Ragnow: Dan Campbell's Training Camp Offers 'Good Balance'

Do Lions have best coaching staff in NFL?

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell high fives center Frank Ragnow (77). / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Lions have one of the league's best centers in Frank Ragnow.

Since being drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Arkansas product has established himself as one of the top blockers at his position. Additionally, he's a cerebral player and has powered through numerous injuries.

In less than a week, he along with the rest of the Lions' roster will report to the Allen Park for the start of training camp. It will be the seventh of Ragnow's career, and the fourth under head coach Dan Campbell.

As a former player, Campbell has empathy for those going through the rigors of training camp. While he has no issues pushing the team to its limits in some practices, he also understands when to dial it back.

Ragnow expressed appreciation for Campbell's balanced approach in a recent interview with guest host Beau Allen on the 'Green Light With Chris Long' podcast.

“Yeah, he’s like a good balance. He’s from the Bill Parcells tree, so I guess that means people work, they go," Ragnow said. "He definitely has that, and he knows and communicates that to us. ‘Like, here’s the deal, I’m gonna do what’s best for the team.’ We go. We have some days, we call them red line days where they’re pretty juicy.

"But also, he’ll listen to us and he’ll talk to us and kind of feel it out and he’ll understand where the team is and evaluate. It’s pretty cool how he really evaluates camp and makes a plan that he thinks is the best fit for us. Having days where it’s gonna be old school, banging, real physical days and then we’ll have days where we let off and be more mental. It’s a good balance.” 

Campbell has drawn plenty of praise for the coaching staff he has assembled, namely his coordinators in Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn. However, one piece of the staff who has also been key to the success over the last two seasons is offensive line coach Hank Fraley.

Like several of the assistants on staff, Fraley is a former NFL player who carries that level of understanding for the players in his position room. He's formed a strong bond with Ragnow, having coached him since 2020.

“He’s the man. He’s probably been the biggest blessing of my career by far," Ragnow explained. "I’ve had him my whole career which, most O-line coaches, most O-linemen don’t have that luxury. He’s not only an O-lineman that played, he’s a center that played. It’s been so cool for him to be able to, it’s such a democracy if you will. Everything’s an open exchange and we’re able to discuss how I see things, how he sees things, what’s best fit for the room going forward. He’s been a blessing, such a huge blessing for me, this whole room and I think he’s a big reason why we’ve had success these last few years.”