| Detroit Free Press
Assessing Detroit Lions’ coach, GM searches as regular season ends
Free Press sports writers Dave Birkett and Carlos Monarrez debate Jan. 4, 2021, who the Detroit Lions should hire as general manager and head coach.
Carlos Monarrez and Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press
Two Detroit Lions were named to the Associated Press All-Pro second-team Friday, center Frank Ragnow and punter Jack Fox.
Ragnow, the Lions’ first-round pick in 2018, was the leader of arguably the team’s best position group. He ranked among the top 10 centers in both pass block and run block win rate, according to ESPN, and was called for two penalties all season.
Fox, in his first NFL season after spending part of 2019 on the Lions’ practice squad, finished second in the league with a 44.8-yard net punting average, best in Lions history.
Both Ragnow and Fox were selected to the Pro Bowl last month.
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“I’m definitely focused on building on (this season),” Fox said earlier this week. “I think we had a good year on the punt team, but I think I left a few yards out there and I think I left some meat on the bone. There’s a bunch of different aspects of punting that I have plenty of room to get better at and that’s kind of my focus this offseason.”
The Lions, who finished 5-11 and have the seventh pick in April’s NFL draft, have not had an All-Pro selection since cornerback Darius Slay and return man Jamal Agnew made the first team in 2017.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.