The Denver Broncos’ defense has a tall task on Sunday night, facing one of the most accomplished quarterbacks of all-time and a tight-end target that is well-known around the league for being a premiere offensive weapon.

Broncos safety Justin Simmons is up to the task, he told Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro of Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 in the Broncos’ locker room when the trio chatted about Sunday’s matchup with the Patriots and facing Tom Brady.

“It’s great exposure. He’s one of the best, if not the best at what he does,” says Simmons, who also added that there’s a lot that can carry over from the last time he faced Brady.

“There’s a ton of stuff,” said Simmons. “The way that [Brady] reads coverages, the way that he uses his hard count… the way that he utilizes every piece of his offensive unit to see whether it’s zone or man. He uses different tools throughout the game to see whether you’re in man or zone; find out where the blitz is coming from. It makes you stay disciplined.”

Simmons also discussed Brady’s top tight-end target, and how the Broncos will look to disrupt Rob Gronkowski and prevent him from having a big day.

“You’ve really just got to be physical,” Simmons explained. “You’ve got to know where your help is; you’ve got to be able to limit his big-play ability.”

“If you’re by him, you’re going have to be violent at the point of attack,” Simmons continued. “Make sure that you break the pass up, and then if he does catch it, you’ve got to bring him down right where he is, because he’s a load and he’s known for getting yards after the catch.”

Sorry – this audio content is no longer available. to listen to the full interview with Justin Simmons, including what he had to say about the season’s current outlook and what the margin of error on the season has slimmed to.

Sorry – this audio content is no longer available.

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