NEWS » void injury.Ayalas case was atypical.M

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers spent a week letting their worst loss in 27 years fester. Catharsis came during a frenetic stretch in the first quarter Sunday night against the seemingly unprepared Kansas City Chiefs.Six offensive snaps. Three Ben Roethlisberger touchdowns passes. Two to Antonio Brown. One very important reminder of just how good Pittsburghs offense can look when all of its dynamic parts are moving in sync.Seven days after a 31-point meltdown in Philadelphia, the Steelers overwhelmed the Chiefs 43-14 behind five touchdowns passes from Roethlisberger and 178 yards of total offense from running back LeVeon Bell.I told the guys before the game, were driving a car and we dont have a rearview mirror right now, Roethlisberger said. Were not looking back. Were looking forward. Were moving on. We did a pretty good job moving on.Sure looked like it.Roethlisberger hit Brown -- wearing cleats featuring the profile of golf great and western Pennsylvania native Arnold Palmer -- for a pair of scores. Roethlisberger also found Markus Wheaton, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jesse James for touchdowns on his way to finishing 22 of 27 for 300 yards.When youve got a Hall of Fame quarterback, it looks good like that, center Maurkice Pouncey said the Steelers improved to 3-1.It helps when the franchise running back is allowed to join in too. Bell returned from a torn MCL that cut short his 2015 season and a three-game suspension for violating the NFLs substance abuse policy and looked every bit as dangerous as he did when he was an All-Pro in 2014, which also happened to be the last time Bell, Brown and Roethlisberger started and finished a game together.I didnt really feel like I was rusty, Bell said. I was more anxious if anything.There was no need, not on a night Pittsburghs struggling defense repaid a pre-game pep talk by Hall of Fame linebacker Kevin Greene by throttling the Chiefs (2-2). The Steelers forced a pair of first-quarter turnovers that Roethlisberger promptly turned into touchdowns during a franchise-record 22-point deluge. Pittsburgh, which came in with just one sack on the season -- dead last in the league -- but getting to Kansas Citys Alex Smith four times and never allowing the Chiefs to get into a rhythm.We wanted to getem one dimensional and takeem to the deep end of the pool, Steelers linebacker Vince Williams said.Smith was 30 of 50 for 287 yards and two inconsequential fourth-quarter touchdowns after things were well out of hand. Spencer Ware ran for 82 yards but also fumbled in the first quarter that kick-started Pittsburghs record-setting run.NO EXCUSESKansas City coach Andy Reid hardly bothered to spin the worst loss of his three-plus years with the Chiefs.This is my responsibility, Reid said. We clearly didnt play well enough as a football team. We didnt coach well enough. I take full responsibility for it and make sure we make it right.The Chiefs run an offense similar to the one the Eagles used to roll up 34 points against Pittsburgh last week. Yet Kansas City was never in it over the final 45 minutes and trailed 36-0 going into the fourth quarter.You own this right now, you wear it, and it stinks, Smith said.CHARLES RETURNSKansas City running back Jamaal Charles ran one time for 6 yards in his first game since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last October. It was perhaps the lone bright spot on an otherwise forgettable night.To get him back in the mix and get him worked in more and more, it will only help us, Smith said.INJURIESChiefs: Running back Knile Davis was evaluated for a concussionSteelers: Right tackle Marcus Gilbert went down with a left ankle injury late in the first half and did not return. Linebacker Anthony Chickillo (knee) and Jarvis Jones (ankle) and Heyward-Bey (shoulder) all left in the second half and did not return.UP NEXTChiefs: are off next week before traveling to take on the suddenly dangerous Oakland Raiders on Oct. 16. Kansas City is 5-1 against the Raiders under Reid.Steelers: Begin a three-game swing against AFC East teams next Sunday when they host the New York Jets. Colts Jerseys China . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. Cheap Custom Colts Jersey . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset. http://www.customcoltsjersey.com/ . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference. Custom Colts Jersey China . The 18-year-old American had five birdies in her bogey-free round for a 17-under total of 196. Lee held the overnight lead but mixed three birdies with two bogeys for a 70. Authentic Custom Colts Jersey . