Getty Frank Ragnow calls out a play for the Lions in 2020.
The Detroit Lions are 1-4, and for some fans, there’s no reason left for hope in the 2022 season as many thoughts begin to turn toward the 2023 NFL draft.
Players, though, aren’t conditioned to think in such a way. Teams have ripped off improbable runs to the postseason before from the depths of early season despair, and if the Lions want to be such a team, there’s some things they will have to do.
Speaking to the media on Monday, October 10, center Frank Ragnow offered some hope. As he said, it’s a long season, and the team cannot subject themselves to thoughts that the year is merely over already.
“I know things might seem gloomy right now, but it’s a long season and we as a team importantly need to realize that we can’t allow ourselves to get down in the dumps. We have to feel and acknowledge what happened (Week 5), but then we got to have that 24-hour rule and we gotta learn from it and really not let it carry over and tumble like it has in past years,” he told the media.
Ragnow pointed out that the Lions are still in-play to have a great season, providing they can stick together and get hot at the right time.
“Everything’s in front of us. You got to get hot at the right time. We’re a team that works really hard. We’ve done a lot of good things. It’s been very frustrating, but we’ve done a lot of good things and if we can put that all together, everything’s in front of us.”
So how will the Lions get hot at the right time and lead a surge? Ragnow has a good idea of that, as well. It involves more smarts on the field.
Ragnow: Lions Must Work Smarter on Sundays
Many think that hard work could be the key for the Lions, but Ragnow isn’t so sure that’s the answer for a team that already grinds exceptionally. As he said, it might be more of an issue of smarter work.
I don’t know if it’s necessarily working harder, maybe working smarter as a team. Trusting each other, putting it together on Sunday. You can work hard all week but really, Sunday’s when it really matters and then executing on Sunday,” he said.
As Ragnow said, the biggest problem as he sees it is the way the team’s offense and defense aren’t able to support each other consistently. It seems both groups have been on different pages, and finding a solution to that would be huge.
“I think the biggest thing that we’re missing right now is the complimentary football I know that’s very coach-speak but it’s real. Last week as an offense we scored 45 and the defense struggled. This week, we put the defense in a lot of tough spots. We need to be able to have each other’s back so we can have the flow of the game to make it a game. That’s one thing that I think if we’re a young team, we need to figure that out.”
Ragnow’s point is a good one. At times, it’s felt as if the offense and defense were on two separate teams. The Lions have to find a way to pull things together as a whole and become tighter during games to complement each other.
Ragnow: Lions Bye Week Coming at Right Timer
Like many other Lions, Ragnow thinks that the team’s bye week is coming at a great time due to the injuries the team has suffered as well as some of the other issues that have come up.
“Personally, this bye week is good timing just with the foot and everything. Gives me a true whole week to relax it and I think for the team’s sake, there’s a lot of injuries so I think timing is good,” Ragnow said.
Ragnow himself has been dealing with a foot injury early on, so it will allow him more time to rest and heal up and get healthy for what everyone hopes is a major second-half push.
That push won’t come without the team getting more cohesive as a unit and playing complementary football together. If the team gets healthy and can do this, they could be a candidate for a major turnaround.
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