DETROIT - It was the ankle injury, the groin injury and the various foot injuries, including the inoperable toe. It was the knee injury, the back injury and the fractured throat (!). It was the torn pectoral muscle last season, and the unrelenting pain.

It was all that and more, and ultimately, it was too much. Lions' center Frank Ragnow is leaving football ahead of schedule - still an elite player at 29 - but in his mind, right on time. Ragnow's surprise retirement Monday after seven seasons manning the middle of the trenches on the Lions' stellar offensive line was a good move for him, from a life standpoint.

It's a major blow for the Lions, from a football and leadership standpoint. One year after their 15-2 season was derailed by a massive batch of injuries, mostly on defense, the la

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