Sunday was deja vu for Detroit Lions linebacker Reggie Ragland. During a red-zone drill while practicing, Ragland apparently came down with a one-handed distinction and took the length of the field for a touchdown of 100 yards. While that may be a rare occurrence for most linebackers, Ragland said he only needs one season back to remember the last time he did it.
“The last time I caught an interception and went that far was when I put Patrick (Mahomes) into practice last year,” Ragland told Zoom on Sunday. ‘You see how that turned out. We won the Super Bowl, so hopefully this thing can continue this year. ”
While he said that with a laugh and it got a good turnout from the Lions media in the virtual room, Ragland also meant every meaning of that last sentence. He has spent the last few weeks as a new member of the Lions defense to teach his boys in the locker room – an important job he welcomes as one of the most accomplished veteran linebackers on the team. And he was immediately impressed by what he saw.
“I’m excited about this room because we have a lot of great guys, a lot of guys are talented,” Ragland said. “All they did was add me this year, Elijah (Lee), and Jamie (Collins) to solidify this group and make us a good group.”
Ragland would know what a good roster looks like. From his days in Alabama to his years in Kansas City, success seems to follow him wherever he goes. He believes that trend can continue with his current stop in Detroit.
“Everywhere I went I won, except my first year in Buffalo when I got hurt and my ACL was torn,” Ragland said. ‘But then I went to Kansas City, we won the Super Bowl there, we just stayed better and got better. I see the same qualities in this team as in Kansas City. We have the pieces, we just have to put them together and just play hard and be consistent and just keep going. I think we have the boys to do that. ”
That, of course, is a bold statement for a team that went 3-12-1 last year, and talks are cheap in August. But there are some voices out there who believe this team is at least destined for improvement or even going into controversy for an NFC North crown. Maybe Ragland is on to something.
