Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. When Tate Ratledge missed a blitzing linebacker on third and short deep in Lions' territory during team drills Thursday against the Dolphins, he had the good fortune of watching David Montgomery power through the hit for the first down. Most times, it's better to be good. On fourth and short near midfield, Ratledge teamed up with Penei Sewell to open a big hole for Montgomery for an easy first down. That could become a familiar sight this season.
Dan Campbell said he had "to be careful." He didn't want to place unrealistic expectations on his rookie right guard. But when he was asked about his starting five up front the day after they dominated the Dolphins in the first of two joint practices between Miami and Detroit, Campbell praised the unit and eventually said, "Tate Ratledge I thought looked like a starting NFL guard yesterday, which fires me up."
"It certainly gives me confidence," Ratledge said, "being a rookie coming into a grown man's league and trying to compete. I think I can to the best of my abilities go out there and play as physically as I possibly can and clean up the technique later. For me, it’s going out there and trying to set the tone for myself and the line."
Ratledge enjoyed seeing a new face across from him the past two days in Allen Park: "Instead of hitting DJ Reader every play, I get to hit someone else." He laid a lot of good licks on the Dolphins' defensive tackles, while taking a couple good ones from Miami's first-round pick Kenneth Grant. Those two probably played to a draw. Otherwise, Ratledge was on the winning end of most of his reps, most importantly in team drills. Ditto Detroit's starting O-line.
"It’s just about coming out here and being physical, not letting them match our physicality," Ratledge said. "I think if you do that, it’s hard for them to keep up."
That's been the not-so-secret formula in Detroit, where the Lions have piled up the most points in the NFL over the last three seasons. The ingredients this year are a bit different. After the losses of Frank Ragnow and Kevin Zeitler, the Lions have two new guards in Ratledge and Christian Mahogany and a new center in Graham Glasgow. People have questions. With left tackle Taylor Decker back on the field after shoulder surgery, the line is starting to provide answers.
"That unit I feel like over the last couple of days has really begun to trend the right way," said Campbell. "They’re kind of playing together."
Ratledge and Sewell, in particular. On one snap from the Dolphins' 8-yard line Wednesday, the duo combined to pave a lane for Jahmyr Gibbs before Ratledge surged into the second level and cleared out a linebacker to usher Gibbs into the end zone. On another snap in an end-of-game scenario at the end of practice, the Dolphins ran a stunt against Ratledge and Sewell and Ratledge made the right adjustment at the last second to pick up a rusher and prevent a sack.
"Did you watch him?" said Campbell. "You watch him in protection, some of the twists that he was able to pass, to anticipate, was pretty good for a young guy. I just thought, man, he and Penei were working at a high level in some of these combination blocks. It looked like the game slowed down for him a little bit yesterday. There again, it’s early, but that’s a step in the right direction."
Ratledge would agree. The more he plays next to Sewell -- which, for the record, "makes life pretty easy" -- the more he can feel them "meshing," he said. They're growing accustomed to each other's tendencies, like the way they combine on double teams, to the point that they're beginning to think on the same wavelength.
"Just playing off each other has gotten cleaner and smoother," said Ratledge. "Instead of just playing football, were reacting off each other, knowing what each other are going to do."
In his preseason debut last week, Ratledge felt some nerves. They dissipated once the game started and the second-round pick remembered, "I'm playing football. It's what I’m here for, it's what I've done my whole life." Ratledge thrived under the bright lights at Georgia. If the NFL is the next stage, these are his natural next steps.
"Tate’s maturity has been so impressive, just him being able to step in there," said Jared Goff. "These last two days were not even close to too big for him. I think you get these guys from these big programs, they’ve played in national championships, this stuff’s just kind of whatever to them -- and he’s one of those, certainly."