The Denver Broncos are constantly attacking under defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, showing that it's better to have two productive cornerbacks than one. While the dominant Patrick Surtain II is invariably placed on a pedestal, on the other hand, sophomore Riley Moss is gaining significant recognition of his own.

Moss' first goal should be to get the attention of Broncos head coach Sean Payton.

“I think Riley has increased (his confidence),” Payton said Wednesday. “Riley is certainly aware of this, but I just told (owner and CEO) Greg (Penner) and (GM) George (Paton). We were just sitting there talking and I said, 'Man, if you look at the film of this guy playing right now, he's playing at a high level.'”

Confidence is a two-way street in professional sports. As Moss develops his confidence, Payton also has faith in the former Iowa star.

“He’s long, he’s smart and super competitive,” Payton said of Moss. “One of the qualities you have to have in this position is that you are going to fail (at some point), and you have to dare to fail and come right back. I’m really pleased with his progress.”

It's easy to attribute the success of the Broncos' secondary to what Surtain allows them to do scheme-wise. In many ways that may be true, but Surtain likes the collaboration that Denver's emerging defense currently has.

With the presence of Moss and nickel corner Ja'Quan McMillian, it's more than just Surtain locking down the opposing No. 1 receiver.

“I’m just going by the last four weeks. We were very dominant,” Surtain said Wednesday. “Ja'Quan), 'J-Mac', he just played great football and made plays. (S) PJ (Locke), Riley and (S) Brandon (Jones), all on the defensive side of the secondary. We have just fine-tuned communication, are on the same page and understand what is important. Ultimately, I could see from the last few weeks that we really worked on the little things, and that's what made us great.”

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It could be that the rich get richer, especially if Moss and the entire unit focus on the finer details. Additionally, cornerback Damarri Mathis is expected to return from injured reserve, which will only add depth to the forward-facing unit.

While everyone is excited about the progress of the Broncos defense, things would likely turn out differently if Surtain were taken out of the lineup, particularly when it comes to the defensive system. That's a nuclear scenario Payton doesn't want to consider for a fleeting moment.

Payton would much rather talk about all the benefits of having a cover corner like Surtain play for the good guys.

“It’s like the question of good news and bad news,” Payton said. “'The good news is you just did a great job against so-and-so.' “What's the bad news?” “Well, this week it's this (guy).” That brings stress.

This challenge was presented to Surtain by Payton in several ways. Before the game in Tampa, this was even done in jest. But when you boil it down, Surtain seems to have no problem shadowing the game's best receivers all over the field.

“I’ve been doing this for a few years and just had the experience of traveling against the best,” Surtain said. “Year after year I feel like with my experience I have gotten better at knowing my opponent. This is just an honor for my game and also for the staff who trusted me to put me in this situation. The staff made this decision.” In order for me to be able to follow the best every week, I absolutely have to live up to that.

Ultimately, Moss not only learns from a true generational player in Surtain, the 24-year-old's rapid rise also allows the Broncos to take the lead and attack with their first weapon.

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