With the New England Patriots missing out on the playoffs last year, the wait from the end of the 2008 season to the start of the ’09 season has seemed interminable to many.

But Thursday, the wait ends. New England will hold its first training camp session of the year, beginning at 9:30 a.m., and currently the Pats are scheduled to hold 14 practices in the first seven days of camp.

With 82 players on the roster (two roster moves must be made before the first session to meet the NFL camp limit of 80), there’s no shortage of things to keep an eye on, but here’s a couple of suggestions to get you started:

QUARTERBACK (4): Tom Brady (10th season, 6-foot-4, 225 pounds), Kevin O’Connell (2nd, 6-5, 230), Matt Gutierrez (3rd, 6-4, 230), Brian Hoyer (rookie, 6-2, 215)

Keep your eyes on: Gutierrez vs. Hoyer – Word is the Pats are happy with O’Connell, and he will likely be Brady’s backup. So if three quarterbacks are kept, it will be between Gutierrez and Hoyer. As the backup to Matt Cassel last season, Gutierrez was on the active roster for 15 games, so he is out of practice squad eligibility; Hoyer certainly qualifies for practice squad, but if the coaching staff likes him, they’d be taking a chance on him clearing waivers and another team not snatching him up. There’s also something about Brady that bears notice, but it’s escaping us at the moment…

RUNNING BACK (5): Laurence Maroney (4th, 5-11, 220), Fred Taylor (12th, 6-1, 228), Kevin Faulk (11th, 5-8, 202), Sammy Morris (10th, 6-0, 220), BenJarvus Green-Ellis (2nd, 5-11, 215)

Keep your eyes on: Maroney is itching to prove himself after spending much of last season dealing with a shoulder injury and fending off questions after his “I have issues” press conference on the West Coast, and it is time for him to prove why he was a first-round draft pick. But in recent years, New England has spread the carries among its running backs rather than having one workhorse who takes the brunt of the hits; watch for how Taylor and Morris are used, with the ageless Faulk in his customary third-down duty.

WIDE RECEIVER (10): Randy Moss (12th, 6-4, 210), Wes Welker (6th, 5-9, 185), Joey Galloway (15th, 5-11, 197), Greg Lewis (7th, 6-0, 185), Sam Aiken (7th, 6-2, 215), Ray Ventrone (4th, 5-10, 200), Brandon Tate (rookie, 6-1, 195), Shun White (rookie, 5-8, 195), Julian Edelman (rookie, 6-0, 198), Terrence Nunn (rookie, 6-0, 195)

Keep your eyes on: Galloway. His goatee is flecked with silver, but Galloway still has speed to burn. He enters camp as the top candidate to fill the number-three receiver role previously occupied by Jabar Gaffney. Lewis will be fighting for looks as well.

TIGHT END (5): Benjamin Watson (6th, 6-3, 255), David Thomas (4th, 6-3, 248), Chris Baker (8th, 6-3, 258), Alex Smith (5th, 6-4, 258), Tyson DeVree (2nd, 6-6, 245)

Keep your eyes on: Watson vs. Thomas vs. Smith – The Patriots signed Baker to a five-year free-agent contract, so it doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere soon. That leaves Watson, Thomas and Smith vying for what is likely two spots. Without a true fullback on the roster, using a tight end to block out of the backfield is a strong possibility, and being able to catch a couple of passes a game would be helpful.

OFFENSIVE LINE (16): Dan Koppen (7th, 6-2, 296), Logan Mankins (5th, 6-4, 310), Matt Light (9th, 6-4, 305), Stephen Neal (8th, 6-4, 305), Nick Kaczur (5th, 6-4, 315), Ryan O’Callaghan (4th, 6-7, 330), Sebastian Vollmer (rookie, 6-8, 315), Al Johnson (7th, 6-5, 305), Ryan Wendell (1st, 6-2, 285), Billy Yates (6th, 6-2, 300), Rich Ohrnberger (rookie, 6-2, 300), Dan Connolly (4th, 6-4, 313), Russ Hochstein (9th, 6-4, 305), Mark LeVoir (3rd, 6-7, 310), Wesley Britt (4th, 6-8, 320), George Bussey (rookie, 6-3, 305)

Keep your eyes on: Kaczur vs. O’Callaghan vs. Vollmer – Kaczur might be the weakest of the returning starters on the line, and he will be pushed by O’Callaghan, who missed last year with a shoulder injury, and Vollmer, whose upside is as big as his massive frame.

