Lions
Lions HC Dan Campbell got emotional when asked about retiring C Frank Ragnow during media availability, noting that the team must carry on without the veteran leader.
“Unbelievable teammate, football player, man in the community — man, he’s done it all. And he will be sorely missed, man,” Campbell said. “He’ll be missed. But, man, this train rolls on, the train rolls on. And it’s the next man up. And so, we will be ready to go when camp hits. We’ll be ready to go. We knew he was contemplating it for a while. But there was never yes or no or whatever. And we did our best to give him his space and let him sort it out — which he did. It was time. And, listen, whenever you know it’s your time, it is the right time because it’s not fair to him and it’s not fair to his teammates or anybody else. So, I respect the hell out of him for the decision. It’s not easy to do. But he knows himself, and I’ll always respect that.”
Campbell said they knew this was something Ragnow was considering and weren’t completely caught off guard.
“I think when those come up, they’re a little bit of a surprise,” Campbell added. “But I think everybody’s different. And to answer your question, what happens is, man, there was no indication that — no, he did, he had one of the best seasons he’s ever had. It was the healthiest he’s been in a long time. And you’re like, man, he’s in his prime right now. But if you’re him, you’ve also got to remember the amount of time and work and detail spent on taking care of his body — the training, the rehab that goes into it before he even trains. And so, it’s just the physical and mental side of it, man. You’ve got to be of a certain mindframe. And if you feel like you’re not there, the time is right to walk away.”
He said there’s no getting around how big of a hole Ragnow leaves in their starting lineup but they have no choice but to move forward.
“Look, it’s different knowing that Frank’s out of the fold now,” Campbell concluded. “I hate to use the word ‘unsettling,’ but there is acknowledgement like, OK, you know, that’s where we’re at and we need growth. We need development quickly. And look, that’s why Hank Fraley’s the coach in that room. He’s done a hell of a job developing talent and he’s going to get these guys right — whoever it is, between Frazier, Ratledge, all these guys.”
Packers
Packers HC Matt LaFleur said the team could use DL Lukas Van Ness inside on passing downs.
“Yeah, I think situationally you can do that,” LaFleur said, via Around The NFL. “I think in known passing situations there’s some thought around that. A lot of it’s gonna be dependent on everybody else, as well. Lukas has shown a lot of growth and I’m excited to see him once we get pads on, and really all those guys how they compete.”
Van Ness will still be primarily an edge defender, but he will likely line up inside at times in order to create a mismatch.
“In today’s world of football, the more versatility you show — it doesn’t matter what phase we’re talking about — but the more versatility, I think it’s harder to prepare for,” LaFleur said regarding the team’s front four as a whole. “I think the challenge is there’s a fine line in terms of what is too much. Yeah, you want to be versatile, but you want to get good at what you do, as well. The more you do, the less time you have to have meaningful reps at it. So, it’s finding that balance there in terms of what is enough flexibility and versatility versus what we can get really good at.”
Vikings
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson doesn’t envision a drop-off in the team’s success with QB J.J. McCarthy taking over under center.
“I feel like just based off of last year, us having 14 wins, the confidence is there,” Jefferson said, via the team’s website. “So it’s all about just coming together, bonding as a team, which we did last year – and we felt like that team last year was a very special team. So [we’re] just carrying on that same mindset, making sure everybody is together as one, and just coming out here and putting in that work.”
Jefferson said his showing up to voluntary OTAs was a “no-brainer” and said that getting on the same page as his quarterback was paramount to his presence.
“It’s not really hard, I would say,” Jefferson said of the alternative, which for him has been a later arrival and therefore less hours to get in sync with his offensive teammates ahead of any given season. “I mean, I’ve done it before. But it’s just having a little bit of extra time to really bond with the team, build that connection. And, of course, getting those reps with the quarterback, it makes a big difference. I feel like it’s more for them than for me. It really doesn’t matter who’s throwing the ball. As soon as the ball gets close to my face, I’m gonna try to catch it. It doesn’t matter how fast the ball is going, the spin of it, or if it’s coming from a lefty or a righty. I mean, my job is to catch the ball. So I feel like it’s more for the quarterback to see the tempo of the routes, seeing how I run the routes, seeing the different moves that I add to my routes, and I feel like working with that is more of a quarterback thing than a receiver thing.”
Jefferson said he’s noticed McCarthy’s growth and he’s hoping to be a leader and help him get to where he wants to be.
“First of all, he understands the role that he has now. He understands that he is the starting quarterback at this moment,” Jefferson said, detailing some of the maturation he’s noticed in the 22-year-old. “I feel like he kind of brings that with him to practice, knowing that he has to have that leadership. He’s the captain of our team. So I feel like him being right beside me and him trying to learn as much as he needs to, I feel like just his awareness of the game and his intelligence has really grown.”
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