Frank Ragnow moved toward quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Chase Daniel right off the bat in Sunday’s misfortune to Green Bay and disclosed to them they would need to make the line calls the rest of the game.
Ragnow could scarcely talk. At that point, Daniel thought it was interesting; nobody knew until the next day how terrible Ragnow’s injury was.
Eventually, in the first quarter, the Lions’ beginning center cracked his throat.
“It’s pretty impressive what he was able to do,” Daniel said. “It was the guards relaying the calls to the running backs, and obviously when I came in it was all passes, so that was easy for us to do as quarterbacks while I was making all the calls and relaying it.
“We didn’t really seem to miss a beat, and it’s pretty incredible when your throat is fractured and you’re used to making all the calls.”
A source revealed to ESPN that piece of what Ragnow is conceivably managing takes after a vocal cord contusion. His eating and breathing is unobstructed, however having the option to talk is the issue.
Stafford, who harmed his ribs during the game, said he realized something was going on with Ragnow. “Pretty crazy that he was able to finish the game with that,” Stafford said.
The veteran quarterback said he had never known about the injury, despite the fact that Indianapolis defensive lineman Henry Anderson endured a cracked larynx in 2017.
The National Institute of Health says “80 to 90% of laryngeal injuries, fracture/dislocations, and separation usually result from significant high-velocity blunt trauma.” The most common causes are car accidents and sports injuries, and “laryngeal trauma is rare.”
Ragnow didn’t permit a sack or pressure while playing with a cracked throat. He played each snap the remainder of the game.
“Personally, I had no idea,” running backs coach Kyle Caskey said. “… He looked like he was in the middle of a battle, so it looked like just it was one of those games where he was just kind of beat up.
“I didn’t really notice it and didn’t even know it until Monday. He did a good job of hiding it from us, at least, but he kept playing through it.”
Ragnow’s sibling, Jack, additionally had a great time jabbing at his brother’s injury – while likewise supporting him for the Pro Bowl. “Eh I’ve seen tougher #ProBowlVote Frank Ragnow,” he tweeted.
Detroit’s alternatives at center without Ragnow are reserve interior lineman Joe Dahl, left guard Jonah Jackson or newbie Logan Stenberg, who hasn’t played a snap the entire year. Dahl has the most NFL experience at center.
“It was funny at the time. It’s not funny now because it’s a serious injury,” Daniel said. “Dude played the rest of the game, and I don’t know if he gave up a QB hit. It’s impressive. It really is.”
