Time to slow down on longterm impact of DeShone Kizer’s migraines

Cleveland Browns quarterback DeShone Kizer dealt with a migraine during Sunday’s game and moved on. So why are so many now struggling to do the same?

This isn’t our first season as a fan of the Cleveland Browns, so we know the reality that everything the franchise does will ultimately be overblown.

We’ve also suffered from migraines since high school, which is why we can sympathize with what quarterback DeShone Kizer was going through on Sunday in Baltimore. When a migraine hits it can be horrible, and while you know one is coming, not everyone is lucky enough to know what the trigger (or triggers) are that causes a migraine.

But if you can find a medication that works, they can be manageable – even for an NFL quarterback. (You can learn more about migraines in this informative article from webmd.com.)

Which is what Kizer said on Monday when questioned about it by the media, according to clevelandbrowns.com:

"“For me, it is just a feeling that you get. I have been getting them since I have been young so I kind of understand that when one is getting ready to trigger, that it is time to go take your meds and try to get past those symptoms as fast as you can. If you have all of your proper medicine, for me at least, typically the shortest amount of time is about 45 minutes to an hour. There is not much that you can do for them other than trying to put something in your system after you get those signs.”"

Sounds perfectly reasonable, right? That’s why we were taken aback by the hyperventilating over the longterm impact that having a migraine could have on Kizer’s future, and whether or not the Browns should have known before they drafted him that something like this could occur.

Thankfully it sound as if head coach Hue Jackson is keeping a level head about the situation after being questioned about why this is not a big deal, according to the team’s website:

"“I hope we are because normally when he has had them, he has had one episode of it and then it doesn’t come back for about another six or seven months. That is kind of the way it has worked for him. Some people get them every two weeks. Some people get them every three months. It just comes in episodes that people deal with. He knows when his are. It has been a five or six-month window when those things have normally happened to him.”"

It’s unfortunate that it happened during a game, but we’re not so sure that it is as dire as some are making it out to be, or should be something that is very high on the Browns worry meter at the moment.

Rather than worry about something that may likely never happen again, Jackson needs to be focused on figuring out just what this offense can do well and stick to it, Kizer needs to understand that holding onto the ball for four or more seconds is not going to work, and someone among the wide receivers needs to start catching the ball when Kizer finally does throw it. (Although Rashard Higgins seemed to grasp that last concept pretty well against the Ravens.)

Next: Browns: 5 offensive takeaways from loss to the Ravens

Migraines are nothing to take likely, but it sounds like Kizer has a grasp on the situation. Hopefully everyone can now move on and stop making this into a bigger headache than it needs to be.