It’s no stretch to say that veteran quarterback Tom Brady, now in his ninth season, likes his chances for success in the upcoming NFL season.

The Journal / Gretchen Ertl

FOXBORO — Tom Brady was all smiles as he came striding across the practice field to address the media for the first time since the first day of training camp.

Not that the veteran quarterback was necessarily thrilled at the prospect of chatting with the reporters and cameramen huddled around the orange cone where he would hold his impromptu news conference by the edge of the field.

It’s just that Brady and his teammates had just learned that they had been given their first night off — and that they would get to sleep in their own beds after nose tackle Vince Wilford caught a pass while already holding two footballs, one under each arm, at the end of practice.

“Vince has been our go-to guy on that for a few years,” said a grinning Brady. “He had to catch a ball while he had two balls in his hand, which is a little more challenging. Coach threw us a bone and it doesn’t happen too often.”

Brady appears to be quite at ease as he prepares for his ninth NFL season.

“I love being here and I love being a part of this team,” he said, pointing out that at 31 he is now the fourth-oldest player on the team behind Tedy Bruschi, Kevin Faulk and Lonie Paxton. “It is a great situation. I have a great head coach, great coaches, great ownership and it is a great place to be. Great media. Doesn’t get any better than this does it?”

Brady shared his thoughts on a wide range of topics during his session with the media:

•Every training camp takes on a different focus, he says, and in this preseason Patriots coach Bill Belichick has placed particular emphasis on “situational football.”

“Towards the end of every practice we are working on two-minute drill, four-minute drill and situational plays that we really need to be on so when they come up in a game it is not the first time they have come up,” Brady said. “Coach has been really harping on that and I think the team’s responding to it. The new guys are picking it up quickly. Some days are better than others. We are still eating that humble pie around here. Coach has been on us pretty good.”

•Given that such players as wide receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker have a season with the Patriots under their belts, Brady says he feels the offense is “very far ahead of where we were last year.

“We know what we can do. It’s not about getting lined up in the formation and running the play. Now it’s about getting into a better play if the play we called in the huddle isn’t the one we like the best when we line up on the field. Those guys can adjust because they know the signals, they know the routes. They know how we want to run. They know the techniques of the defensive backs. I feel like from day one we were way ahead of last year, and I hope that shows up when we start playing the regular season.”

•Staying on the subject of Moss, Brady was asked how his teammate has been doing, since Moss has kept a rather low profile during this training camp.

“He’s great,” Brady said. “We have a great relationship, and he’s worked very, very hard. He loves playing football. I think that’s what he loves to do, and it’s what he focuses his attention on.”

•The injuries to the offensive line don’t have Brady overly concerned.

“I know they are working hard to get back,” he said. “The guys that are in now I have a lot of confidence in. They are guys who have played. Billy [Yates] has played. Wes [Britt] has played. [Nick] Kaczur has played. They are going to be fine.”

•As to quarterback Brett Favre being traded to the New York Jets, who will be New England’s second regular-season opponent (Sept. 14 at Giants Stadium), Brady said: “The Jets have made a lot of moves. They are a tough team. Miami has made improvements. Buffalo has made improvements. Anytime you add a guy like Brett Farve to a team, it definitely never hurts.”

•When Brady watches a young quarterback like Kevin O’Connell having to carry other players’ shoulder pads, does it make him reflect back on his days as a rookie?

“Yeah, when I was his age I was carrying three pads — Drew [Bledsoe]’s, [John] Friesz’s and [Michael] Bishop’s,” Brady said. “He is getting off easy with one pad.”

•After playing sparingly in the Patriots preseason opener against Baltimore, Brady says he is anxious to see some game action.

“Yeah, I am. I think the whole team is looking to improve,” he said. “It will be nice to be out there and play a little bit and see if we can make some improvements from last week. Coach has been pretty tough on us and wants us to make these improvements quickly. Tampa Bay is a great test, too, because they are very well coached. They present different challenges as a team. We have our work cut out for us.”

cthorn@projo.com