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. PHOENIX -- Despite all the rehabilitation, the headaches would not go away. The imbalance, while better, was still there. His speech improved, but vision and hearing issues persisted.Months after the blow that caused his concussion, Rudy Ayala still had significant symptoms.Though he loved playing football, the lingering problems, along with watching a friend suffer a similar injury, led Ayala to make a difficult decision: He walked away from football.I just realized the damage that can happen to your brain with a big blow like that and I didnt want it to happen again, Ayala said.The NFL and NCAA have taken steps toward preventing, identifying and treating concussions in recent years. The practices used on those levels have trickled down to high schools, where coaches are getting better concussion-recognition training, limitations have been put on head to head impacts and treatment protocols have been established.At the same time, concussions are still a substantial issue in high schools, in part because there are so many more players at that level than in the college and professional ranks combined.The National Federation of High School Associations has guidelines for concussions, including management of athletes who exhibit symptoms and an online concussion course developed with help from the Centers for Disease Control.But the reach only goes so far; there are just too many schools, too many players and too many variations from state to state and school district to school district to make sure concussions are being treated in a uniform manner.The fact that were talking about treatment of concussions is an advancement, said Dr. Javier Cardenas, a neurologist at the Barrow Neurological Institutes Concussion and Brain Injury Center. That said, theres clearly more left to be done.Inconsistencies in the availability of athletic trainers can make it difficult.Having coaches and parents with concussion awareness is a big step, but athletic trainers have a deeper, more clinical understanding of what to look for and what needs to be done after a head injury.Most big school districts can afford to have athletic trainers at every school. Smaller districts may have a trainer who serves multiple schools or none at all.Nationally, about 55 percent of schools have a full-time athletic trainer, according to the National Athletic Trainers Association. Arizona has one of the highest rates at 60 percent and California, in part because of licensing issues, is around 20 percent.If theres one thing that a school can do to improve the safety, it is to have an athletic trainer, Cardenas said. But thats not always possible.Games have a higher rate of concussions due to the increased intensity and larger impacts, with 1.86 per 1,000 athlete exposures, according to a Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics study. From an overall standpoint, more concussions occur in practice, a logical progression since there are far more practices than games.Ayala suffered his concussion while practicing the day befoore a game in August 2014.ddddddddddddA defensive lineman on Tempe High Schools junior varsity team, he was injured while tackling a teammate during warmups and the coaches sent for the schools athletic trainer. When Ayala collapsed while trying to stand up, the trainer called paramedics and rushed him to the hospital.I saw him, he wasnt looking right, said Ayalas mother, Teresa. He was just acting weird and I said somethings not right with him. It was very scary.At the hospital, doctors ran a battery of tests and scans to make sure nothing catastrophic had occurred with the impact. The presentation of the concussion was typical, so doctors sent Ayala home.His odyssey was just beginning.Ayala suffered intense headaches, had problems with his hearing and vision, particularly in bright light. He also had trouble with his speech, issues with sleeping and struggled with his balance, often needing to catch himself on a wall after stumbling.Ayala was told not to use his cellphone, computer or to watch TV for more than three months. Accommodations were made for him at school, like closing the blinds in the classroom to block out light, moving him to the front of the classroom so he could keep focused on the lessons.Progress moved at a sloth-like pace, the symptoms lingering months after the initial impact.I felt like, `Am I going to get better? he said. I was really scared.The previous protocol for concussion treatment was rest and more rest. In recent years, doctors have taken a more proactive, multi-disciplinary approach.From a physical standpoint, doctors can prescribe headache medicines and help patients work on their balance. They offer speech therapy and will work with patients on regaining their hand-eye coordination.Doctors now also work on behavioral therapies, helping patients get past the irritability, anxiety and depression that can often come with a concussion. There are cognitive therapies as well, assisting patients with their short-term memory, focus and tasks like calculations or finding the right words when their minds struggle.Our recommendation is you can be active in your recovery aside from that initial period of two to four days, Cardenas said. We want them to get back to being active, healthy and normal, but still avoid injury.Ayalas case was atypical.Most teenagers will recover from a concussion in 14 to 21 days. Ayala continued to have symptoms nearly two years after his injury.Teresa said it took about a year of working with Cardenas before she saw my son come back. Even then, it wasnt until recently that Rudy was cleared to return to sports. He still occasionally suffers headaches.I would hate for anyone to have to go through anything like that, said Ayala, now a senior at Tempe. I know I wouldnt.Ayala is currently a member of Tempes cheer squad for football games and plans to go out for the baseball team next spring.His football career is over. ' ' '