Bailey advises Surtain to ‘soak up’ teammates’ knowledge
May 3, 2021, 9:50 PM | Updated: 9:51 pm
Pat Surtain II has been around NFL locker rooms his whole life.
From Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor to Hall of Fame cornerback Ty Law — both teammates of his father, Patrick — the younger Surtain has been able to soak up the knowledge of how to be a professional football player since he was a young boy.
“I can name plenty of guys, but they all taught me a lot — the ins and outs of the game, to always stay focused, stay humble and to keep on working hard,” Surtain told reporters on Friday after being drafted the previous evening at No. 9 overall by the Denver Broncos.
“They told me that and it has stuck with me ever since,” he added.
One of those Hall of Famers Surtain has picked the brain of over the years is quite familiar to Broncos Country: Champ Bailey.
Joining “Nick & Cecil” on Monday, Bailey offered up some more advice to the newest Broncos cornerback, telling him to “soak up” as much information from his veteran teammates as possible.
“He has so much experience around him. I would just advise him to soak it up,” Bailey said. “Don’t think you’re too big to learn. And I knew when I was in my locker room as a rookie, I was the best athlete in there. But I didn’t know anything. So, I soaked up as much as I could.
“That’s the early path to success. Just get the information.”
Bailey said that young players can’t get enough information out of their veteran teammates, adding that looking back they’ll realize just how “dumb” they were early on in their careers.
“As a young guy, you don’t realize how dumb you are until about your fifth, sixth year. You start looking back like, ‘Man, I didn’t know any of this stuff,’” Bailey said. “And, you know, a lot of it comes with experience, but he can speed that learning experience up by the guys he’s just going to be around.”
After being drafted Thursday night, Surtain told reporters he was looking forward to working with veterans in the Broncos defensive backs room, which includes Kareem Jackson, Ronald Derby, Kyle Fuller, Bryce Callahan and Justin Simmons.
“I will benefit a lot learning from those guys. They’re very experienced guys in the NFL,” Surtain said. “Picking their brains and learning from them, I think will be a benefit for me.”
