Dan Campbell: Frank Ragnow will be sorely missed, but the train rolls on

While many around the league may have been surprised that 29-year-old Lions center Frank Ragnow elected to retire this week, his head coach was not.

Speaking to the media at his Thursday press conference, Dan Campbell said that Ragnow personally consulted with him on his retirement decision. Campbell added that the organization just wanted a decision by the end of the offseason program, which is what Ragnow came to.

But Campbell was mainly effusive in his praise of the now former Detroit center, who battled through several injuries in his seven-year career.

“Unbelievable teammate, football player, man in the community — man, he’s done it all. And he will be sorely missed, man,” Campbell said, his voice cracking with emotion. “He’ll be missed. But, man, this train rolls on, the train rolls on. And it’s the next man up. And so, we will be ready to go when camp hits. We’ll be ready to go.

“We knew he was contemplating it for a while. But there was never yes or no or whatever. And we did our best to give him his space and let him sort it out — which he did,” Campbell later added. “It was time. And, listen, whenever you know it’s your time, it is the right time because it’s not fair to him and it’s not fair to his teammates or anybody else. So, I respect the hell out of him for the decision. It’s not easy to do. But he knows himself, and I’ll always respect that.”

Ragnow had been healthy last season, starting 16 games to help the Lions capture the NFC’s No. 1 seed. He’d also talked about how it was as good as his body had felt in a while. But as Campbell said, it took a lot for Ragnow to even get into that position.

“I think when those come up, they’re a little bit of a surprise,” Campbell said. “But I think everybody’s different. And to answer your question, what happens is, man, there was no indication that — no, he did, he had one of the best seasons he’s ever had. It was the healthiest he’s been in a long time. And you’re like, man, he’s in his prime right now. But if you’re him, you’ve also got to remember the amount of time and work and detail spent on taking care of his body — the training, the rehab that goes into it before he even trains.

“And so, it’s just the physical and mental side of it, man. You’ve got to be of a certain mindframe. And if you feel like you’re not there, the time is right to walk away.”

As for who will replace Ragnow, Campbell mentioned Graham Glasgow, Kingsley Eguakun, Miles Frazier, and rookie Tate Ratledge as being among the candidates for center.

“Look, it’s different knowing that Frank’s out of the fold now,” Campbell said. “I hate to use the word ‘unsettling,’ but there is acknowledgement like, OK, you know, that’s where we’re at and we need growth. We need development quickly. And look, that’s why Hank Fraley’s the coach in that room. He’s done a hell of a job developing talent and he’s going to get these guys right — whoever it is, between Frazier, Ratledge, all these guys.”

Click here to read article