Frank Ragnow once played through a fractured throat, which sounds much worse than a bad toe. But if you ask Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley, Ragnow has basically been playing on "one leg" all season after re-injuring his surgically-repaired toe back in Week 1.
And aside from a breather in Week 2, Ragnow hasn't missed a snap while playing like one of the best centers in the NFL. He's the anchor of an elite offensive line and one of the unsung heroes of the Lions' turnaround, fitting for a guy who was here at rock-bottom.
"It feels like so many times in years past, we find a way to lose," Ragnow said after the Lions rallied on the road last week against the Jets. "And good teams learn how to win. We’re finding ways to win when it isn’t pretty, and that says a lot about this team and this culture. … We’re going into each game expecting to win."
You can point to a number of players for this newfound belief. You can point to Dan Campbell and his coaching staff. Just don't point past Ragnow, the literal center of Detroit's offensive identity. But don't take it from us. Take it from longtime former front-office exec and three-time Super Bowl-winner Scott Pioli, who sang Ragnow's praises Tuesday on the NFL Network.
"When you talk about offensive lines, a lot of people like to talk about the tackles," said Piloi. "And yeah, Taylor Decker’s playing well and yeah, Penei Sewell’s playing well, but to me, the guy that is making the difference for the Detroit Lions and their offensive line is center Frank Ragnow."
Ragnow missed most of last season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn plantar plate in his left foot, a severe version of turf toe. The team missed him, and Ragnow missed the team. It pained him to watch from the sidelines, even more than it pains him now when he re-aggravates the injury each week. He admitted in October that "play to play, I am hurting." He said his toe "pops" a few times every game.
“But I have to understand," said Ragnow, "whatever I can do to help the team."
“It affects him, but he doesn't try to show it,” said Fraley, a former center himself. “And I think he's playing well with, call it one leg. He just toughs it out."
"Frank’s playing out of his mind right now," offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said Wednesday.
For all his toughness, Ragnow's best attribute might be his smarts. He sees things before they happen, a crouching extension of Johnson, the brains behind Detroit's explosive offense.
"When you watch him in games, he is the guy who is ID'ing the defense," said Pioli, former GM of the Chiefs and director of player personnel for the Patriots over a 27-year front-office career. "I really believe that his intelligence and his ability to see things and point things out has helped Jared Goff become a better player and become more comfortable."
But this time, don't take it from Pioli. Take it straight from Johnson, who said he and Fraley are "both just amazed" with Ragnow every time they turn on the tape. And Ragnow would tell you he's not even meeting his own standard.
"We put a ton on his plate that people don’t realize from a mental aspect," said Johnson. "There’s a lot going on in both getting the protection identified, but also in the run game because we're so multiple. And he champions that. He loves coming in each week and getting all this stuff down. It helps the entire offensive line when he’s in there because there’s that sense of comfort that, ‘Hey, he's going to get us right.' I know Jared certainly feels it as well."
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Goff has thrived this season behind Detroit's stout offensive front, which also features Pro Bowl-caliber players in Decker, Sewell and guard Jonah Jackson. Ragnow was an All-Pro in 2020, the last time he wasn't hindered by injuries -- besides that little throat thing. Even now, Pro Football Focus grades him as the NFL's fourth best center, the Lions' highest-rated offensive lineman at his respective position. He's as big a reason as any why Goff, who's ninth in the league in passer rating, hasn't been sacked in the last 10 quarters.
"Rarely, if ever, do you see the pocket in passing situations seep and leak from the inside, and that’s because of Frank Ragnow," said Piloi. "He can block defensive linemen one-on-one in the pass game, and when he’s not covered up, he’s cleaning out the pocket. Frank Ragnow is a terrific player.
"The Lions made him the highest-paid center in the NFL and if you watch Lions football, you’ll understand exactly why."
When Detroit's offense took the field trailing by four late in the fourth quarter last week, nerves were melting across Michigan. But inside the Lions' huddle, emotions were cool. Ragnow said there was "a confidence about us on that last drive that, 'Hey, we’re going to go down and do this.'" And then they did it. With the game on the line, Goff sat in as clean a pocket as you'll find in the NFL and hit Brock Wright for a 51-yard touchdown, protected from the inside out.
"There’s been a lot of games in my career where we found a way to make the mistake to lose that game," said Ragnow. "For us to go in that huddle and march down the field, it’s hard to describe but there is definitely something there."
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