ENGLEWOOD, Colo — After all the awards and honors Pat Surtain II received this past week, the Denver Broncos’ third-year cornerback would have reason to believe he’s arrived. That he’s good enough. That he’s as good as any NFL player can possibly be.
That’s not how he views himself.
What the soft-spoken Surtain doesn’t have is multiple interceptions 16 games through a 17 game season. He has one this year – against the Jets when the ball first passed through the hands of Garrett Wilson – and two last year.
“That definitely is the next step in my game, just making more game-changing plays,’’ Surtain said in an interview with 9NEWS for the Broncos Huddle. “It’s hard to do when quarterbacks rarely look your way. The main thing is when my opportunity is called to be able to capitalize and make a play. That’s just that next step. That comes along with experience, film study, understanding tendencies and stuff like that.
“I’m still early on in my career and I know I’ve got a lot more to improve on. I’m very excited to see what happens but that’s something I need to build on, create more interceptions.’’
Surtain did have four interceptions, including a 70-yard pick six off the Chargers’ Justin Herbert, his rookie season of 2021. So it’s not like he’s not capable. Even without creating turnovers, Surtain has drawn more respect from around the league than perhaps any other corner. Despite not finishing among the top 10 cornerbacks in Pro Bowl fan voting – fans may place a heavier emphasis on interceptions – he was named the AFC Pro Bowl starter on the strength of the player and coaches’ vote.
“It feels good. Obviously accolades comes with your play style and how you play,’’ Surtain said. “I think this year, you know, I played pretty well for the majority of the season, most of the season. It’s an incredible honor to be mentioned among my peers. To get another Pro Bowl is a great feeling.”
It was his second Pro Bowl berth and he also received, for the second consecutive season, the Broncos’ Demaryius Thomas MVP Award in a vote by the local media.
“First off, I mean it’s a huge honor to receive such a prestigious award after Demaryius who showed nothing less than humility,’’ Surtain said Thursday during his press conference to accept the award named after the late Broncos’ receiver. “He was not just a great athlete but a great person off the field and to be recognized with such a huge honor means a lot.”
To finish off his week, Surtain received the Broncos’ Community Impact Award. A one and a two and a three. All this while playing for a Broncos team that started 1-5 with home losses to three teams who will finish with losing records (Raiders, Commanders, Jets) and a 70-20 road loss at Miami, then went on a five-game winning streak thanks largely to an abundance of defensive takeaways, then stumbled again down the stretch to take an 8-8 record into their final game today against the Raiders in Las Vegas.
“It’s been a roller coaster but I wouldn’t want to step on the field with another band of brothers,’’ Surtain said. “I love being around this team, this organization. We’ve got a great fan base. This year was really -- it was one of those years where we battled through adversity and found ways to secure us a win. The main thing is to finish the year off strong.’’
To do that, Surtain will be tasked to cover perhaps the only nemesis in his young career, Raiders’ receiver Davonte Adams. Last year, Adams had two 100-yard games with Surtain draped all over him. In the opener this year, Adams was held to 66 yards off six catches.
"He's a very good receiver, crafty,'' Surtain said. "He's been in the league a while so he understands the ins and outs of the positions. He just knows how to use his technique to his advantage.
"Obviously when you go up against a guy like you have to be on your Ps and Qs, you've got to be locked in from the start of the game to the finish. All’s I know it's going to be a battle. I'm competitive, I know he's competitive so we're going to go at it, for sure."
Surtain was 5, 6, 7 and 8 years old when his father Pat Surtain, was playing the final four seasons of his 11-year career with the Kansas City Chiefs. The senior Surtain was a three-time Pro Bowler, all coming during his prime years with the Miami Dolphins from 2002-04. Dad was one of his son’s heroes, but not the only corner Surtain enjoyed watching.
“Deion (Sanders) is one who sparks anybody’s attention at the cornerback position,’’ Surtain said. “Champ Bailey. Pops, he was there the whole way through. Learning from him along the way. (Darrelle) Revis. All those guys I learned a lot from them, just the way they played the game with their technique, IQ and how they study the game.’’
It was suggested to Surtain rule changes favoring receivers and quarterbacks in the past 20 years or so has made it increasingly difficult to play cornerback compared to the previous generation.
“Yeah it (is),’’ Surtain said. “When you’re not allowed to initiate contact past a certain yard mark, you know the refs are picky on certain calls. It makes it harder for us. That’s what makes it even better when you succeed at this high level.’’
> Watch 9NEWS original shows, live Colorado news and weather updates, daily forecasts, and sports coverage for free on the 9NEWS+ app on Roku and Fire TV.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Sports
9NEWS+ has multiple live daily shows including 9NEWS Mornings, Next with Kyle Clark and 9NEWS+ Daily, an original streaming program. 9NEWS+ is where you can watch live breaking news, weather updates, and press conferences. You can also replay recent newscasts and find videos on demand of our top stories, local politics, investigations and Colorado specific features.
To download 9NEWS+ on Roku search for KUSA.
To download 9NEWS+ on Fire TV search for 9NEWS.
