Pat Surtain II walks into the interview, sits in the first chair, and smiles.
He makes a living making receivers uncomfortable, so I figure I will return the favor. All I have to do is ask Surtain to talk about himself and the likelihood he will win NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors next week.
Then something surprising happens. He sheds his humility, clearly aware of the magnitude of this accomplishment.
“It was a goal of mine. I always think big. Obviously, this is something I expected, but I didn’t expect it so soon,” Surtain said of an honor only won once before by a Bronco, linebacker Randy Gradishar in 1978.