Cardinals' Campbell relishing chance to face Brady's backup
Tom Brady will continue to fight the NFL in every way possible, but his chances of dodging a "Deflategate" suspension took a hit Wednesday when the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals denied his request for a rehearing.
The future Hall of Famer sitting out the first four games of the year would force Jimmy Garoppolo into the lineup for a challenging stretch that begins with the Arizona Cardinals.
Star defensive lineman Calais Campbell can't help but be excited about the possibility of taking on a New England Patriots team led by quarterback who lacks seasoning.
"Licking my chops," Campbell told CBS Sports Radio shortly after the Brady news broke Wednesday. "You get a rookie quarterback, it's always exciting when you get a guy like that for his first game because he's going to be nervous. He's probably going to be sitting there holding the ball a little longer or trying to get rid of it quick, throwing bad balls. As a vet, we definitely pride ourselves on welcoming (inexperienced quarterbacks) the right way."
There's still plenty of time before we'll know whether Brady actually will serve his punishment to start the year, as the next move is expected to be taking his case against the league to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Should Garoppolo take the reins, though, Arizona would undoubtedly be bumped up to a clear favorite in the Sunday night opener.
Arizona's defense finished fifth in total yards allowed last season, and the unit's 22 interceptions ranked second only to the Carolina Panthers.