Reggie Ragland Says The Detroit Lions Are Very Similar To The Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs
Former Kansas City Chiefs star Reggie Ragland believes he sees quite a few similarities between last year’s Super Bowl champs and 2020’s Detroit Lions. On Sunday, the linebacker talked to Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press and detailed why he thinks the two franchises have some things in common.
“I see the same qualities in this team as in Kansas City,” Ragland said. “We’ve got the pieces. We’ve just got to keep putting them together and just keep playing hard and being consistent and just keep finishing. I think we’ve got the guys to do that. We’ve just got to go out there and just play ball.”
He also said he took part in what was a bit of an omen. During Sunday’s practice, Ragland reportedly picked off a Matthew Stafford pass and returned it all the way back for a touchdown. After practice, the former Chiefs star said he did the same thing last year against Patrick Mahomes.
“And you see how that turned out,” he joked. “We ended up winning the Super Bowl. So hopefully the same thing can go on this year.”
While Ragland admitted that was a joke, Monarrez said his performance in this weekend’s practices illustrated why the Lions brought in the NFL champ. The writer called the defensive player someone who is seen as a stable veteran.
Ragland is thought of as more of a run stopper, who doesn’t put up eye-popping numbers, but he’s dependable. He’s not rushing the passer all that much, and he doesn’t force that many turnovers in games when it counts. To some degree, that’s why his ability to pick off both Stafford and Mahomes stood out to his teammates on both rosters.
The Detroit Free Press writer also said the interception showed that Ragland listens to his coaches and is where he needs to be on defense.
The defender said his coaches on the Lions are always preaching that if the players do their jobs, they’re going to make plays. Ragland said he wasn’t trying to be a hero or make a big play. He was just where his coaches told him to be and things worked out.
Ragland said he sees lots of his teammates taking being in the right place seriously. They aren’t looking to be heroes or try to make plays they aren’t supposed to make. He said that was similar to what he saw in the last few years with the Chiefs. Now, he’s hoping he can get back to the Super Bowl with a new team.
