Patrick Surtain Sr

I'm totally fine with it. I didn't want to relinquish the title quite yet, but it's obvious.

I do. I do. Obviously, you know, I play with the other greats in Sam Madison, play some with T-Buck. But I just think, you know, the number of years I was there, seven years, the stats I was able to accumulate, you know, the Pro Bowls, you know, just being an all-around player, you know, played the slot, you know, got seven and a half sacks, obviously 37 picks.

It's up for debate, but I think my time here and the work that I put in definitely will concern. If you ask anybody else that question, they would say the same thing.

Not really because I've seen him do it for so long, you know, just going back to high school, college, and just his – I vividly remember his rookie year where they just lined him out there like, you got this guy, man. And he was playing with some veteran guys and around the Darby and Justin Simmons back there. And they had trust in him from day one to go out there and

Handle his business on the perimeter. And as the years have gone by, he's just only, he progressed in his game. And now, you know, he's probably one of the rare cornerbacks, you know, in the game that follows the number one receiver. And I think that alone, you know, and being able to shadow those guys because The receivers now, man, they're so good.

They're coming into the pros, you know, ready made. They're really good players. And for him to go and follow the top guys each and every week, you know, it says something about him and says how much trust that the coaching staff has in him.

There were some times, but, you know, it's crazy because – I didn't have any clue that I wanted to coach. But when I retired, I had to do something. He was at the park, and I was just this crazy dad in the stands just yelling at people and everything. So my thing was, I'm out here, so I might as well help and start coaching. But, you know, I tried to...

to treat him as equal as I can as all the other players. I didn't want to, you know, make an example. But at some point in time, I had to make an example with him to let the other guys know that, you know, he yelled at his son, you know, the rest of us could get it too. But, you know, you have to know how to separate the two.

You know, I was coach at the school and on the football field, but at home I was dad, you know. So I think it worked out pretty good.

Dan, I was nuts. I was nuts in this thing, man. I didn't know where it came from. Just yelling at people. I remember one game I was on the sideline. He's running for a long touchdown. I'm running down the sideline, and I knock a kid over. I'm like, oh, man, what am I doing? So... You know, it was just the excitement of seeing, you know, your kid out there doing special things, man.

It just brought a certain energy and feeling out of me. Wait a second.

So good. He actually played running back, so he was running down the field scoring a touchdown. I'm running... The same directions as him, full speed, and there was a little kid. I think the kid was like eight years old, man, ran clean over the little kid. That's embarrassing. It is.

I don't think he sucks because he's out running me, so he's a little bit ahead of me. But, yeah, man, sorry to the kid.

Oh, just seeing him compete, man. I remember, I think two years ago, he had two picks against the Chargers, and he came to the stands and handed me the ball, and I'm knocking people over, get out of the way, that's my ball. Getting the ball and going back, man, just... But it's also, you know, because when you're out there actually playing the game, you know, you're in control of everything.

So there's no words. You're just out there playing. But as a dad, and I know Stu spoke about it earlier, but as a dad and a father watching your kid play, even at this level, you get anxiety because you want to do so well. And, like, everybody's expecting him to go out there and hold guys to zero catches. And when he gives up one, people are like, Oh, my God. You know, which is part of the game.

You know, like I said, a clock is – a broken clock is right two times a day.

Randy Moss wasn't good? I'm not going to let you do that. No. Are we talking about Randy Moss and Terrell Lowens and Marvin Harrison? That's all the famous now. Yeah. That's the guys we have to go against.

Yeah, like you said, man, there's some excellent receivers in the league, but he doesn't shy away from it, man. Like, he relishes the opportunity. Like, we'll talk before the game. I'm like, you matching up this week? Of course I am. You know, and he looks forward to the opportunity. That's the kind of comparator he is.

That's the kind of the work and the film study, the habits that he's created for himself. He's always up for the challenge. And the thing I love about it, he shows no fear, man. He gave a play up. He's out there next play in his face, you know, relishing the opportunity to go against the very best.

And for my money, man, the things he did, the way that his defense turned around, he definitely deserves defensive player of the year because nobody, no other corner player has the responsibilities that he has. And to go out there and shut guys down and do it at a very high level, man, it speaks volumes.

I just say the thing I marvel at and, you know, looking back at what I did, I just say the technical aspect, you know, and just being able to stay in front of guys, man, that's a skill in itself and just the technique, the confidence, just all that, man, that it takes to play cornerback in this league at a high level.

You know, I kind of see those same traits in him that I had in myself, the playmaking ability, you know, just being able because people don't understand, man, like there's different body types of receivers that you got to go against, especially at his size, and to go against the DK Metcalfs and then go against the quick guys like a Garrett Wilson, then a guy like Jamar Chase.

The same thing when I played. We had to go against a Randy Marshall, a T.O., then come back and go against a little guy, Marv Harris. People understand that, you know, those matchups are tough because you're going against different guys and they present different challenges to you as far as quickness, power, speed, and all that stuff. And to be up and added every week, man, it takes discipline.

It takes the right kind of mentality, man. That shows why he's the best in the game.

I mean, everybody know that was that was that was quite. Yeah, that was bad. Just for the record, like I surprised him. You know, he didn't know I was coming. So I came on the field pregame and everything. And, you know, just for the record, by the end of the about two minutes left in the third quarter, I was I was drunk. So I knew the score.

But the thing about it, they were down, and Mike McDaniel kept throwing the ball. I'm like, oh, see, he's trying to break records on them. But, yeah, I was in club with him. I was in club with him watching the game.

I was watching out of one eye.

Oh, man, that's one of those games, man. That's like the Jacksonville playoff game. They should have had liquor at halftime for us.

He's a student of the game. He may not know, though. That was bad.

It wasn't Jimmy Smith, man. It was Fred Taylor. Hey, I knew it was over. I knew it was over before the game. Dan throwing the pick six and the water sprinklers come on. It was over after that.

Appreciate it, Dad. Stu, thanks for having us. Thank you, guys.