Patrick Surtain II Emerges as a Top NFL Corner: Bama in NFL Week 5
Even though the Broncos took a loss to Josh Jacobs and the Raiders last week, one of the Denver players made a huge favorable impression in football circles, cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
The former Alabama All-American was matched up against Davante Adams for 25 of his 35 routes in the game. Per Next Gen Stats, he allowed just four receptions for 46 yards on eight targets, breaking up two passes.
"Every week [Surtain] is putting clinical reps on TAPE against elite WRs!" five-time All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman tweeted.
The previous week, when the Broncos faced the 49ers on Sunday Night Football, the service said Surtain didn't yield a single reception.
With Surtain cementing his status as one of the top cornerbacks in the league, teams are starting to throw away from him, which is the ultimate complement for a player at that position.
“I probably wouldn’t throw his way either,” Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett said per Mile High Huddle. “First and foremost, as a person, this guy is special. I think that is what makes him such a great player up to this point. He’s just going to continue to get better. Just his natural athletic ability, his ability to not panic is huge. When you take this amazing athlete, you take this guy that’s so humble, a guy that wants to be coached, wants to be great, that’s when you see him continually grow and get better.”
Colleges are always claiming to be position U, in part based on what their former players are doing at the next level. Alabama has 12 defensive backs currently active on NFL rosters, including seven corners.
Between Marlon Humphrey, Trevon Diggs (who led the league in interceptions last season) and Surtain, the Crimson Tide certainly can make a claim. The other corners are Levi Wallace, Josh Jobe, Jalyn Armour-Davis and Tony Brown. Anthony Averett is on the practice squad with the Raiders.
The safeties include Minkah Fitzpatrick, Kareem Jackson, Xavier McKinney, Ronnie Harrison Jr. and Eddie Jackson.
“You just have to—it’s all about [having] confidence, stepping in, making plays, and doing what’s best for the defense,” Surtain said after the 49ers game. “The coaches [are] putting me in the best position possible for me to have that game yesterday and play to the best of my ability. It all around goes to your preparation, your film study, and getting your confidence going throughout the game. I think that’s what leads to it.”
Bugg Alert in Detroit
One of the best stories, and biggest surprises (you'll see the reasoning for that description in a moment) among former Crimson Tide players this season has been defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs finding a new home with the Detroit Lions.
After being released by the Steelers, which had selected him in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Buggs signed a one-year deal for $965,000 with the Lions, and is lobbying to stay even longer.
Buggs, who is still only 24, recently benefitted by a defensive shift with 2021 second-round pick Alim McNeill, to more of a speed and power role. To add even more "girth," Detroit plugged Buggs in at nose tackle.
“Buggs is in a really, really good place right now mentally, and obviously physically, he’s playing well,” defensive line coach Todd Wash said. “That’s the biggest thing. When Buggs is on point, he’s as good as there is in the league, and we’re very fortunate that that’s where he’s at right now and we continue to see him there. So we’re really, really excited with how he’s playing. He does a lot of good things inside.”
Benito Jones has also instrumental in plugging holes, and the two defensive lineman were recently awarded game balls after helping shut down the Washington running game during the Lions only win, 36-27.
"When you have guys like that, that can take three or four gaps, it’s pretty huge for your defense," Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said per All Lions. "And, I will tell you they’re unsung heroes because for Aidan (Hutchinson) and Charles (Harris) to get what they got, they couldn’t have gotten them without those guys in the middle. So, you guys give those guys some love. Now, you don’t write about them enough.”
Tua Controversy Continues
No one may have been happier to see Aaron Judge's home run No. 62 dominate the headlines on the East Coast than Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The latest story on Tuesday was that Bennet Omalu, the neurologist whose work inspired the Will Smith movie Concussion, made a public suggestion that Tagovailoa stop playing football after taking such a brutal hit last week.
On Monday, it was that NFL Players Association fired the independent neurological expert who was involved in the decision to clear Tagovailoa to return to the Bills game after stumbling following a hit.
Other stories include:
The Impact of Tua Tagovailoa’s Concussion Is Already Clear
Taulia Tagovailoa Opens Up About the Days Following Tua’s Injury
While we await to see what other changes come out of the situation, Patriots coach Bill Belichick weighed in on the issue during an appearance on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show.
“That’s not really my field of expertise,” he said. “Those are medical decisions. There are league people at the game that are involved in that, so I think that’s something you should really talk to them about. I don’t personally have anything to do with that, and I’m not qualified to talk about different injuries and different classifications and what should or shouldn’t happen. That would be for the professional medical people.”
