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FOXBORO - Now the truth can be told. Randy Moss' inactivity throughout the preseason schedule was to protect an investment.

"That was really the approach, to really try to fix and heal my leg up, and not to have it lingering throughout the season by trying to rush me back, getting me out to practice early and things like that," the Patriots' wide receiver said Monday at Gillette Stadium.

Moss, the 10th-year veteran and five-time Pro Bowl participant, tweaked his left hamstring a little more than a week into training camp and didn't participate in a single practice or preseason game thereafter - the first time in his career that he didn't play at least one exhibition game.

But Monday, Moss was present on the practice field as the Patriots began their preparation for the regular-season opener Sunday at Giants Stadium against the Jets (1 p.m.; Ch. 4, 12) - and according to the former Viking and Raider, that's a credit to the wisdom of Bill Belichick and the hard work and expertise of the Patriots' training staff.

"Me and the guys in the training room got well acquainted," Moss said. "Actually, I've graduated out of the training room. So I go back and see them every day and cut jokes. The main thing they wanted me to do is to make sure that when I do go out there, that I'm ready to go. "They know more than me," he added. "Everybody gets paid to do a certain thing, and they had to do their job, and definitely to tell me what to do and what not to do. I did abide by their rules, and that's why I say we got well-acquainted. They did a hell of a job of getting me rehabilitated and getting me back out on the practice field."

They did such a good job, in fact, the Patriots decided Monday to release Reche Caldwell, their leading receiver last year, and head into the regular season with five wideouts instead of six.

Moss didn't say he would be starting at the Meadowlands, but he made it clear he wants to.

"I guess nobody's telling you anything," he said to reporters, "so I'll just hold it as a question mark, too. My thing is that I want to play. Will I play? I don't know. We'll just leave it at that."

He admitted that it would continue to be frustrating if Belichick decided it was necessary to hold him out longer, but he also appears to have bought into the "Bill Knows Best" philosophy that sustains the Patriots.

"It would still be disappointing … I will not be satisfied until I'm out there with the boys," Moss said. "That's what I do. I don't cut checks, I don't shine shoes, I don't tape ankles, I play football. That's what I came here to do. And by me not being able to do what I love to do, of course it's going to be frustrating."

In direct contrast to the perception that he has been a malingerer and a divisive influence at his previous stops, Moss participated dutifully in the offseason passing camps and the June minicamp even though Belichick had offered to let him have the time off before training camp.

"This offseason, with the minicamps and the passing camps, I really tried to focus on getting the plays down and making sure they could count on me in any situation," Moss said. "For me to have a thing with a month off, and not being able to practice and going out there and playing games, that's what was frustrating. I come here, I get my treatment, I go to meetings, I learn what everyone else was learning, but when it was time to play, I can't play … and that's what was frustrating.

"I had really high expectations for myself, to come in here and be a part of the team," he added. "I didn't really get any preseason play, and I don't know if that helped me or hurt me, but we'll see."

But as a 10-year veteran who has played the game at a high level for as long as he has, Moss probably doesn't need as many preseason repetitions to get himself ready for the long haul. Nor did it make any sense for him to risk further injury in the preseason and not be available when the games counted. "It really depends on the individual," quarterback Tom Brady said Monday. "It depends on how aware you are as a player … a lot of guys can learn things off the chalkboard while some guys can't. Some guys have to go out there and see things and do things to make it really stick.

"Randy is a veteran receiver," he said. "He seems to pick up things really well. I'm sure there are going to be mistakes that he makes that he won't make twice. But as a veteran player, someone who's been as successful as he has, it's usually for a reason."

Moss said he was less concerned about his conditioning level than he was about not being used to game speed as he makes it back to the field.

"It's not really football shape, it's really getting adjusted to the tempo that they play here in New England, and really going out and executing the plays," he said. "I'm not really worried too much about my conditioning, I'm just really worried about fitting in and making sure that I don't let this team slow down because of me."

As for the fans and other followers of the Patriots who have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to see Moss in action, the veteran receiver said he understands how they feel.

"I really want to be a part of it, so I'm just as anxious as they are," he said. "The only thing I can really say is, when I get out there, I will be out there ready to play."

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