Frank Ragnow of the Detroit Lions is an extremely tough guy, and no one in his right mind would ever doubt that. This is a player who, despite breaking his throat during the opening quarter of a game, managed to play every play of that match.
Even so, it came as a bit of a shock this week to learn—through his brother Jack—that Ragnow participated in Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos despite having undergone meniscus surgery less than two weeks earlier. In addition, Ragnow scored an outstanding 79.3 PFF grade, which included a 79.0 run blocking grade that assisted Detroit in amassing 185 rushing yards on Saturday night. This helped Detroit defeat the Broncos 42-17.
On Monday, Ragnow’s circumstances were further clarified by Lions coach Dan Campbell, who mentioned that the seasoned center was certain he would only miss one game because of his most recent injury.
“I know that Frank said, ‘I’ll be back for the next game,’ but he probably doesn’t even remember it because of what he was on when I phoned him on the way out (from surgery). “On Wednesday, I’ll be back by practice,” Campbell said. It became out that he was. He also insisted on saying to me every day, “I’ll be ready next week, I’ll be ready next week.” Thus, Frank is the way he is. Frank will take care of himself. We frequently discuss how a person’s thoughts can influence their body, and good people are able to accomplish that.
It has been a very difficult year for Ragnow. Due to a toe injury sustained years ago, he has been listed on the injury report each and every week of the season. At this stage, the ailments listed on the injury report usually follow Ragnow’s name in the order of toe, knee, and back.
But Ragnow has persevered through everything. Campbell claims that Ragnow is the absolute embodiment of putting the team before the self.
“He’s a mind-over-matter guy and a tough guy, but at the end of the day, I just go back to this—you can call it what you want—he is scared of disappointing his teammates,” Campbell remarked. That is the most important thing to him. Guys really respect him because that’s just the kind of guy he is.
The extent of Ragnow’s contribution to the Lions’ work is difficult to measure. He’s a vital component of their second-best rushing attack (by yardage), but he also calls out protection tweaks that have helped the team as a whole surrender only 28 sacks this season, which is the sixth fewest in the NFL. When he and the rest of the starting offensive line are in the lineup, just look at how dominant the Lions have been:
With a starting O-line of Decker-Jackson-Ragnow-Glasgow-Sewell, the #Lions are 5-0 and average an NFL-leading:
38.4 points
421.2 yards
179.4 rushing yards
5.5 yards per carryAnd Jared Goff has a passer rating of 121.73
That's the O-line they could take into the playoffs.
— Will Burchfield (@burchie_kid) December 18, 2023
