The Lead
When Pat Surtain II was named an AP first-team All-Pro a week ago, the distinction represented more than just a huge benchmark in the young player’s career.
At a broader level, it also marked the continuation of an impressive legacy at the position for the franchise, as Surtain became the fifth Broncos cornerback to earn AP first-team All-Pro honors since the AFL-NFL merger, following Louis Wright, Champ Bailey, Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr.
While top-notch cornerback play may have a well-established history in Denver, an understanding of exactly how challenging that is still lags, former Broncos cornerback and current ESPN analyst Domonique Foxworth posited in an appearance on Friday’s “ESPN Daily” podcast. With his experience as an NFL player, Foxworth joined the podcast to explain exactly why playing the position is harder than it seems from a physical and mental level and why the current crop of cornerbacks across the league, including Surtain, are elevating the position to a “golden age.”
Over the course of the episode, Foxworth works to dispel some of the notions that have become entrenched over the years about cornerbacks.
“You don’t play corner just because you can’t catch,” Foxworth said. “You play corner because you’re capable of doing everything that that guy does backwards while also anticipating what the quarterback is doing. That’s why you play cornerback. If you happen to be able to catch the ball also, [great]. … The ability to do that is incredible. Not everyone has those level of hands or that level of anticipation.”
One of the rare players who could do all that and had a knack for picking off passes, Foxworth said, was Bailey, his former teammate and a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
“I do think that there are certain players that are incredible at it,” Foxworth said. “You want to go back in time, you think of Champ Bailey. I started opposite him as a rookie. I think they threw his direction 33 times the whole season. He had eight…
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