Nearly two months ago, after his first open-to-the-media, on-field workout since his ACL injury last fall, Tom Brady made it quite clear that he feels physically ready for the coming New England Patriots season.

But while Brady's left knee may be 100 percent, there's no telling how he is mentally — and the between-the-ears recovery, other players say, is the toughest part about coming back from major knee injuries.

Former St. Louis Rams quarterback Trent Green, whose 1999 knee injury at the hands of then-Charger Rodney Harrison led to Kurt Warner becoming a household name, recently said pocket awareness is key for quarterbacks returning to the field.

"We're so focused as quarterbacks down on the field, ignoring everything that's going on in very close proximity to you," Green said. "When you're coming back from an injury, especially where someone hit him low, you need to feel that pocket presence, need to feel it closing. It will be good for him the first few times to get hit. He'll realize, ‘I can stand in the pocket, take the hit and everything will be OK. This is just work as usual.' "

Fortunately for Brady, his pocket awareness and presence have always been among his biggest strengths — so often, he's been able to slide away from pressure, giving him that extra split-second to deliver a pass.

The numbers, however, show that the 2007 NFL MVP may still hit a few bumps along the way. Or, in this case, take a few more sacks.

Brady is the fifth starting quarterback in the last five years to suffer a torn ACL. San Diego's Philip Rivers was injured in the 2007 playoffs; the Eagles' Donovan McNabb got hurt midway through the '06 season; Cincinnati's Carson Palmer went down in the '05 playoffs, and then-Viking Daunte Culpepper was injured in Week Seven that same year.

With the exception of Culpepper, all were able to bounce back and put up comparable numbers the following year. The only statistic that saw a negative increase was takedowns.

Brady was sacked 21 times in his record-setting 2007 season.

Rivers, who earned a great deal of respect by playing the ‘07 AFC Championship in New England with his ACL completely torn, was back under center from game one last season. While he had a career year in terms of completion percentage and touchdown passes; he also absorbed 25 sacks compared to 22 the year before.

Palmer was sacked 36 times during his comeback season, but 15 of those came within the first four games, when he was undoubtedly dealing with whatever mental adjustments he had to make.

In a May interview with The Sporting News, Palmer echoed Green's thoughts about field awareness.

"I would just tell him to be prepared for the mental obstacles when he gets back on the practice field — and the game field," Palmer said when asked what advice he'd give his fellow QB. "You have to get over being uneasy about people being down around your feet and get over feeling like you need to step out of the way to protect yourself."

Palmer went on to say that he found himself throwing off his back foot initially — his injury was also to the left knee — as he dealt with any fears.

McNabb's sack number spiked after his ACL tear, from 21 (in 10 games) in 2006 to 44 in '07, but, like Palmer, he also took a chunk of those in the first four games of the year. McNabb was sacked 17 times, including an infamous 12 against the Giants in Week Four.

Culpepper's case is a little bit different. He and the Vikings struggled at the start of '05, and just as Culpepper began to round into form, he was injured in Week Seven. He was released by Minnesota after the season after disputes with team management regarding his rehab and contract status, and was traded to the Dolphins.

His mobility limited and hampered by a shoulder injury, Culpepper struggled mightily in Miami, with two touchdowns, three interceptions and 21 sacks in four games.

During that lengthy post-practice interview in May, Brady didn't address his mental recovery, but seemed eager to strap on the shoulder pads.

"We'll see," he said when asked if he's confident he'll be the same player post-injury. "Talk is cheap. I'm going to do the best that I can do and I'm going to try to be the best leader and the best teammate and supporter of the guys on my team — it's something I've always enjoyed doing. I'm grateful to have that chance. I can't wait to get out and start playing games."

smanza@projo.com