Frank Ragnow approached quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Chase Daniel early in Sunday’s loss to Green Bay and told them to call for the rest of the game.
Ragnow could barely speak. Daniel thought it was funny at the time; no one knew until the next day how bad Ragnow’s injury was.
At one point in the first quarter, the Lions’ start center broke his throat.
“It’s pretty impressive what he has been able to do,” said Daniel. “It was the guards who passed the calls to the running backs, and when I came in they were all passes of course, so that was easy for us quarterbacks as I made and passed on all the calls.
“We didn’t really seem to miss a beat, and it’s pretty incredible when your throat is broken and you’re used to making all the calls.”
Stafford, who injured his ribs during the game, said he knew something was wrong with Ragnow. “Quite strange that he could finish the game with that,” said Stafford.
The veteran quarterback said he had never heard of the injury, although Indianapolis defensive lineman Henry Anderson suffered a broken larynx in 2017.
The National Institute of Health says that “80 to 90% of laryngeal injuries, fractures / dislocations, and separation are usually the result of significant blunt trauma at high speed.” The most common causes are car accidents and sports injuries, and “laryngeal trauma is rare.”
Ragnow didn’t allow sack or pressure while playing with a broken throat. He played every snap for the rest of the game.
“I personally had no idea,” said running backs coach Kyle Caskey. “… He looked like he was in the middle of a fight, so it seemed like it was one of those games where he was just kind of beaten up.
‘I didn’t really notice and didn’t know until Monday. At least he hid it well from us, but he kept playing through it. ‘
Ragnow’s brother, Jack, also had fun poking into his brother’s injury – while also supporting him for the Pro Bowl. “Um I’ve seen harder #ProBowlVote Frank Ragnow,” he tweeted.
Detroit’s options in the middle without Ragnow include reserve interior lineman Joe Dahl, left guard Jonah Jackson, or rookie Logan Stenberg, who hasn’t played for a moment all year. Dahl has the most NFL experience in the middle.
“It was funny then. It’s not funny now because it’s a serious injury,” said Daniel. “Dude played the rest of the game, and I don’t know if he gave up a QB hit. It’s impressive. Really.”