Broncos OTA observations: Defense strikes back, Surtain could be special

The Denver Broncos were back on the practice field on Tuesday at UC Health Training Center. Their Offseason Training Activities continue for a couple of more weeks, and once a week the media is allowed to watch a full practice. After OTAs are done, the Broncos will have mandatory minicamp and every one of those practices are open to the media.

Right now, we’re left with one day of watching practice – and if you know what to look for you can see a lot. I know, it’s just practice but there are clues about what this team wants to do and signs of how things could possibly go as the Broncos try to find their best players.

Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett talked after practice about finding the best guys to play – and how to set them up to perform at their best.

“We’re going to play the best guys. We’re always going to put things together for guys and we want to put them in the best position possible for them. We don’t want to put them in a position to fail. We want to put them in a good one. Whatever they can do and however much they can learn is what we want to attack with.” Hackett said.

Here are my three biggest observations from Broncos practice.

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Defense Strikes Back
There is no doubt that the defense ‘won’ on Tuesday. It started on the first play of team drills when quarterback Russell Wilson was picked off by cornerback Pat Surtain II. It was an amazing play from Surtain as he was covering wide receiver Tim Patrick down the right sideline. Surtain went up and got the ball, turned it around and likely had a ‘pick six’ on the opening play. His teammates went nuts after the play, and that interception set the tone for the rest of the day.

Wilson is tough to deal with, but the Broncos defense held their own on Tuesday. There were many times where Wilson had to scramble or check the ball down because the defense had his receivers covered downfield. Wilson loves to throw the long pass, and this offense should feature that early and often. However, I believe Wilson must get frustrated when forced to dink-and-dunk his way down the field due to defensive coverage.

He didn’t show it, but the Broncos defense had to frustrate Wilson on Tuesday. Wilson is going to test the defense, but they did a good job of testing him. This is going to be a great battle every day in minicamp and training camp.

After practice, Hackett talked about Surtain’s interception.

“We have to fix some things up on offense on that one. We messed that one up. We have to keep running on that. But I thought that was a great reactionary play for him and that was the first pick of the OTAs in the offseason. We’re going to be hearing about that, but that was a [heck] of a job across the board. The defense is coming along really well. Obviously, they have played together, and they’ve done a nice job. It makes us better, it makes me better, and makes the whole offense better. It’s great to see that competitive nature out there.” Hackett said.

If today’s #Broncos practice was a #StarWars movie it would’ve been “The Empire Strikes Back” with the defense playing the role of the Empire. Definitely a defensive day, guys were flying around and having fun on that side of the ball. Haven’t seen that in some time. @1043TheFan pic.twitter.com/BHGNVo3LcE

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) May 31, 2022

Next week, I want to see how the offense bounces back. Then, after that, I want to see which side wins when mandatory minicamp is here. That will be three days of full practices before the team takes a break. This entire offseason has been fun to watch the back-and-forth, and in mandatory minicamp we’ll get to a preview of what we’ll see in training camp.

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All About Buy In

You can tell from watching the offense that the players buy into what the coaching staff is putting together for them on that side of the ball. Players are having fun on the field, something I can’t say was the case under former head coach Vic Fangio. Hackett is a first-time head coach, but he understands the modern player and knows how to get the most out of them.

Having fun is part of the strategy to get the most out of players. That builds ‘buy in’ as the team goes through the rigors of camp. Playing football is tough, and mistakes will be made. When you have a team going nowhere, players will feel like things are hopeless. However, when you have a team that believes in their system, their coaches and mainly their quarterback – they’re never out of it.

Wilson has the ability to bounce back after a bad play. That’s something that must build confidence from his teammates as the veteran quarterback stays calm under duress.

Hackett talked about what allowed Wilson to stay steady when the chips are down.

“Focused. I think that the first play didn’t go very well today, and he just bounced right back, went right back into it, and wasn’t fazed at all. As a quarterback, kind of like a corner, you have to live in every play and once that play is over, move onto the next. It’s that simple, and that’s something I’ve been able to see him do and that’s why we practice. We practice to be able to find our limitations.” Hackett said.

IT’S ALL ABOUT BUY IN with the #Broncos – and you can tell this team is really grasping what the coaching staff wants them to do. FINALLY, a staff that emphasizes what players do BEST and puts them in position to DO JUST THAT. @1043TheFan pic.twitter.com/DWWGcY4Ysk

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) May 31, 2022

It’s clear this team believes in themselves, and I think that can lead to wins in the fall. Confidence is king, and this team is overflowing with belief in themselves. I think there is a humility that goes along with that confidence, and this team is not getting ahead of themselves. However, I do think they believe they can win a lot of games and push for a championship in 2022.

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Champ 2.0?
Player comparisons to Hall of Famers are often a bit misguided. For example, I will never compare another running back to Barry Sanders. It’s his style, but it’s also the fact that he showed like a Hall of Fame player the minute he stepped on the field for the Detroit Lions back in 1989.

After he was drafted in the first round by the Broncos in the 2021 NFL draft, many compared Patrick Surtain to former Broncos Hall of Fame cornerback Champ Bailey. It was his size, his intelligence and his ability to seemingly always be around the ball. Even when Bailey joined my show ‘Nick and Cecil’ on The Fan he compared Surtain to himself.

I just couldn’t bring myself to do that. Bailey is arguably the best cornerback of all time. He was a freak athlete who was outstanding in coverage while also showing no hesitation when it came to run defense. Bailey could do it all, and Surtain looks more and more like him every day. As I’m watching practice on Tuesday with Bailey’s former teammate (and my co-host) Nick Ferguson, I had to break down and admit Surtain does look like Bailey.

Veteran safety Kareem Jackson has seen quite a lot of growth from Surtain from last season to this season.

“I say this all the time about Pat. A guy with that size, speed, and the technique that he has is rare to be that young. I know he wants to get better in every aspect. He comes out every day and puts the work in. Just the little things—he’s been honing in on the small details. I sit next to him in the meetings, so the little stuff I see, I try to help him. It’s been night and day difference from his rookie year, and he had one hell of a rookie year. Seeing him now, he’s so much more patient in everything that he does. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what he does on Sundays.” Jackson said.

I CANNOT STAND making pro comparisons for young players to Hall of Fame players. HOWEVER, the more and more I watch Pat Surtain the more I think of Champ Bailey. This isn’t a new comparison, but I’m finally comfortable saying that. Surtain is SPECIAL #Broncos @1043TheFan pic.twitter.com/borlZNrlfi

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) May 31, 2022

There I said it! Phew, I do feel better. Surtain has a long way to go before he can measure up to what Bailey was able to do during his Hall of Fame career. The second-year pro is on the right track, and the Broncos are better off with him as an emerging leader on defense.

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