Steelers were hoping to face Tom Brady in season opener

Tom Brady’s four-game suspension was vacated this week when U.S. District Court Judge Richard Berman ruled in favor of the Patriots quarterback. The NFL announced it will appeal the decision, but Brady will be on the field when the Patriots face the Steelers in Week 1.

Once Brady’s suspension was announced, it looked as though we were headed towards seeing Jimmy Garoppolo under center for New England for four games. That, obviously, won’t be the case now and it sounds like that’s just fine with Pittsburgh.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Steelers are glad to be facing the Patriots with their future Hall of Famer in the lineup.

“Looking forward to it,” Cameron Heyward told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “It’s Brady. Shoot, what better way to start the season than to play Brady.”

“Our best against their best. (No.) 7’s (Ben Roethlisberger) gonna be there, 12’s (Brady) gonna be there. So let’s join the party,” Heyward continued.

“We were always hoping to see their best,” Cortez Allen said. “That way, there’s no question at the result of the game.”

The opening game of the NFL season is always a big deal with lots of fanfare. The Super Bowl winner is showcased and the opponent is always a little extra amped up. It’s understandable the competitive part of Pittsburgh players would want to face Brady and now they will get the opportunity to do just that.

Since the league is planning to appeal Judge Berman’s decision, this certainly won’t be the last we hear of Brady in relation to Deflategate. However, it does provide some sense of closure with the NFL season set to get underway next week.