Tag: Frank Ragnow

Lions injury videos from the Cardinals game

Breaking down when the Lions injuries occurred and how they happened in the Week 3 win in Arizona

Unfortunately, the Lions suffered many injuries in the Cardinals game. Some were obvious at the time, some were not. Credit the players for battling through.

Here are the injury videos in chronological order. The initial injury report won’t be out until Thursday, so we’ll get more clarity then and hopefully won’t have any more surprises.

Dan Skipper 1q 14:16 right torso

Skipper might have landed on the defender’s elbow which could have caused a rib or torso contusion/strain. He was able to finish the game.

Terrion Arnold 1q 6:07 right knee

Hopefully, this is just a simple knee contusion but a mild sprain is possible. Arnold returned to the game and played well.

Ragnow 1q 1:51 left pec strain

Ragnow finished the game and was wearing a brace in the second half. See my article for more details about his outlook. 

Derrick Barnes 2q 12:07 right knee

Barnes left the game and has been placed on IR. Video suggests it could be an MCL sprain.

Sam LaPorta 2q 00:29 right low ankle sprain

Good chance LaPorta will be available on Monday but ankle won’t be fully healed.

Alim McNeill 2q 00:17 shoulder

McNeill might have hurt his left AC joint when he landed on the ground. Dan Campbell called it day-to-day.

Marcus Davenport 3q 6:45 left elbow

Video showed Davenport’s forearm getting chopped down while his elbow was in flexion. This could cause an elbow flexor tendon tear of the biceps or brachialis. He continued to try to play with an elbow brace but was hampered. He has been placed on IR and reportedly is out for the season.

Brian Branch 4q 6:06 concussion

Hopefully, we see Branch have a limited practice on Thursday but taking a game off might be a good idea.

Frank Ragnow injury analysis and outlook

Breaking down the medical prognosis and outlook for Lions C Frank Ragnow and his pectoral injury

A news bombshell dropped late Monday with the report of a Frank Ragnow pectoral injury suffered sometime during the Cardinals game on September 22, 2024. Ragnow played 100% of snaps without apparent issue, which made the news a surprise.

It was déjà vu for Lions fans as after game two of last year, CJ Gardner-Johnson surprise news dropped that he had torn his pec despite playing the entire game.

CJGJ ended up having surgery and missed 16 weeks. Fortunately, the pec injury and prognosis this year for Ragnow seems much more favorable.

Here’s what we know

Ragnow has a partial tear which means a grade 1 or 2 strain. The words tear and strain are synonymous medically, so the injury can also be called a pec strain.

While use of the word “tear” is terrifying albeit accurate, it isn’t a complete tear (grade 3) which would be a much bigger problem along the lines of CJGJ’s 16 week recovery.

Calling it week-to-week strongly suggests that surgery is not under consideration and the pec should heal well on its own.

Here’s what we don’t know

We don’t know the severity or location of the pec strain. Severity matters as it affects the healing time. A partial tear could technically be just a mild strain which might not be a big deal at all.

Location also matters, as complete tears of the pec almost always involve the tendon as opposed to the muscle body. Hopefully, Ragnow’s partial tear is not between the muscle-tendon junction and the tendon insertion point into the humerus, as those locations put him at risk for a complete tendon rupture.

OUTLOOK

A retrospective study (Sahota et al) done in 2020 of NFL players found 132 pec strains (grade 1 or 2) from 2000-2014. The average return-to-play for these players was 28 days. There was huge variability in return time but it gives a general idea of what to expect. Of note, ten of those players had surgery and missed significantly more time than those who did not have surgery. Ragnow presumably will not be having surgery.

Anecdotal data for non-surgical pec tears finds that Marcus Williams (2023) returned in four weeks and TJ Watt (2022) returned in nine weeks (the last week was a bye so he might have been ready at eight). TJ Watt reportedly did not tear the tendon.

As you can see, without knowledge of MRI results or other details, there is a wide range of when Ragnow might return.

I’m expecting him to miss the upcoming Monday night game vs the Seahawks, but a return after the bye for Week 6 vs the Cowboys is possible. Even with a longer recovery, he should be back in plenty of time for the stretch run and into the playoffs.

