Abdullah Retires Citing Concussion Concerns

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A week after the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell admitted to a link between football and the degenerative brain condition CTE, the Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah has announced his retirement at the age of 30, citing concerns over concussion.

“There are numerous deciding factors in my decision, with personal health being foremost,” wrote Abdullah in a post on Instagram. “Sitting for five weeks last year after suffering the fifth concussion of my career, I had a lot to contemplate. My goals moving forward are to be of benefit to my family, my community, my country and hopefully the world.

“Having a sound mind will be vital in accomplishing these goals. Thank you to everyone I’ve crossed paths with during my time as a player. You’ve had an impact on my life for the better. Thanks for the love and support. It’s greatly appreciated.”

Abdullah joined the Chiefs as a free agent in 2013. He had previously played for the Minnesota Vikings after finding himself undrafted out of college. He is also an practicing Muslim and took the 2012 season off to make a pilgrimage to Mecca.

A number of high-profile stars have retired in their prime this off-season, including Calvin Johnson and Marshawn Lynch, although neither of those players cited any concerns over their health. In 2015, the San Francisco linebacker Chris Borland quit the NFL at the age of 24 due to concerns about head trauma. He has since described football as “inherently dangerous”.

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Tom Brady Deflates Chiefs Chances

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Tom Brady took off for the end zone and dived for the pylon, taking a helmet in the back as his body sailed over the goal line.

The ball stayed out, but it didn’t matter. The reigning Super Bowl MVP carried it in for a score on the next play, reaching over the line to convert in a way Kansas City couldn't Saturday.

Brady threw for two touchdowns to Rob Gronkowski and sneaked for another, and the defending Super Bowl champions reached their fifth straight AFC title game with a 27-20 victory over the Chiefs.

New England (13-4) will meet the winner of Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Denver Broncos for a spot in Super Bowl 50. The Patriots are trying to become the first team to win back-to-back NFL titles since they did it in 2003-04.

After spending the last two weeks recovering from knee and back injuries, Gronkowski caught seven passes for 83 yards, including touchdowns from 8 and 16 yards out. Gronkowski also recovered an onside kick after Kansas City cut the deficit to 27-20 with just over one minute left.

Julian Edelman returned from a broken foot to catch 10 passes for 100 yards for New England.

Alex Smith completed 29 of 50 passes for 246 yards and one touchdown for Kansas City (12-6). The Chiefs had won 11 consecutive games, including a 30-0 victory over Houston in the wild-card round last week for their first playoff victory since 1993. 

Brady led New England to a score on the opening drive, throwing 11 straight passes and completing eight the last an 8-yard score to Gronkowski. The Chiefs then made it to the Patriots 16, but settled for a field goal.

After trading punts twice, the Patriots started on their when punt returner Danny Amendola was flagged for a helmet-first hit to coverage man Jamell Fleming. The drive was in danger of stalling at the Kansas City 35 when Chiefs linebacker Dezman Moses hit Brady late and was called for roughing the passer.

The stadium erupted in cheers of “Brady!” just as it had four months ago when the four-time Super Bowl champion returned from his looming Deflategate suspension to play in the season opener.

Four plays later, unable to find an open receiver, Brady sprinted sort of for the corner of the end zone. The Chiefs managed to keep him out, but only for one more play. On the next snap, Brady leaned forward and reached into the end zone to make it 14-3.

Patriots defensive lineman Chandler Jones forced Knile Davis’ fumble on the Chiefs’ first possession of the second half, then Brady added another touchdown pass to Gronkowski to make it 21-6.

Smith had the Chiefs into New England territory on their first six possessions, but they managed just six points before he hit Albert Wilson on a 10-yard pass that made it 21-13.

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Romeo Crennel Named Chiefs Coach

The Kansas City Chiefs saw enough in a closing three-game spell to hand interim head coach Romeo Crennel the full-time position as he signed a three-year contract.

The former Cleveland Browns head coach went 2-1 over the closing three games after replacing Todd Haley, who was fired after a disappointing season.

A win over the unbeaten Green Bay Packers, their only loss of the regular season, undoubtedly helped Crennel's cause no end, and enabled him t beat off competition from elsewhere.

Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli also spoke to former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher, Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin and former Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio but in the end settled on Crennel.

"The three games had a lot to do with where we arrived at this decision," Pioli said. "Some of the things we saw was a great deal of accountability and consistency. There was also a different energy to the football team. A lot of it had to do with those last three games."

Defensive

Crennel is a defensive whizz and that came through in the closing stretch, but a major decision he has to make is on offence with a choice between veteran quarterback Kyle Orton and regular Matt Cassel - who missed a lot of the season with injury.

The new man certainly has experience, coaching in six Super Bowls during his 30 years as an NFL coach and being in charge of the Browns between 2005-08, and although coy over his staff he did say he could call the plays himself on defence.

"I'm not exactly sure what a player's coach is," Crennel said. "Sometimes I think players think that a coach who is on their side is a player's coach, who always rules in favour of them may be a player's coach.

"I know that's not always the case with me. I think that basically, I'm a good guy. And I think this is what players appreciate - players appreciate honesty. Players appreciate you telling them like it is.

"They don't always want to hear it. But that's what they appreciate. I try to tell them what I believe, what I feel and how I think it should be done."

The Chiefs have flattered to deceive over the last couple of years, threatening to take hold of the AFC West but somehow failing - although injuries did not help Haley out at all this season.

Losing Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles, one of the league's best playmakers, for almost the entire campaign was a huge blow for the Chiefs to overcome, but it was not their only one.

They also lost talented tight end Tony Moeaki early on and then starting quarterback Cassel went down for the season meaning they never really got going on offence - that will have to change if they are to challenge for the play-offs next year.