DEFENSIVE LINE (11): Vince Wilfork (6th, 6-2, 325), Richard Seymour (9th, 6-6, 310), Ty Warren (7th, 6-5, 300), Mike Wright (5th, 6-4, 295), Jarvis Green (8th, 6-3, 285), Le Kevin Smith (4th, 6-3, 308), Stephen Williams (2nd, 6-2, 300), Ron Brace (rookie, 6-3, 330), Darryl Richard (rookie, 6-4, 295), Titus Adams (1st, 6-4, 305), Myron Pryor (rookie, 6-1, 310)

Keep your eyes on: Brace’s development. Wilfork wants to stay in New England, but if a deal can’t get done and he hits the free-agent market next year, Brace would be option No. 1. He has the stout body nose tackles need, now he has to learn the two-gap style and how to tie up multiple offensive linemen.

LINEBACKER (12): Tedy Bruschi (14th, 6-1, 247), Jerod Mayo (2nd, 6-1, 245), Adalius Thomas (10th, 6-2, 270), Pierre Woods (4th, 6-5, 255), Eric Alexander (5th, 6-2, 240), Paris Lenon (8th, 6-2, 235), Tully Banta-Cain (7th, 6-2, 250), Vinny Ciurciu (7th, 6-0, 240), Vince Redd (2nd, 6-6, 260), Gary Guyton (2nd, 6-3, 245), Shawn Crable (2nd, 6-5, 243), Tyrone McKenzie (rookie, 6-2, 240)

Keep your eyes on: Redd. With Crable apparently starting camp on the active PUP list, there’s no knowing whether he’ll be on the field in three days or three weeks. In that time, Redd could stake his claim to a bigger role at linebacker – he has the size, speed and intelligence New England generally looks for in its outside ’backers.

DEFENSIVE BACK (14): Shawn Springs (13th, 6-0, 204), Terrence Wheatley (2nd, 5-9, 185), Jonathan Wilhite (2nd, 5-11, 185), Leigh Bodden (7th, 6-1, 193), Tank Williams (8th, 6-2, 223), James Sanders (5th, 5-10, 210), Brandon Meriweather (3rd, 5-11, 200), Brandon McGowan (5th, 5-11, 210), Patrick Chung (rookie, 5-11, 212), Mike Richardson (3rd, 5-11, 190), Matthew Slater (2nd, 6-0, 200), Darius Butler (rookie, 5-10, 185), Herana-Daze Jones (3rd, 5-11, 206), Jamar Love (rookie, 6-0, 191)

Keep your eyes on: Wheatley vs. Wilhite vs. Butler – Though newcomers to the Patriots, Springs and Bodden may well be the top corners on Opening Day. But a top third corner is a necessity with so many three-receiver sets. Wilhite finished his rookie season well, while Wheatley was really starting to put things together before breaking his wrist in Indianapolis. Butler showed well in spring camps.

SPECIALISTS (5): K Stephen Gostkowski (4th, 6-1, 215), P Chris Hanson (11th, 6-2, 202), P Tom Malone (1st, 6-0, 205), LS Nathan Hodel (8th, 6-2, 238), LS Jake Ingram (rookie, 6-3, 235)

Keep your eyes on: Hodel vs. Ingram – Ingram is the only healthy rookie (LB McKenzie reportedly tore his ACL in rookie mini-camp) not yet signed as of Wednesday evening, amazing given that he’s a long-snapper picked in the fifth round. If he signs, he and Hodel will be trying to fill the incredibly consistent shoes of Lonie Paxton, who is now with Denver. Paxton didn’t muff a snap in all of his seasons with the Pats.

smanza@projo.com