Lions All-Pro C Frank Ragnow ‘week-to-week’ with chest injury

Lions All-Pro C Frank Ragnow ‘week-to-week’ with chest injury, according to a report from the NFL Network

Already nursing several key injuries following the Week 3 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, the Detroit Lions got hit with another big one on Monday. All-Pro center Frank Ragnow is reportedly week-to-week after suffering a partially torn pectoral muscle in the win.

The report from Ian Rapoport is not an easy one to process for the Lions after all the other injuries coming out of the win over Arizona. Ragnow was one of Detroit’s top-graded players by PFF from the game, though he did allow a sack. There was no indication he was injured after the game.

Per Rapoport, it’s a partial tear and that leaves Ragnow’s status more optimistic than a full tear. It’s too early to know, but with the Lions having a bye after the Monday Night Football matchup with the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4, Ragnow sitting out the coming game to help him heal for the post-bye makes some sense.

Lions projected starting offensive line graded as best run blocking group

Lions projected starting offensive line graded as best 2023 run blocking group

The Lions are going to sport one of the most explosive passing offenses in the league this season, led by quarterback Jared Goff and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Their run game figured to be just as good and deserves more love.

Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery will once again provide one of the best one-two punches in the backfield. But the key to their run game is going to be their offensive line, led by their two stalwart tackles Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker.

Those two, along with Graham Glasgow, Frank Ragnow and Kevin Zeitler, combined for the best offensive run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus during the 2023 season.

The gap between the Lions and the second-highest team, the Atlanta Falcons, is noticeable. More than five points separate the two teams. The Lions had the top run-blocking tackle in Sewell and the top center in Ragnow among players that played at least half of their team’s offensive snaps.

The Lions are going to move people up front. Even with the change from Jonah Jackson to Zeitler, the former Raven was still one of the better run blockers last season. The Lions will be just fine in the run game.

Lions Frank Ragnow snubbed on the NFL Top 100

Lions All-Pro center Frank Ragnow is a glaring snub from this year’s NFL Top 100 list

Whenever I see power rankings, position rankings and things of that nature, I always take it with a grain of salt. Not everyone is going to agree with those lists or rankings and more often than not, everyone tends to be a little different with how they rank a team or a player.

That said, the NFL and the players that vote on the NFL Top-100 players got it wrong by not having Frank Ragnow on their list this year. As of now, the top 10 is still set to be revealed, but the way it sits, there are only two interior offensive linemen in the top 100.

I’d be curious what the criteria is to make the NFL Top-100. Is it data and analytical rankings from sites such as Pro Football Focus (PFF)? Or is it based off the number of games played? Could these rankings be strictly based off the film?

Whatever the case may be, Ragnow is better than just about everyone at his position. Especially now that Eagles’ longtime center Jason Kelce retired. But when you look at the PFF grades for centers in the NFL, Ragnow led the way in 2023 with an 88.1 overall grade.

If you go to the film, you can see multiple reps on every single drive where Ragnow just dominates the opposition. Whether it’s physically driving defenders into the dirt or just having proper positioning to climb the second level and seal off linebackers and safeties.

Look at the play above where Ragnow gets up to the second level and clamps onto a linebacker with ease. He stays square, keeps his hands tight and inside and then he shows off his grip strength by being able to steer and drive the defender. The defenders in the NFL would be lying if they said there’s no game plan or preparation needed for Ragnow.

Meanwhile, he’s tough as nails. During the Lions playoff game against the Buccaneers in 2023, Ragnow suffered a sprained knee and ankle in that game. While he missed a few plays to get checked out by trainers, he came back in and finished the game. In fact, he made one of the key blocks from his knees on Vita Vea during a 4th and 1 run play from the Bucs half-yard line. This block helped keep running back Craig Reynolds clean long enough to enter the end zone for a touchdown.

You can call me biased or a fanboy, but the fact remains that Frank Ragnow should be rated as one of the top 100 players in the NFL. Certainly, the list means nothing to Ragnow but he should still be given a tip of the hat by his peers and by the league for his toughness and dominance at his position. If he can stay healthy, I’d expect that same dominance from the Lions 7-year veteran.

[lawrence-related id=108912]

ESPN ranks Erik McCoy among the NFL’s best interior offensive linemen

ESPN’s positional rankings listed Erik McCoy among the NFL’s best interior offensive linemen, and third-best among centers around the league:

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler is continuing his series of positional rankings as voted on by dozens of anonymous sources around the NFL — everyone from team executives and general managers to position coaches and regional scouts shared their input on highlighting the game’s best players. And with interior offensive linemen coming up next, it’s time to focus on New Orleans Saints center Erik McCoy.

