December 17, 2020 Opening Statement: “So just injury updates from yesterday – so I know I gave you a list yesterday of the guys that were not practicing. I think that’s going to be similar to today, including Matthew (Stafford). Matthew won’t take part in anything today. So I just want to give you, probably, a little bit more update on Frank Ragnow. He had a unique injury, didn’t have enough information on it, really anything, yesterday to give you. So (I) want to give it to you today. “I think the term ‘fractured throat’ has kind of been thrown out there, but really the biggest concern that we have, and the concern going forward for him, is really his vocal cords. Sometime during the game, early in the game, he took a hit to his throat area. It was important for us to continue to evaluate him through the game, including at halftime, during the game, third and fourth quarter. Really, the most important thing was his airway, how he’s breathing, how he’s swallowing, how he’s breathing, that kind of thing. As they checked that out during the game, he was still able to function well, so he was safe to go back in the game. I think the initial concern was just all the trauma that he had to it, so after seeing more specialists throughout yesterday, they basically brought it to that it’s more of the vocal cord injury. So they’re having him rest his voice, won’t be speaking really here. But yesterday, no words spoken; today, no words spoken, he’s not supposed to talk through Friday, and then we’ll be able to reevaluate it on Friday toward the end of the week. So a little bit of up-and-down with some of the information that was coming to us, so just wanted to give (you) a bit of an update on that. So Friday will be a big day to reassess where he’s at and talk again. With that, I’ll open it up for questions.” On OL Frank Ragnow’s toughness being able to play with that type of injury: “These guys are amazing. Every guy is so different, but particularly these lineman – I mean, obviously Matthew (Stafford) as well – it’s amazing the things they’ll put their bodies through and what they’re willing to fight through. Really, it comes down to (that) they want to be there for their teammates, and they want to be there for – Frank wants to be there for the fellow offensive linemen, but he wants to be there for his defensive teammates as well. It just shows how important this stuff is to these guys, that they’d be willing to go to those lengths to stay in the game and help their team in any way they can.” On if OL Frank Ragnow can play if he can’t talk: “We definitely have to think about all that, all the contingency plans in case that happens. But I think right now it’s just important for us to wait until Friday to see how it progresses, where he’s going to be at. We really can’t make a statement on if he’s going to play or not – that’s going to be basically up to the medical professionals and specialists to tell us if he can do that. We want to make sure that obviously we’re putting him out there in a safe environment, that he’s safe to be able to do that. So we’ll wait until Friday, and we’ll handle all that as it comes our way.” On how safe it would be for OL Frank Ragnow to play: “That’s a great question. I’m not the medical professional. I wish I could give you really good information, but I can tell you this; I know that we went from our people to the specialist, and the specialist will really guide us on that information and whether it’s safe for him to go back out in the game. I can tell you we’re not going to put him out there if it’s not safe. We don’t want long repercussions of this for him down the road, and I don’t think he would want that either. So, we’ll take the information that we get from the specialist and go with that.” On if OL Frank Ragnow’s playing status will impact QB Matthew Stafford’s playing status: “I wouldn’t think that would be the case, no.” On how he would manage the workload for a running back the season after a 300-carry year: “Well, I think a guy like Adrian (Peterson) is a true professional. He always takes care of his body. So, that’s the important part really for the athlete, that he’s doing everything that he can to manage his body, to stay in shape, to keep it in that form to be able to take that pounding. As you can see, Adrian – I’ve said it before, I’ve used the word – he’s a freak in terms of physical stature and what he can do with his body, particularly at the age that he’s playing at, as well as he’s playing.” On what the communication is like with OL Frank Ragnow right now: “You can imagine what it’s like in here, right? Everybody knows he’s not supposed to talk, so they’re all trying to get him to say something. So every way he can, he’s communicating – shake the head, thumbs up, that kind of stuff. But we have had him write some stuff down, that kind of information, to make sure we’re passing back and forth what we need to.” On if there have been talks of shutting down QB Matthew Stafford at some point this season: “That has not been talked about yet.” On who would play center if OL Frank Ragnow can’t and his overall confidence in the offensive line: “I have total confidence in the guys we’re preparing to play. As you know, there’s shifting around that we will do with the offensive line to be able to handle all of those five. Just for how we’re practicing, I don’t want to give all that information away, but very confident with the guys. Always have these contingency plans in mind at – really, with the numbers that you have. There are only eight guys that are active for gameday, so you have to have all kinds of plans, ‘We lose this guy, who goes here?’ And we’re always communicating and talking about that and practicing that way at times. So, I’m confident with the plan that we’ll have going forward.” |
