Ninety-six members of the media checked in yesterday to watch the Patriots spend 100 minutes going through a glorified practice on a raw, overcast morning at Gillette Stadium. That's about five times the number of reporters, photographers, bloggers, talking heads and cameramen who took in a similar offseason training activities session last week.

Heck, it was close to the 105 or so media types who showed up here midweek prior to the Patriots -Jets/Belichick-Mangini playoff smackdown two years ago. So what gives?

That would be quarterback Tom Brady.

Nine months after shredding his left knee, Brady is back. Or, rather, on his way back.

The weather sucks worse than the economy at the moment. No Bruins, no Celtics, no Big Papi. No problem. All is well in New England.

"I feel as good as I can possibly feel," Brady said after the no-pads, non-contact workout. "I don't think about (The Knee). It doesn't bother me doing anything. It's feeling really good, and that's about as good as I can say.

"I was real happy with where I'm at and coming out in these workouts happy to participate in them. That was something that was a big goal for me to be able to do."

Brady reportedly began throwing in January, or just three months after he underwent surgery. Last month, coach Bill Belichick said his uber quarterback has "been doing his offseason work without any limitations."

Much has been written and spoken about Brady since he was introduced to Kansas City's Bernard Pollard last September. However, very little of it came directly from Brady.

Other than pictures of him in Costa Rica, New York and Newton, we saw very little of the GQ QB. We heard even less until the past week when he uttered a few generic comments for the Patriots' in-house Web show before doing an in-depth interview with Sports Illustrated.

The comeback tour picked up steam yesterday, and in a big way. Brady talked more than Rush Limbaugh, longer than Jordan Levy, and with a bigger smile than Rachael Ray, answering every question put forth with extensive and insightful responses.

Yes, he's wearing a brace on the left knee. No, he hasn't talked to other quarterbacks who have had to return from ACL and/or MCL surgery. Yes, he's very happy with his personal life. No, he isn't an expectant dad again.

Brady, who apparently has completed the physical rehabilitation portion of his recovery - there are undoubtedly mental hurdles to overcome - fully expects to be ready to go when the Patriots open the season against the Bills on Sept. 14. There is, however, much to be done between now and then.

"I've been playing Football for a long time, so you don't have to relearn how to do anything; you just have to go out and try to be sharp," Brady said. "I don't think I've been very sharp the last three days in practice. It takes a lot of reps and a lot of throwing, and you see the defense and you make the throws, and there are adjustments that are made on the field."

What Brady did on the field yesterday was akin to Shaq taking free throws in August. It was more symbolic than substance, more reassuring than meaningful.

See Tom take a snap and execute a handoff. See Tom take his turn in a play-action drill. See Tom throw a 7-yard out to Randy. It was all there in living color on an otherwise-dreary day.

"It's always good to have (number) 12 out there, man," running back Laurence Maroney said. "He's the leader of the team, and he brings a lot of energy to the team, so it's always great when you see his number out there on the field."

Fans are going to hold their breath every time Brady takes a hit from now until the day he retires. More worrisome to the adoring masses, though, is where Football is ranked on Mr. Bundchen's priority list these days.

One suspects it was never higher than family and friends, but thankfully it doesn't appear to have been superseded by all the glitz and glamour Brady has become increasingly associated with. Expensive jewelry is nice, but a Super Bowl ring remains priceless.

"I'm a believer that talk is real cheap," Brady said. "I'm someone that likes to put the work in. I know it looks glamorous at times, but what I enjoy the most is playing Football and being with my family, and those are kind of the things that I do.

"I'm excited to go out there and compete, and any time I have a chance to compete, I love that. Whether it's on the practice field or the game field, which is unfortunately a few months away for us, you've just got to come out. ... I'll always enjoy that."

Brady is back, and September can't get here soon enough.

Tom Brady on...

...Why this happened:

"I really don't think about it. I've never really thought about it. I never really focused on it. I think I felt bad myself that night, and I moved on after that. Since then, it's about trying to get better. Since it happened, there's nothing you can do, and you've got to find ways to move on. I'm grateful to be out here. Having the chance to come out here is something I've always wanted to do my entire life, and I've had the opportunity for nine years, and I'm at it for my 10th. Randy (Moss) jokes he wishes this were training camp, and I think, in a lot of ways, we feel the same way. We're going to put the work in, and we want to come out and get back to doing what we love to do."

...Adjusting to the injury:

"The throwing is not the problem at all. At this point, it's just about getting back to the Football activities. I'm doing the Football activities, not for my leg, but more for the rest of me. My body feels really good, my arm feels really good. ... I'm not completing as many passes as I want, but we haven't been out here very long. It's just about getting better every day. If you can do that and make continuous improvement over the course of weeks or months, I'll be a better player."

...The biggest surprise during this training session:

"It's a hard game, and it's one of those things if you're not doing it every day, and you're competing at this level, you always think it's going to get easier as you get older, and you're going to complete more balls, and that's not the way it works. You've got to come out every day and put the work in. You can't take anything for granted. You can't think because you completed last year a certain way, that's the way it's going to be this year. We've got a group of hard-working guys, and I'm very appreciative of that as a member of the team because I don't have to motivate those guys. They're really self-motivated. They're willing to work. We're willing to put the time in together. We're going to need all that hard work and commitment from everybody to make it a successful season."

...Playing another 10 years:

"I think we all have goals that we set for ourselves and how long we want to play. Fortunately, for a quarterback, you can play a long time because you don't get hit very often. I hope I have the opportunity to play for a long time. I think that you sit on the sideline for an entire year, you realize how much you love it. ... Not that you need that to happen to be grateful to play, but you experience things in a much different way, a way that I'd never experienced as an athlete. I love being out here, and I love participating and being around these guys. We're working for some big goals that we've set, so we've just got to, as Coach Belichick says, work hard every day and do your job."

...His personal life:

"I'm a very optimistic person, so I cherish those moments. There's been great things happening in my life for a long time. Certainly, this year was no different - different areas of success with marriage and with children. It's a great part of my life, and so's work. I'm excited for all those things coming together. I think I'm a happier person when I'm working. There's a lot of constraints on your time. It's about prioritizing them and doing the best you can do."