Fowler lumped guards and centers together for this exercise, and while McCoy was listed as only an honorable mention he was one of X centers to make the list at all. Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro Creed Humphrey (No. 7) and Detroit Lions Pro Bowler Frank Ragnow (No. 8) were the only centers to make the top-10, and McCoy was slotted ahead of other guys on the list like Lloyd Cushenberry III, Ryan Kelly, Tyler Linderbaum, Ted Karras, and Drew Dalman.

Here’s why Fowler’s sources say McCoy stands apart from the rest:

After five NFL seasons, McCoy owns a 93.7% pass block win rate and a 70.4% run block win rate. “You could make an argument he’s been the best center for a while. He gives us problems. Plays like a guard as far as power and physicality,” a high-ranking NFL personnel man said.

The Saints are certainly banking on McCoy continuing to anchor their offensive interior again in 2024. He’s coming off his first Pro Bowl appearance and figures to play a key role in Klint Kubiak’s new system as the pivot between veteran right guard Cesar Ruiz (who has experienced an up-and-down career thus far) and whoever starts at left guard, whether it’s second-year pro Nick Saldiveri or a journeyman like Shane Lemieux, Lucas Patrick, or Olisaemeka Udoh.

McCoy has been a great player for the Saints ever since they traded up to draft him back in 2019. He has started all 74 games he’s appeared in and suited up for all 17 games last season after missing some time with injuries inn 2021 and 2022. Maybe Kubiak’s emphasis on movement and blocking in space can help him level up even further in 2024. It would be good to see McCoy take his place inside these top-10 rankings this time next year.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Looking at the Lions radical roster overhaul from the 2020 finale to now

Looking at the Detroit Lions radical roster overhaul from the 2020 finale to now, where only 2 starters remain with the team and almost no defensive players are still in the NFL

When the 2020 season ended and Lions owner Sheila Hamp kicked off the franchise overhaul, the team was in a very bad place. Radical changes needed to happen to everything, from the front office to the coaching staff, right down to almost every player in the starting lineup.

It took a little time, but that humiliating end to the Bob Quinn/Matt Patricia regime (they were fired before the end of the 2020 season) is but a distant memory in Detroit. The Lions are coming off the best season in the Super Bowl era and first-ever NFC North division title in 2023.

To get an idea of just how far the franchise has come, it’s worth a look back down to the bottom of the barrel that was the 2020 campaign. That year finished with a 5-11 record and a point differential of -142, the worst for any Detroit team since the 2009 season that kicked off a prior, failed rebuild.

This was the starting lineup in the final game of the 2020 season, a 37-35 loss in Ford Field to the Minnesota Vikings. First, the offense and where they are now

2020 finale – offense

QB – Matthew Stafford (Rams)

RB – D’Andre Swift (Bears)

TE – T.J. Hockenson (Vikings)

LT – Taylor Decker (Lions)

LG – Jonah Jackson (Rams)

C – Frank Ragnow (Lions)

RG – Oday Aboushi (FA)

RT – Halapoulivaati Vaitai (FA)

WR – Marvin Jones (retired)

WR – Mohamed Sanu (retired)

WR – Jamal Agnew (FA)

Decker and Ragnow, the Lions’ first-round picks in 2016 and 2018, respectively, are the only offensive starters still in Detroit. Both are coming off exceptional 2023 campaigns.

Detroit traded away Stafford, Hockenson and Swift–all before the 2023 season. Jackson left as a free agent after the ’23 campaign, in which he was the Lions’ regular starting left guard. Vaitai was on injured reserve in 2023 and is presumed to be retired, while Aboushi was not on any roster last season.

Of the depth players who saw action in that 2020 finale on offense, only Dan Skipper remains with the Lions. The reserve OL left Detroit for two other teams in the stead but returned, too. In fact, no other Lion who appeared on offense in that game was with the team after the 2022 season.

Defense

Spoiler alert: None of the players here are left in Detroit. In fact, only two of the starters were still with the Lions in 2023–and neither started last year.

