| Detroit Free Press
Debating the Darrell Bevell narrative and the Detroit Lions’ future
Good-natured debate on the Darrell Bevell narrative after the Lions’ comeback over Bears, Matt Patricia’s culture and what’s next, Dec. 8, 2020.
Frank Ragnow’s take-down of Akiem Hicks in last week’s win over the Chicago Bears set the Internet briefly ablaze, but it took some prodding Wednesday for the Detroit Lions center to admit he gets jacked about his own big blocks.
“I mean, it’s a block, man,” Ragnow said. “They’re exciting, but are they exciting? I don’t know, I’m just doing my job.”
Ragnow pancaked Akiem Hicks, with some initial help from Oday Aboushi, on an Adrian Peterson run up the middle with about 4 minutes to play in Sunday’s first half.
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Ragnow slammed Hicks to the ground on the play. Hicks, one of the NFL’s top interior lineman, took offense to the block, rolled Ragnow over and lay briefly on top of him before being pulled off by Lions left tackle Taylor Decker.
Asked about the play Wednesday, Ragnow said big blocks are an offensive lineman’s way of trying spark the team.
“We’re not making the big plays, the big catch, the sweet runs, the sweet sidearm throws and no-looks,” he said. “We’re not doing that, so I guess if you get a chance to play as physical as you can, you just play through the whistle. I think that’s just something — the hard work and the physicality, that’s something I think our group as a whole has really kind of adopted.
“I mean, you watch earlier in the year, Big V (Halapoulivaati Vaitai) dumping some dudes. And you watch Jonah (Jackson) running over some dudes. Decker. Everybody’s playing hard, everybody’s playing really hard and that’s kind of I think a mentality that (offensive line coach Hank) Fraley really wants us to have and that’s what I’m just trying to do.”
Ragnow said his block on Hicks was enjoyable because “he’s a good player and I got a lot of respect for him,” but it was not his favorite block of his career.
That one came in a Week 2 win last season over the Chargers, when he helped spring Kerryon Johnson for a touchdown on a screen pass with a block on Rayshawn Jenkins, then celebrated by leaping in the air.
“I got pretty hyped in the moment during that one,” Ragnow said. “But otherwise, I don’t know. They’re all blocks.”
Flowers could return
Trey Flowers will miss his sixth straight game Sunday with a shoulder injury, but interim Lions coach Darrell Bevell said he remains optimistic that Flowers will play again this season.
“Yeah, I mean, obviously, it would be a huge boost for us to be able to get a player of his caliber back,” Bevell said. “He’s progressed that way, I think that’s his mindset, which is probably the most important thing, and we’re looking forward to that day.”
The Lions, 5-7 with four games to play, placed Flowers on injured reserve in early November. Flowers is eligible to return to practice at any time.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.