When the Arizona Cardinals host the New England Patriots in Week 1, there’s a strong chance won’t be tasked with defending Tom Brady. That’s perfectly fine with Calais Campbell.
Following Wednesday’s news that Brady’s latest attempt to appeal his four-game Deflategate suspension was denied, Campbell sounded downright delighted at the prospect of facing Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
“Licking my chops,” the Cardinals defensive end said in an interview with CBS Sports Radio’s “Tiki and Tierney.” “You get a rookie quarterback, pretty much. 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.”
Garoppolo isn’t a rookie — he was drafted in 2014 and has appeared in 11 games for the Patriots — but he’s yet to start a game at the NFL level. And Campbell should have confidence in the Cardinals’ defense, which ranked second in the league in takeaways, fifth in yards allowed and tied for seventh in points allowed last season.
The primetime matchup should be a battle regardless of who New England has under center, however, as the Patriots and Cardinals both are coming off appearances in their respective conference championship games.
Brady still could be active for the game, too, as he reportedly is expected to take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Thumbnail photo via Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports Images
