Patrick Surtain II defends Russell Wilson on NFL Network
May 9, 2023, 6:32 AM
The Denver Broncos have a young star in cornerback Patrick Surtain II. He’s one of the best corners in the game today, and the best years are ahead of this young playmaker.
Last week, Surtain was invited to be in studio for “Good Morning Football” on NFL Network. And of course, it didn’t take long for the conversation to turn to QB Russell Wilson.
Surtain is a soft-spoken player, and he’s fun and insightful to talk to. However, he’s not going to give you anything juicy when it comes to his quarterback. They tried to get something out of Surtain, but he mainly told stories about Wilson’s high knees on the plane to England and how great his work ethic is.
There were some questions not about Wilson, and those answers were more interesting. However, quarterbacks drive this league and much of the conversation around it, so it was back to Wilson questions for most of the interview.
We have @Broncos CB @PatSurtainll in the building this morning
His advice to NFL legacy rookies, his take on Kyle's AFC QB Tiers, and of course, we're talking high knees on the plane pic.twitter.com/22U0AaYFph
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) May 5, 2023
Here are some topics Surtain talked about with the “Good Morning Football” crew.
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Tier 4 is Good?
Kyle Brandt ranked the AFC quarterbacks recently on NFL Network, and the GMFB crew was eager to ask Surtain about the tiers. It’s an interesting exercise to look at quarterbacks and rank them by tier, and Wilson was put in the fourth tier with Cleveland Browns starter Deshaun Watson.
Wilson had one of the worst seasons of his pro career in 2022, but many in the national media think he can bounce back this season. Having an offense that helps him out by running the ball early and often should set up Wilson for success. Was last year a sign of things to come, or was it an anomaly and Wilson will get back to playing good football this season? Only time will tell, but Surtain has his mind made up.
“I think tier one through four are pretty good.” Surtain said.
I talked about this with @MaseDenver on "Orange and Blue Today"
Russell Wilson tier 4 = too high IMHO
Trevor Lawrence tier 6 = ridiculousnesswhaddya got? #Broncos @DenverSportsCom pic.twitter.com/w0Iwwev0C3
— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) May 8, 2023
Surtain is being a good teammate here. But in my opinion, having Wilson in tier 4 is too high. I believe having Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in tier 6 is too low, and that’s something Surtain pointed out when going over the list. He didn’t say much about Wilson’s placement, but he made sure to highlight how Lawrence was too low. I think Lawrence should be in tier 3, and Wilson should be in tier 5.
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Versus Mahomes
In addition to being asked about Wilson, and successfully dodging the question, Surtain was then asked about going up against the Kansas City Chiefs and superstar QB Patrick Mahomes. Brandt asked Surtain if they’re going to (finally) beat the Chiefs and what it was like going up against a guy like that.
“The throws that he makes are incredible. You don’t know what he’s going to do next. He’s like a magician out there.” Surtain said.
There’s nothing but respect for Mahomes from Surtain, and I’m sure the feeling is mutual. Mahomes has never lost to the Broncos, so the next time they beat the Chiefs will be the first time for Surtain (and most of the Broncos).
The Chiefs have lost talent at the wide receiver position, but through the draft they just keep reloading with playmakers. In fact, their second-round pick WR Rashee Rice (SMU) was a player the Broncos were high on. The Chiefs moved up in the second round (before the Broncos moved up into the second round for WR Marvin Mims) to secure his services. Watching a playmaker like Rice go up against Surtain twice a year should be fun.
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How’s Russ Doing?
After Surtain went on and on about Mahomes, Brandt brought the conversation back to Wilson with a mere question of “How’s Russ doing?” Surtain was easy going as always with his answer about what his quarterback has been doing this offseason.
“Russ is doing good. He’s in for OTAs with the team. Getting it in with the offense, schematically with the playbook and all that. You can tell by his attitude and his demeanor that he’s focused.” Surtain said.
Dove Valley has been closed this offseason for the most part. Head coach Sean Payton is running a different show than what we’ve been used to. I’ve covered the team as a credentialed member of the media for 20 years, and I can’t remember a time when so little access was given during the offseason.
Payton wants the team to move in silence, and they’re doing that for the most part. That’s what makes interviews like Surtain on GMFB so interesting. In years past, I would’ve talked to Surtain already at least once in a press conference. Now, we’re left to hearing from the players only when they’re interviewed on NFL Network.
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