ever played against, even though it was practice,” Mack said.

COACHING COMRADES: Allen and Chargers coach Mike McCoy are longtime friends who worked on the same staff in Denver and take family vacations together. McCoy said he has talked to Allen since his firing and is confident his friend will get another chance as an NFL coach soon.

“That’s all part of the business,” he said. “We’re doing our thing here, and it’s all part of the business. We all understand that when we get into it, it’s part of the process.”

GROUNDED: Sparano promised a stronger commitment to the run game as soon as he took over. The Raiders were the most pass-heavy team under Allen, throwing the ball on more than two-thirds of their offensive plays. That was in part because of early deficits and also because Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew were ineffective. Oakland is averaging 3.4 yards per carry, a number that needs to improve if Sparano can rely on the run as much as he wants.

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AP Sports Writer Bernie Wilson in San Diego contributed to this report.

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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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