Patrick Surtain II recently discussed one attention-catching difference between Nick Saban and Sean Payton.
Patrick Surtain II may be only 24 years old, but he's already played for some of the best coaches in football.
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year is currently playing for Sean Payton, one of just seven active coaches who have won a Super Bowl. The 61-year-old is best known for leading the New Orleans Saints to a 15-year run of success, culminating in a Super Bowl victory at the conclusion of the 2009 season.
Making matters even more impressive is that the Saints won nine division titles during his tenure in New Orleans. The Saints had largely been known as a losing franchise prior to Payton's arrival, winning a division title and a playoff game just once prior to 2006.
Payton is currently in the process of leading a reloaded Denver Broncos squad, fresh off of their first playoff appearance since the 2015 season. However, Surtain II is no stranger to playing for great coaches, having done so before under the greatest college football head coach of all-time in Nick Saban.
Surtain II had a prolific career with the Alabama Crimson Tide prior to being selected in the first round in 2021. He won a National Championship, was named a Unanimous All-American and won SEC Defensive Player of the Year during the 2020 season.
Patrick Surtain II explains Nick Saban, Sean Payton's coaching styles
The three-time Pro Bowler detailed the key difference in the coaches' styles.
“I think there's some similarities,” Surtain II said in a one-on-one interview. “I say Saban is more hands on, he's going to get at you. He's going to — not saying Sean doesn't — but everything's structured with him with Saban. He built you for that tough grind, those grueling hard days in the summer, those workouts. It's like a program with him, everything is just top notch, top down.”
After a brief tenure coaching the Miami Dolphins in the NFL — Surtain II's father played for the Dolphins just prior to Saban's arrival — Saban went on to become the best college coach of all-time. He won six national championships at Alabama after his arrival in 2007, in addition to the one he earned in 2003 with the LSU Tigers.
The seven national championships are the most by a head coach in college football history.
“With Saban, the practical aspect of it is you're going to get it done or you're not,” Patrick Surtain II said of Nick Saban's coaching style. “You're going to get it done, or this is not what is going to happen. And it's proven with Saban, he's done it at the highest level. He's the greatest college football coach ever.”
In addition to his six national championships with the Crimson Tide, Saban also went to the National Championship Game on three other occasions. In his 17 seasons at Alabama, they won at least 12 games in 13 of those seasons.
“When you get under that experience, I feel like it gets the best out of you for sure,” Surtain II added. “When I was with Saban, you just learn something new each and every day. How he operates, how he's able to manage the team, how each and every year his teams consistently are in the National Championship game. They win 12-plus games each and every year. I think he's the reason behind it because he sets his team up for success.
“He's not with the complacency, he is with getting better and building step by step each and every week within his program,” Surtain II continued.
The best cornerback in the league will look to carry over that success with Payton at the NFL level. After winning the Defensive Player of the Year, Patrick Surtain II is prioritizing winning over individual honors moving forward. The four-year cornerback believes the Broncos are set up for success and that they could emerge as Super Bowl contenders in 2025.
