The Detroit Lions have spent a lot of time and money trying to improve their offensive line.
Frank Ragnow represents the latest investment.
"It starts up front
http://www.officialflames.com/authentic-adidas-jaromir-jagr-jersey ," Lions general manager Bob Quinn said. "That's kind of what we believe in."
Detroit drafted the Arkansas center with the No. 20 overall pick Thursday night, hoping he can boost their lackluster running game and keep franchise
quarterback Matthew Stafford upright more often.
"Those are two things he's paid to do and he does both of them equally well," Quinn said. "He played his best games against the best defenses."
The Lions ranked last in the NFL last year in rushing offense and have been among the league's worst on the ground offensively in recent seasons. Their
one-dimensional offense and banged-up line led to Stafford being sacked 47 times
last season.
Ragnow will have a chance to start as a rookie, likely next to guards T.J. Lang and Graham Glasgow if he plays center. He may also play guard, giving
Detroit an option of playing Glasgow at center.
"He's a guy who can help us most the quickest," Quinn said.
Quinn has used the draft and free agency to bolster the offensive line, using his first pick as a general manager two years ago to take Ohio State tackle
Taylor Decker No. 16 overall and Glasgow two rounds later. Last year in free
agency, Quinn spent big to sign Lang and Ricky Wagner.
And now, Quinn has committed to bolster the line even more by using a first-round pick on a center and choosing to address needs on the defensive line
later in the draft or free agency.
The 6-foot-5, 312-pound Ragnow is a big and powerful lineman, who ended his 42-game career without giving up a sack. He had a season-ending ankle injury
last year, limiting him to seven games.
"The rehab process went way smoother than I expected
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The Minnesota native played in nine games as a freshman in 2014 and became a full-time starter at right guard as a sophomore. He moved to center as a junior
and thought entering NFL draft after grading out as the top offensive lineman in
the country by Pro Football Focus.
Ragnow chose to stay in college and was a second-team preseason All-America player, but injury stunted his shot at winning awards. His father, Jon, died of
a heart attack during the 2016 football season.
"He was my best friend," he said. "He was my biggest fan. Especially right now, it's bittersweet. I'm just going to keep trying to make him proud."
Despite the loss, he continued to play and was stopped after a game by Alabama coach Nick Saban, who lost his father to a heart attack while in
graduate school.
"Embrace the memories and the good times that he had with his father because that will be something he can keep with him forever," Saban recalled telling
Ragnow.
The Lions have second- and third-round picks Friday along with slots in the fourth, fifth and seventh rounds on Saturday. They went into the draft without a
sixth-round selection, giving it up last year to acquire offensive tackle Greg
Robinson from the Los Angeles Rams. Robinson started six games for the
Lions
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The Lions had relative success a year ago in the draft, getting contributions from seven players it selected.
Detroit won three of their first four games last season and had a 6-4 record, but had setbacks in three of five games to fall out of the playoff picture and
the late-season slide cost coach Jim Caldwell his job. Quinn hired Matt Patricia
to lead an NFL team for the first time, reuniting with a coach he worked
alongside with the New England Patriots for a dozen years.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Joe Flacco needed only one series to show why there won’t be any competition this summer to determine the Baltimore Ravens starting
quarterback.
The other two guys, however, also put on quite a show.
Flacco threw a touchdown pass on his only series of the game, rookie Lamar Jackson ran for a score and Baltimore rolled to a 33-7 preseason victory over
the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.
Baltimore (2-0) led 17-0 after the first period and cruised to the finish against the Rams (0-1), who rested offensive stars Jared Goff and Todd
Gurley.
After sitting out the Hall of Fame Game last week, Flacco went 5 for 7 for 71 yards during a 10-play drive. The 11-year veteran overcame a second-and-25 with
a 30-yard pass to newcomer Michael Crabtree and finished with a 6-yard TD throw
to Patrick Ricard.
“That’s really all we needed from Joe,” coach John Harbaugh said. “Get Lamar out there with a lot of reps, get Robert (Griffin III) out there.”
Jackson entered the next time Baltimore got the ball and coolly directed a 73-yard march in which he completed a 36-yard pass to Chris Moore and broke two
tackles running for a 9-yard touchdown.
“It was a great run,” Harbaugh said. “I thought he was tackled twice — and then he wasn’t.”
Said Jackson: “They tried to get to me
Authentic Clay Matthews Jersey , I made a guy miss. Then I did what I do best and tried to get in the end zone.”
Jackson went 7 for 18 for 119 yards, ran for 21 yards and was sacked twice before giving way to Griffin early in the third quarter.
Griffin went 5 for 7 for 88 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown strike to Breshad Perriman.
Flacco has been named Baltimore’s starter in the regular season. Griffin is seeking a comeback after being inactive in 2017, and Jackson is trying to adjust
to the pro game after winning a Heisman Trophy at Louisville and being drafted
in the first round last April.
Jackson could learn a thing or two by watching Flacco.
“He was awesome. He was smooth, had a lot of poise in the pocket,” the rookie said.
The Ravens and Rams held joint practices Monday and Tuesday, and Los Angeles coach Sean McVay indicated the work against outside opposition would enable him
to rest a few of his starters in the preseason opener.
So, Sean Mannion opened at quarterback, Malcolm Brown lined up behind him and the offense sputtered for much of the night.
Los Angeles gained 5 yards and made one first down in the first quarter. The Rams trailed 23-0 at halftime after totaling 45 yards and three first downs.
“We expect to play better and we will,” McVay said. “Sometimes these lessons, these humbling experiences if you will, for everybody is the level of awareness.
You can’t wait to get back to work and know that we got a lot work to do. What’s
encouraging is we have time to figure it out.”
Mannion played the first half
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“It certainly wasn’t my best performance. Just wasn’t really able to get into a rhythm early,” Mannion said.
NATIONAL ANTHEM
Both teams stood during the national anthem. While most of the Ravens lined up shoulder to shoulder on the sideline, second-year linebacker Tim Williams
stood alone in front of the bench with his back toward the field.
INJURIES
It appeared as if both teams got out of the game without any significant injuries.
HELMET RULE
The Rams received successive 15-yard penalties in the first quarter for lowering the head to initiate contact, a new rule this season. Marqui Christian
received the first flag, and Blake Countess followed. The penalties attributed
for nearly half the yardage in a drive that produced a field goal for a 17-0
lead.
“The preseason offers a great opportunity for all of us to work through some things and learn,” McVay said. “How that can enable us to better coach it, and
how we can better understand, how we can expect them to consistently officiate
that knowing that most importantly it’s about taking the head out of the
game.”
UP NEXT:
Rams: After an extended stay on the East Coast, Los Angeles heads home to begin preparation for its next opponent, the Oakland Raiders at home on Aug.
18.
Ravens: Their next preseason game isn’t until Aug. 20 at Indianapolis, but that begins a stretch of three games in 11 days.
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