FOXBORO - Tom Brady loves the fans of New England, no doubt about it.

That's why he'd never scold them openly for not understanding some of the dynamics of practice - although Sunday, in his first meeting with the New England media during this year's training camp, the veteran quarterback politely mentioned that the fans might want to make better choices about when to cheer their heroes.

"When we run laps for getting in trouble, we get cheered for that," he said, referring to a moment during the morning practice at Gillette Stadium when coach Bill Belichick sent the entire offensive unit for a lap around the field for not executing properly. "I don't know if they know why we're running. I don't think they'd be cheering if they did."

That's probably not so, however. Patriots' fans love their team in general and their two-time Super Bowl quarterback in particular. Over the course of seven previous NFL seasons, Brady has built a unique relationship with the fan base that could endure just about any possible obstacle or pitfall.

Success has a lot to do with that, however, and Brady understands fully why the fans are so giddy about the potential of this season. He's actually a little giddy about it himself.

"I'm excited," he said. "I think every year there's always excitement. I think the thing you realize is there's a lot of work to be done. You bring in guys like Wes (Welker) and Kelley (Washington) and Randy (Moss), obviously, and Donté (Stallworth), and they all have their own type of skill set and you've got to find a way to incorporate them. "They're doing well," he added. "I think the best thing is, in the run drills, they're blocking just as hard for those running backs as they are (running) on those pass plays when they're going out."

Even Belichick, who generally refuses to offer training camp progress reports on individual players, said Sunday that the hard work that the passers and receivers put in during offseason passing camps has been beneficial.

"We had a productive spring," Belichick said. "We've got a long way to go, but they're working hard at it."

Belichick said Brady and his receivers were able to get a head start on developing chemistry and familiarity with the plays because of the less-pressured pace of the preseason passing camps.

"It definitely helps," he said. "At the passing camps and in the offseason program, you can a lot of times take just one route and work on that route for an entire day, going through all the nuances of it all the things that would make it a little bit different even though it's the same play.

"Whereas in training camp, it's harder to do that," he said. "You put in half a dozen to 10 plays a night, and you just can't spend all day on one route. You've got a lot of things that you have to cover. By the end of the week (in passing camp), you've knocked out five routes and everything that can happen on those routes, and it's a good, slow progression way of learning - if you can afford the time."

"It's a process," Brady said. "I think sometimes it happens sooner rather than later. It all depends how much work you put in, how competitive the drills are, how well you do in the preseason games, what you realize, what you learn from each other.

"I'd like to think we're going to pick it up pretty quick," he added. "I think if we can keep working hard, if we can keep coming out and concentrating and putting maximum effort out here then it (will come) fast. I hope it doesn't take to the first game of the year. I hope after 30 or 40 practices we have a pretty good idea of what I think we're all capable of."

So far, Brady said, the results have been mixed. "Some good, some bad," he said. "I think everybody would like us to be a little bit farther along right now, but we're trying to incorporate a lot of new things and trying to build an identity for this team, this offense. But I think the team works hard, which is encouraging. So if we just string a bunch of good practices together, in a few weeks when we're ready to play, I think it will turn out pretty good."

Just five days short of his 30th birthday, Brady said "I still feel like I'm 22." But he admitted that he's managing his practice workload a little more than when he was a mere pup fresh out of Michigan.

"I'm at a point in my career where I know what it takes to prepare myself," he said. "One thing I'm doing a little bit different is I'm really monitoring my throws in the preseason. Before I'd come out and I'd throw 100 balls a day. After a while, you throw 100 balls here in practice and it's 200 balls a day (with two-a-days), and you go, 'God, after four days, why is my arm sore?'

"Well, because when you think of what Major League Baseball pitchers do, they throw 100 pitches and take five days off," he added. "We're throwing a lot out here."

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com