FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was denied an en banc hearing in federal court, which upholds his four-game NFL suspension. What does this mean for the team on the field?

Training camp approach. Bill Belichick regularly reminds reporters that the goal throughout training camp is to get all 90 players on the roster ready for the season, which ties in to how he often splits up repetitions among players -- everyone gets a lot of them. With Brady's status for the first four games potentially still uncertain pending an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, it's possible that there will be no noticeable change in how Belichick splits up QB repetitions early in training camp. In spring camps, it was essentially 50-50 between Brady and top backup Jimmy Garoppolo, and that likely would continue early in training camp (No. 3 man Jacoby Brissett received plenty of work as well in spring practices). A key point will be around the third preseason game and if there is any more clarity on Brady's status. At that point, when setting a game plan for the regular-season opener moves into a higher gear, Belichick might consider shifting more of the workload toward one of the top two quarterbacks.

Third year is big jump for Garoppolo. Earlier this offseason, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels noted the traditional progression for players in the team's system, and while he wasn't specifically speaking about Garoppolo, his words certainly apply. In Year 1, McDaniels said a rookie is simply trying to stay afloat and absorb all the information thrown at him because it's a big jump from college to the NFL. In Year 2, that gap has closed a bit, but it's still a catch-up situation. Finally, in Year 3, the coaching staff expects to see a player who can play fast and have things come quicker to them in terms of X's and O's. That's where the coaching staff feels Garoppolo (2014 second-round pick) is at this point, and there is confidence that the Patriots can compete with him under center if that's the way it unfolds.

Three of first four games at home. The schedule broke nicely for the Patriots from a home/road perspective if Brady isn't available. The first game is on the road (Arizona) in prime time, followed by home games against the Dolphins, Texans and Bills. In the event that Garoppolo is thrust into action, playing at home is naturally preferred, as there generally isn't as much stress on the communication that is so critical for the offense to operate efficiently.

One more important note to keep in mind: This isn't over. While this is a setback for Brady, one that was expected by many given the long odds of en banc hearings being granted, he can still appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Up to this point, all indications have been that Brady planned to do so if this was the way the case unfolded.