How Sean Payton’s Psychological Tactics Fueled Pat Surtain II’s DPoY Season

High levels of motivation have already made Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II an elite Pro Bowler in the NFL. Even so, since Sean Payton became Surtain's head coach, some more Machiavellian motivational tactics have been in play. 

On Wednesday, Surtain joined the Rich Eisen Show, detailing how Payton pushed and prodded at the superstar cornerback to inspire him to produce his absolute best last season. 

"So two years ago, we played against the Patriots and it wasn't my best game. We lost that game," Surtain told Eisen. "And on the field, he (Payton) had written down the exact stat sheet that that receiver had against me. It was just one receiver he kept mentioning. It wasn't like one of my worst games, but it was a game where I knew I was slacking a little bit. He was on me a little bit about it. This year coming up, we played against a familiar opponent who wasn't as good. We should beat the brakes off them. And he just wrote this stat sheet on paper that the receiver had and he put it on my nameplate, my practice jersey, and he made me wear it the whole practice. To let me know, no, we're not doing this again." 

This speaks to Surtain's easy-going nature that he didn't take offense to Payton using such tactics to motivate the young cornerback and shine a light on DeVante Parker's previous production in a got-to-have-it game. That's rare these days.

Losing to the New England Patriots with the playoffs on the line back in 2023 was repurposed as fuel to propel Surtain and the Broncos to greater heights the following season. It also reminded him not to play down to an inferior level.

Payton has never been afraid to push his players' buttons through the years. Payton once famously joked that former Broncos backup quarterback Ben DiNucci would easily get a job through Broncos CEO Greg Penner at Walmart if he kept up with his poor rookie mini-camp performances. 

“I was telling Greg before practice how this Ben DiNucci was doing well," Payton said in May of 2023. "I told Ben—I said, ‘You know, he owns Walmart. If it doesn't work out here, I’m sure there’s a greeting opportunity somewhere at one of his local stores (laughs).'"

History tells us that even the dominant Surtain is not beyond some level of football psychology from his head coach every so often. Prior to Week 3's action last season, Payton jokingly claimed he was going to orchestrate a one-week-only trade for New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore — claiming to Surtain that it might be the only way for the Broncos to shut down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' talented receiving corps. 

Whatever works, I suppose. After all, Surtain played lights out in that life-giving victory in Tampa. Everyone, including Surtain, played with a chip on their shoulder and delivered a huge victory, which went a long way toward kick-starting the Broncos' season after starting out in an 0-2 hole. 

"He responded," Payton said of Surtain. "So it was good. No trade." 

Holding the Bucs' record-breaking wideout Mike Evans to just one catch for eight yards was one chapter in Surtain's 2024 tome of dominance, which ultimately led to the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Great players can often drift along, even in high gear, and it's almost undetectable at times how the one or two percent extra they're capable of giving can make all the difference. For the Broncos, Payton squeezing out the additional juice helped lead to a 10-win season and a playoff berth, and for Surtain, it helped write his place in NFL history forever. 

Maybe Surtain has reached the kind of rarefied air that no longer requires the occasional stick in the rib cage, but don't count on it with Payton marching around the building.