However, Belichick did explain that he has removed players from games after showing some visible sign of impairment, even if they had been cleared by the team’s medical staff.
“I’ve definitely done that before,” Belichick said. “Oh, yeah. If I see a player that I think is not functioning properly, and for some reason it hasn’t been identified, then absolutely, I have done that. I would say not recently. Those are things that have happened at other points in my career. But yeah, absolutely.
“If a player doesn’t look like he’s functioning properly, we evaluate him with the medical people. But we also, as a secondary check, even if the medical people were to clear a player, we still go through a coaching clearance to make sure that he’s ready to play football, not just medically cleared. We always have a secondary evaluation on that.”
The topic was hot in New England as well after veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer left Sunday’s game against the Packers and did not return. Third-string rookie Bailey Zappe, who looks he could be related to Mac Jones, replaced him and nearly led the Patriots to a stunning upset at Lambeau Field.
In the wake of the controversy surrounding Tagovailoa, the NFL and NFLPA have agreed to modify the rules surrounding the league’s concussion protocol, and the NFLPA-launched investigation remains ongoing.
Lots more to follow ...
Game of the Week
If Brian Robinson Jr. plays after being shot in late August, it's Tennessee at Washington. That he'd make his debut against Derrick Henry would be a nice bonus.
"We will be activating him," head coach Ron Rivera said. "Our intention, we're going to start his clock basically. He is on the short-term IR, we have a 21-day window and we’ll start that officially on Wednesday if everything continues to go in the right direction. He was cleared by the doctors and given the all good. We just gotta make sure once we get to Wednesday we can go through that. That way we get the 21 days from that Wednesday.”
If Robinson doesn't play, it's the Falcons at Buccaneers. Tampa Bay wide receiver Julio Jones spent 10 seasons (2011-20) with Atlanta and is the franchise's all-time leader in catches (848) and receiving yards (12,896). He's also second in club history with 60 receiving touchdowns.
Matchup of the Week
Diggs vs. Cooper Kupp, Cowboys at Rams: Since the beginning of last season, Kupp leads the NFL in receptions (187), receiving yards (2,349) and receiving touchdowns (19). Over the same period, Diggs leads the league with 13 interceptions.
How to Watch NFL Week 5
For the second straight week a game will be played in London, the Giants vs. Packers on Sunday morning
Thursday's Game
Indianapolis at Denver, Prime Video, 7:15 p.m.
Sunday's Games
New York Giants vs. Green Bay, NFLN, 8:30 a.m.
Pittsburgh at Buffalo, CBS, noon
Los Angeles Chargers at Cleveland, CBS, noon
Houston at Jacksonville, CBS, noon
Chicago at Minnesota, Fox, noon
Detroit at New England, Fox, noon
Seattle at New Orleans, Fox, noon
Miami at New York Jets, CBS, noon
Atlanta at Tampa Bay, Fox, noon
Tennessee at Washington, CBS, noon
San Francisco at Carolina, CBS, 3:05 p.m.
Philadelphia at Arizona, Fox, 3:25 p.m.
Dallas at Los Angeles Rams, Fox, 3:25 p.m.
Cincinnati at Baltimore, NBC, 7:20 p.m.
Monday's Game
Las Vegas at Kansas City, ESPN, 7 p.m.
Tide-bits
Jets head coach Robert Saleh on Fitzpatrick last week: "Phenomenal football player. Very instinctive, not necessary undisciplined in any sense of the imagination, but sometimes he's not going to do his job because he knows where the play is going, so he is going to do a little bit more, He's an instinctual, he's a badass, let's put it that way."
There's also this ...
• Per Jaguar Report, Cam Robinson's stock is up: "After allowing eight pressures the first three weeks, Cam Robinson allowed zero this week despite having a tough matchup. He was stout in pass-pro all game long and is one of the few pieces of the offense that played beyond well on Sunday. Add in his highlight reel block on a Jamal Agnew screen and it was a good week for the veteran left tackle."
• Under defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, the 49ers lead the NFL in scoring defense (11.5 points allowed per game) and are tied for the league lead in fewest yards allowed (234.5).
• Green Bay defensive lineman Jarran Reed had a career-high eight tackles and his first sack wit the Packers last week.
• Two of the three players with an interception in three different games this season are former Crimson Tide players, Fitzpatrick and Eddie Jackson. The other is Jordan Poyer.
• Defensive back Shyheim Carter has been added to the Tennessee Titans practice squad.
Did You Notice?
• All Eyes in the NFL Scouting World Now on Bryce Young’s Status
• NFL Power Rankings: Eagles Are Looking Like True Contenders
• Inside the Bills’ Calm Comeback Win Over the Ravens
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