DL – Danny Shelton

DL – John Penisini

DL – Nick Williams

OLB – Romeo Okwara

OLB – Christian Jones

LB – Jahlani Tavai

LB – Reggie Ragland

CB – Darryl Roberts

CB – Amani Oruwariye

S – Duron Harmon

S – Tracy Walker

As of July 6th, only Tavai (Patriots) and Oruwariye (Jaguars) are on any NFL rosters, though Walker is a free agent still looking. Nearly all the other defensive players have retired.

Reserve LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin is still with Detroit, though he spent one season with the Houston Texans before returning to the Lions. Reserve safety C.J. Moore missed the 2023 season due to a gambling suspension and was released, but he’s now efforting a return on the Lions roster for 2024. Of the other reserves from that game, only Will Harris (now in New Orleans) was with the Lions after 2021.

It’s no wonder the 2021 season was a rough one for Detroit. Pretty much everything except the core offensive line had to go–and did. GM Brad Holmes, head coach Dan Campbell and their staff had almost nothing to work with on defense, and needed to move on from valuable offensive players like Stafford and Hockenson for the greater good.

Jahymr Gibbs rookie season film review

Jahymr Gibbs rookie season film review from Lions Wire’s Russell Brown reveals a dynamic building block for the Detroit Lions offense

When the Detroit Lions were on the clock with the 6th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, they made a surprising move to trade down. This gave them the 12th overall pick and the 34th overall pick that they used to select tight end Sam LaPorta. However, they surprised everyone by selecting running back Jahmyr Gibbs out of Alabama with the 12th overall pick.

Some called it careless, and others called it clueless. It’s only been one season, but the tune towards the Jahmyr Gibbs selection has changed. It’s changed so much that some would call them geniuses.

After 15 games played as a rookie, Gibbs compiled 945 rushing yards on 182 carries and this led to 10 rushing touchdowns. Additionally, Gibbs was able to record 52 receptions for 316 yards and a touchdown.

It’s been evident that the Lions have wanted a split backfield under Dan Campbell and while they feed David Montgomery plenty of carries, that doesn’t change the way Gibbs can impact a game. Let’s dive into some film to review the rookie season from Gibbs and how impactful he really is for the Detroit Lions offense.

Now it’s extremely difficult to pick which plays to highlight from Gibbs’ first season in the NFL. That said, I picked 3 plays through my summer re-watch on his film to highlight for this article.

The first play I want to highlight is from week 16 against the Minnesota Vikings. For Detroit, they come out with their ’11’ personnel (one running back and one tight end), but they’re aligned with a condensed set on both sides of the formation.

Prior to the snap, Jared Goff sends Kalif Raymond on an exit motion to the left of the formation. Post-snap, Amon-Ra St. Brown runs underneath the line of scrimmage (LOS) and as you can see Vikings safety Harrison Smith is aligned in man coverage and goes into a full-out sprint in the same direction as St. Brown.

While this play looks like it could lead to a potential play-action pass with St. Brown spilling out to the flats, this play is a designed run. With a great combo block between Frank Ragnow and Graham Glasgow on the right side, there’s also a good kick out by Penei Sewell. As Gibbs gets the football, he follows his blockers and while he slightly hesitates, it looks like he has nowhere to go but that’s all by design.

Gibbs shows his ability to start and stop while being able to run through initial contact. The burst to get the edge and upfield gets put on display and all of this contributes to him scoring one of his two touchdowns from this game.

The next play I want to highlight is certainly a tip of the hat to the Lions offensive line. For starters, we all need to give kudos to Frank Ragnow for his ability to peel off his combo block and pick up the blitzing inside linebacker. As you can see, his body may be positioned full to the right but his head is inside and all eyes are on that linebacker.

Next, look at Penei Sewell going toe-to-toe with Joey Bosa on the right side. While Bosa gets turned around, this gives a slight opening for Gibbs and look at how explosive he is once he makes his way through the hole.

While this run is credited to excellent blocking, it’s also impressive to see Gibbs play with little hesitation on this run. As I mentioned, he puts his explosiveness and speed on display and it’s the type of play that helps set the tone.

This is one of those runs where the defense gets back to their huddle and each player has an internal conversation that they’ve got to buckle up or they’re in for a long day. Unfortunately for the Chargers, it was a long day as they gave up 200 rushing yards, 41 points and over 530 total yards.

