Pat Surtain II Explains How Ugly Bills Playoff Loss is Fueling Broncos

History tells us that the truly elite football teams tend to police themselves, and the Denver Broncos' reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Patrick Surtain II, is confident that everyone is going to buy in from the get-go.

Denver's ugly loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Wildcard Round of the playoffs is already fueling the team's early efforts as training camp kicks off.

"We're determined, and we have a lot of selfless leaders out here," Surtain said on Tuesday. "That just goes a long way. There are guys that put the team first before themselves, and that goes through everybody on the team. I think that resonates pretty well [with] what our common goal is. We know that in the playoffs last year, we didn't get the result we wanted, so that just adds another chip onto our shoulder going into this year."

Broncos head coach Sean Payton is savvy enough to know that he requires a unique blend of veterans and young talent to deliver on the team's burgeoning championship ambitions. Part of that roster-building process has included raiding the San Francisco 49ers for linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga, both of whom have highly coveted Super Bowl experience.

Broncos right tackle Mike McGlinchey also has Super Bowl experience from when he was in San Francisco, so he knows the levels of dedication it takes to climb the mountain.

"It's long. It's about two months longer of a year than if you don't make the playoffs," McGlinchey said on Tuesday. "You have to have a little bit of luck, you've got to be able to stay healthy, and you have to be able to be your best when the best is needed. I think we have the guys that are made up of the right stuff to get us in place to have those opportunities to win those kinds of games. But like I said, it's July 22nd and we have a long way to go."

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Due to the lack of football action, it's easy for fans to get caught up in the plethora of offseason rankings and lists, which often had the Broncos placed in the contenders bracket. Once the opening bell sounds in the NFL regular season, though, the hype dies off. McGlinchey is determined to embrace the hard grind and shut out the outside noise to help deliver Denver's ultimate goal.

"I think stay the course. I think I made the mistake early on in my career of expecting a lot out of myself or weighing the opinions of others on top of my identity as a human being and as a football player," McGlinchey said of his veteran mindset. "And so you have to stick to what you know. You have to be confident in who you are and understand that the only opinions that matter are the ones of your coaches and the ones of yourself. If you let other people's opinions start shaping your own about yourself, then that's when you get pretty screwed up."

The additions the Broncos made on the defensive side of the ball will hopefully help the culture inside the locker room focus completely on winning. Furthermore, McGlinchey feels that the power duo of Greenlaw and Hufanga will not only bring huge production but also an unmistakable aura when they walk onto the field as Broncos.

"I mean, obviously their play speaks for themselves," McGlinchey enthused. "I think 'Huf' and Dre are two of the best at their positions across the league, and they're monstrous additions for us defensively... Those two are going to help us tremendously this year, and I'm happy to be back on the same side as them."

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