FOXBORO – If there were still doubts about his health, let it be known that Tom Brady and his left knee are a-o.k.

Under the watchful eyes – and lenses – of nearly 100 media members, Brady took part in passing camp for the third day this week on Thursday, and he was throwing passes and handing off just the way he did nearly nine months ago, before suffering a torn ACL and MCL last Sept. 7.

His knee, which has achieved the impressive feat of having more stories written about it than Britney Spears in recent months, was covered by royal blue sweatpants, though the shadow of the brace he's required to wear by team trainer Jim Whelan was noticeable under the pants.

Brady and the rest of the Patriots were put through the paces of a 90-minute workout, with Brady mostly passing from the shotgun; he also had some three-, five- and seven-step drops. He connected with all of his receivers, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Joey Galloway and Greg Lewis, though not as often as he'd like. There was a bit of a hitch in his run when he took part in sprints at the end of the workout, but that could be from the brace.

Afterwards, the 31-year old met with the media crush for over 20 minutes. As he walked into the middle of the circle, he joked, "I gotta tell you guys, I've really been looking forward to this."

He expressed happiness at getting back to "football stuff" rather than just the business of rehabbing from his injury.

"There is obviously a lot of rust by all of us, being off four months," Brady said, including himself as one who's rusty. "We're working hard to make the improvements we need to make. Thank God the season is a few months away – we need the work and I need the work.

"My body feels really good. My arm feels good. I'm not completing as many passes as I want, but we haven't been out here very long. I think it's just about getting better every day."

Brady was quick to say that he hasn't had to re-learn anything because of his injury, it is just a matter of regaining his feel and sense of timing.

"I've been playing football for a long time, so you don't have to re-learn how to do anything, you just have to go out and try to be sharp. I don't think I've been very sharp the last three days in practice," he said. "It takes a lot of reps and a lot of throwing. You see the defense and you make the throws and there are adjustments you have to make on the field. It's just a matter of putting it together at a different speed than when you go out and practice in the bubble in March or April.

"It's nice when team activities are on the field and there's blitzes and you can signal guys and a guy slips on a route and now you have to throw to a different player. Those are the things that you've got to sharpen up."

While on Thursday and in a Sports Illustrated interview published earlier this week Brady said he's able to participate in activities without restriction, he sidestepped the question when asked if he'd be able to play if opening day were two months away.

"I will take every day that I have. Believe me, I'll take every day. We have a lot of work (to do) and there are a lot of new faces and new coaches. There's been a lot of change for us this year and we have to use (the time until the season starts) to our advantage," he said.

The question of being ready for opening day came around again, and having already mentioned that football is a sport where every day or any play could be your last, he revisited the response.

"There's a lot of things that could happen in two months. I have to drive home this afternoon in Boston traffic; you never know what could happen. Knock on wood please," Brady said. "We're out here preparing and I don't anticipate anything, I hope there's not. We'll deal with something if something does . . . lightning striking, I don't know."

With nine NFL seasons under his belt, Brady called the time off from his injury the "halftime" of his career in the Sports Illustrated article, and that he'd like to play for another decade.

Despite the supermodel wife and covers of GQ, Brady assured that he is still a football player at heart.

"I'm a believer that talk is real cheap. I'm someone that likes to put the work in," he said. "I know it looks glamorous at times. I think what I enjoy the most is playing football and being with my family, and those are the kind of things that I do. I'm excited to go out there and compete and anytime I have a chance to compete, I love that. Whether it's on the practice field or the game field – which unfortunately is a few months away for us – you just have to come out, and I always enjoy that."

Playing into his 40s is a goal for Brady, and it seems that the time away from the game only reinforced that desire.

"Fortunately for a quarterback, you can play for 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 when you sit on the sidelines for an entire year you realize how much you love it," said Brady. "Not that you need [an injury] to happen to be grateful to play, but you experience things in a much different way and a way that I never experienced as an athlete.

"I love being out here. I love participating and being around these guys. We're working for some big goals we set, so we just have to, like Coach (Bill) Belichick says, come out here and work hard every day and do our job."

smanza@projo.com