Pat Surtain, Sean Payton and the unusual motivational tactic that dredged up one of the All-Pro’s worst games

Sean Payton isn’t above motivational tricks. Few coaches are.

But the one he used on Pat Surtain II during a practice last year might be one of the most unusual ever foisted upon an NFL player.

Making a player carry around a football after a spate of fumbles as Audric Estimé did last season — that’s common. Making a player wear a stat line during a practice? That’s a new one to even grizzled NFL observers.

But that’s what Payton made Surtain do one day last season, as Surtain told Rich Eisen on The Rich Eisen show Wednesday.

Specifically, it was the statistics posted by then-New England Patriots wide receiver DeVante Parker at Surtain’s expense during a Dec. 24, 2023 game that the Broncos lost, 26-23.

“It was just like one of those games where I wasn’t locked in,” Surtain admitted.

Parker — who, as it turned out, was a fortnight from the end of his playing career — caught two passes down the left sideline for 57 yards against Surtain. The second grab was particularly crucial, a 26-yarder on New England’s final possession that helped set up the game-winning field goal.

DeVante Parker gets the @Patriots past midfield 👀

📺: #NEvsDEN on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/uY6Dg380OO pic.twitter.com/XAuETp2LAV

— NFL (@NFL) December 25, 2023

“It was just one receiver, kept mentioning, it wasn’t like one of my worst games, but it was a game where I knew, like, I was slacking a little bit,” Surtain told Eisen. “[Payton] was on me a little bit about it.

“And it’s this year coming up, we played against a familiar opponent who wasn’t as good. We should have beat the brakes off them. And, he just wrote this stat sheet on paper that the receiver had, and he put it on my name plate, my practice jersey, and he made me wear it the whole practice, let me know we’re not doing this again.”

Surtain continued recalling the moment.

“He was trying to make it, like, so secretive. But I was standing right there,” Surtain said. “My (position) coach is right here. [Payton] was like, ‘So, I’m running by stats against the Patriots last year with this one receiver, and he had a pretty good stat line against our number one corner.’ And I’m hearing it, you know, I mean, I’m sort of glimpsing the conversation, act like I don’t hear it.

“And he had this piece of paper written down, and I looked at it, and it was the stat sheet the receiver had, and he taped it on the back of my name plate, and I wore it throughout practice, which was crazy.”

That night was still on Payton’s mind nearly a year later.

“It was one of those games where I didn’t have my best game,” Surtain said. “But he remembered that game vividly.”

One can’t argue with the efficacy of the motivational tactic, as Surtain ended the 2024 season with the Defensive Player of the Year award.

The next steps, Surtain told Eisen, are team-wide accomplishments.

“I think honestly with me … I’ve hit that pinnacle stage of being the top defender in the game and reaching that status. Now it’s just all about the playoffs and reaching more into the playoffs,” Surtain said. “We talking about Super Bowl, we talking about finishing the playoffs out the right way.

“I know last year wasn’t the result we wanted to end it with, but I think we capped it off a good way by reaching the playoffs for the first time in like seven years. And that’s good for the organization, but, that’s something to build off of. We learned from that game and we know now what it takes to reach that stage, but to also finish out the right way.

“And I think we have the right team to do so. We got young talent all across the board. You know, we got Bo (Nix), who’s firing on all cylinders. We got a young offensive core, a young defensive core who’s hungry and determined. So, it’s a lot to be optimistic about, Broncos Country and, the season looking forward. I’m very positive on the future that we building here.”