Pat Surtain II Shares True Thoughts Lamar Jackson's Passing Ability
Frustrated by constantly losing and shouldering the load for a toothless offense, the Denver Broncos' defense melted down during a lopsided loss against the Carolina Panthers last Sunday.
Sure, the Broncos still have the third-ranked defensive unit in the league, and it's a group that continues to keep the team close in almost every game. But with the Baltimore Ravens next up on deck, the small cracks that have started to appear in Denver's defense could deepen and widen.
Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero's unit currently fields the NFL's best red-zone efficiency. Impressively, when the Broncos are under the shadow of their own goalposts, they've relinquished touchdownsonly 30.8% of the time.
Baltimore's star quarterback Lamar Jackson might be expected to challenge the Broncos' red-zone prowess. That might be the general consensus, but the Ravens have only scored a pair of touchdowns in their last nine trips to the business end of the field over the last two games.
Broncos' cornerback Patrick Surtain II recognizes the unique challenge Jackson prevents, both as a passer and as a runner. The second-year corner believes that Jackson doesn't get enough credit for his passing ability.
“Yeah, definitely," Surtain said on Thursday. "I believe he can make all the throws on the field. He’s as dynamic passing as he is running. He could do everything—throw the ball, run the ball. He’s a great player.”
Surtain understands that while Jackson will test the Broncos in the red area, he takes pride in his unit’s ability to hold the fort when the odds are really stacked against them.
“I think our ability to understand the situation. Getting a play call in and dominating all parts of the field,” Surtain explained on Thursday. “It’s a short area to work with so once we communicate and are on the same page, we're very dominant. That’s when we make our plays, and make our money plays out in the red zone. Keeping our opponent from scoring, holding them [to] three, creating the turnovers. That’s what we do best, is holding teams out of the red, when they are in the red zone, holding teams out of the end zone.”
Potential fractures deep within the Broncos' organization have provided low-hanging fruit for hacks all week, especially in the aftermath of Mike Purcell exploding on quarterback Russell Wilson on the Carolina sidelines. Beyond all the rumors and conjecture, the degree to which Surtain has struggled in back-to-back weeks could prove equally as concerning for the Broncos.
Head coach Nathaniel Hackett dismissed such concerns on Thursday, however, insisting that his young star will iron things out.
“He’s such a great young man. He's going to put his head down and work and learn from every experience that he has,” Hackett said of Surtain. “As a DB in this league, you have to have a short memory and you can't win every single play. He's been out there for a whole lot of plays and done some amazing things and sometimes that happens. He was right there, and other guys make good plays too.”
As for the man himself, Surtain has the unique ability to move on from setbacks without it adversely impacting his own confidence. That's a particular trait that only elite shutdown corners tend to possess in their armory, and Surtain has it in abundance.
“You always have to keep your confidence no matter what the situation is,” Surtain said. “That's the biggest thing in our position. It's one of the toughest positions to play in football. So you always have to have that chip on your shoulder. That want-to-play mentality. You just have to focus on the next play and just correct some things here on out, and just focus on this week coming up.”
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