TWO'S THE ONE

The nam sake son of an M-Pro at the position, high-flying Broncos cornerback PATRICK SURTAIN II has put himself among the NFL's defensive elite and is ised to raise Denver to new heights

- by MITCH GOLDICH

ALL EYES are on Deuce. The 80-pound, 10-month-old Doberman, with ears sticking straight up like a ref signaling touchdown, runs into a fenced-in pit full of pebbles and makes a beeline for a smaller dog. They run up and down along the fence, playing and chasing each other, and the humans nearby can't help but watch the big dog cover such a tremendous amount of ground. In a park just a few miles from downtown Denver, several dozen people are enjoying a sunny afternoon and nobody so much as turns their head toward the soft-spoken NFL star, his loose-fitting white hoodie hiding his physique.

If Deuce were a football player, he'd be a wide receiver, Patrick Surtain II says: "He'd be a good little receiver. He got the speed. Changes direction good. Quickness."

But?

"I'd lock him up though," the All-Pro corner and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year says. Of course he would. He locks up everyone else. "He wouldn't get off the line of scrimmage," Surtain says, flashing a grin.

Deuce is a fitting name for the dog. It's the continuation of a branding exercise that Surtain began in high school. "I believe two is a lucky number," he says. He decided long ago that he prefers the Roman numeral II to the suffix Jr., just to be a little different. His name preceded him at American Heritage school in Plantation, Fla., given that he was the son of Patrick Surtain Sr., former star of the nearby Dolphins. The elder Surtain was close at hand, too-he was the head coach during his son's senior season. So everyone knew the star corner as Pat Surtain II.