Frank Ragnow approached quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Chase Daniel on Sunday’s low in Green Bay and told them they should make line calls the rest of the game.
Ragnow could barely speak. Then Daniel thought it was fun; no one knew until the next day how serious Ragnow’s injury was.
At some point in the first quarter, the Lions ’starting center fractured their throats.
“It’s pretty impressive what he was able to do,” Daniel said. “They were the guards who relayed the calls to the runners and obviously when I came in they were all passes, so it was easy for us to quarterback while making all the calls and relaying them.
“We didn’t really seem to miss a beat, and it’s pretty amazing when your throat breaks and you’re used to making all the calls.”
Stafford, who injured his ribs during the match, said he knew something was wrong with Ragnow. “Pretty crazy that he was able to end the game with that,” Stafford said.
The veteran quarterback said he had never heard of the injury, although Indianapolis defensive end coach Henry Anderson suffered a laryngeal fracture in 2017.
The National Institutes of Health says that “80 to 90% of laryngeal injuries, fractures / dislocations and separations are usually the result of blunt trauma at high speed.” The most common causes are traffic accidents and sports injuries, and “laryngeal trauma is rare.”
Ragnow allowed no sack or pressure while playing with a broken throat. He played every moment the rest of the game.
“Personally, I had no idea,” runners coach Kyle Caskey said. “… He looked like he was in the middle of a battle, so it looked like it was one of those games where he was hit.
“I didn’t really realize it and I didn’t even know it until Monday. He did a good job hiding it from us, at least, but he kept playing with it.”
Jack, Ragnow’s brother, also had fun puncturing his brother’s injury, while supporting him in the Pro Bowl. “I saw Frank Ragnow #ProBowlVote was tougher,” he tweeted.
Detroit’s midfield options without Ragnow are reserve inside linebacker Joe Dahl, left guard Jonah Jackson or rookie Logan Stenberg, who hasn’t played anything all year. Dahl has more NFL experience at the center.
“It was fun at the time. Now it’s not fun because it’s a serious injury,” Daniel said. “The guy played the rest of the game and I don’t know if he gave up on a QB hit. It’s awesome. It really is.”