Lastly, I want to look at how Gibbs can be a mismatch machine. For starters, if he gets a linebacker aligned over the top of him, there’s a good chance he’ll find a way to get open. He may only beat that linebacker by one step, but if he gets open, that’s all that matters.

Looking at the play above, the Lions come out with a trips right formation. Out of the backfield, you’ll see Gibbs run a speed out against the linebacker. With how shifty and explosive he can be, you’ll notice the linebacker get flat-footed and stop in preparation of Gibbs breaking the route off inside.

This gives Gibbs plenty of separation and Goff delivers a good ball to him for the first down. Even though he only averaged 2.43 yards per carry in this game, Gibbs did have 7 receptions for 39 yards in this game.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a strong rookie season for Jahmyr Gibbs, and it appears that he could take an even bigger step this season. While he does split backfield duties with David Montgomery, the play making ability from Gibbs is electric. That showed once he started to get settled into the Lions offense and into the NFL. From week 7 through week 17, he recorded 766 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.

During the Lions playoff run, he scored in every single game and averaged 4.97 yards per carry. According to Player Profiler, Gibbs had a 8.2% breakaway run rate last season and that was second best in the NFL. Meanwhile, he evaded 56 tackles last season (3.7 per game) and that was ranked 13th in the NFL.

Whether you’re for or against taking a running back in the first round, one thing is for sure, Jahmyr Gibbs looks worthy of being selected there. He’s a difference maker with the football in his hands and it feels like he can score at any moment. Look for him to take more than just a step forward this season.

Ranking the top 32 centers in the NFL by annual salary

Here are the NFL’s top 32 centers ranked by their annual salary.

The NFL lost two of its best centers to retirement this offseason. First, Jason Kelce of the Eagles walked away from the game after making seven Pro Bowl teams, earning six All-pro nods and winning one Super Bowl. Later, Corey Linsley of the Chargers also retired due to a medical issue.

As for the Seahawks, they’re going relatively cheap at this position in 2024, the same as every position along the offensive line. Former Washington Husky and Cleveland Brown Nick Harris is competing with second-year center Olu Oluwatimi for the right to start at this spot. Let’s see how their contracts compare with the rest of the starters at this position. Here are the NFL’s top 32 centers ranked by their annual salary per Over the Cap.

Where ESPN ranks every Seahawks position unit in 2024

Frank Ragnow feeling ‘really good’, shoots down any talk of retirement

Lions center Frank Ragnow feeling ‘really good’, shoots down any talk of retirement

Lions All-Pro center Frank Ragnow isn’t going anywhere despite lots of talk and speculation about a potential early retirement this offseason. In fact, Ragnow says he’s feeling great and is ready to run in back for a long time.

“I feel really good,” Ragnow said via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News. “I feel as good as I’ve felt in a while. This has been my best offseason, 100%. I really dove into a lot of things to take care of my body and I feel like I’m clicking right now. The goal is to keep it a steady trajectory into the season.”

Ragnow pushed back against the rampant speculation that he was considering retirement earlier this offseason. Those reports were still going strong in the days leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft, but Ragnow made it clear that he was never seriously considering walking away from the game.

“It was kind of annoying,” Ragnow said during a recent charity shooting event. “All I said was I’m going to need some time to heal up the day after the game. That was my intention and then it took off, which was kind of annoying, but it is what it is.”

Here’s what Ragnow said after the Lions’ loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game,

“It takes a toll on you. It really takes a toll on you, so I need to find a way to get back to Frank and I don’t regret any of this at all. But it weighs on you and I’m just going to take some time and really figure everything out to make sure that I’m feeling good, not only for me the football player, but for me to be the best husband and best father and everything with that as well.”

Ragnow insists everyone read too much into his words. However, the threat was taken seriously enough that Lions GM Brad Holmes addressed it in his end-of-season press conference. Given the various toe, back, ankle and foot injuries that have kept Ragnow a fixture on the injury report for multiple seasons, it was hard not to construe Ragnow’s words that way.

“I have so much respect for (Ragnow) and for everything that he goes through and fights through that I’m just respectful of his time and his thoughts,” Holmes said in early February. “We’re not going to pressure him to do anything or make any moves, but the communication will be diligent, it’ll be thorough, it’ll be respectful.”

It’s wonderful news to hear that Ragnow is feeling great and his body is clicking into as good of shape as it can ahead of more offseason workouts and minicamp.