Through the conclusion of Saturday afternoon's practice session at the Dana-Farber Field House, the newest members of the New England Patriots had not seen the sun since Thursday, when first-round draft choice Jerod Mayo received a keepsake No. 1 jersey and a favorable critique of his necktie selection by team owner Robert Kraft.

That was good. It was work weather. Taking-care-of-business weather. Football weather.

Not since the waning days of January has anyone in Foxboro heard the sound of coaches shouting instructions to football players. It's been a long three months since the last snap of the pigskin in Glendale, Ariz. - almost an unbearable period of time, given the outcome of that final game - but the calendar continues to check off the days regardless of which team has the Vince Lombardi Trophy in its possession, and it's time to start the process anew.

No one was happier about that Saturday than Bill Belichick.

At his last press conference of the rookie orientation minicamp, the coach of the Patriots greeted a small assembly of media members by asking them if they were excited to be covering it. Always the wise guy, I said to him, "It beats being in the office, Bill."

"Yeah," he said, "you're right. It's good to be out on the field, I'll say that. It's good to be out on the field instead of sitting inside those walls. I'm with you."

I believe him.

Nothing in the world could be better for Bill Belichick personally, and for the Patriots' organization as a whole, than to be back on the field. Nothing will renew their spirits more, or help to cast away the disappointment of an almost-miraculous season turned sour, than to be back doing the job in its most elemental terms - nuts-and-bolts, hands-on coaching.

Belichick has had plenty to occupy himself since the end of Super Bowl XLII. There hasn't been much down time. The length of the 2007 season cut into his preparation for 2008, and there was no time available to indulge in self-pity with free agency on the immediate horizon and draft preparation not far behind.

Now, those have come and gone. Free agents have been signed and rookies have been drafted. Veteran players are back in the weight room almost every morning, working out their frustrations on the machines and weights that will make them bigger and stronger for yet another quest for greatness. Younger players, fresh and new like the morning dew, have ventured onto the field for the first time under the banner of the Flying Elvis and received their first samples of what it means to be a part of professional football.

All the while, no one has been more in his element than Belichick.

Since he met with the media in Palm Beach, Fla., to offer his explanations about the "Spygate" controversy after delivering a mea culpa to the league's owners, Belichick has appeared relaxed and very much at ease with himself in his public appearances. Even in meeting the media, which has never been one of his favorite responsibilities, he has been cordial and cooperative - at least as compared to previously established standards.

I'm no psychologist, and probably have more of a need to consult one instead of indulging in amateur analysis as if I was one. But it appears to me that Belichick is relishing the beginning of a new season, maybe more so than at any other time in his eight previous seasons as the Patriots' coach.

And why not? Rule No. 1 of anything, not just coaching, is that when you fall off the horse, you jump right back on for another ride. To do anything less is self-defeating.

What's more, Belichick has always been fond of saying that once a season is finished, everyone reverts back to 0-0. Even with a Super Bowl championship in hand, it's still yesterday's news by July. On Sept. 4, the Lombardi Trophy and $4.99 will buy the world-champion New York Giants exactly one double-shot latte at the Starbucks in Hasbrouck Heights, N.J., prior to their game at home against the Redskins.

But it still would have been nicer for a different team to be able to buy that same latte up the road in Walpole.

Obviously, it's not just the thought of "18-1" that has been resting heavily upon the hearts of anyone and everyone connected with the Patriots since February.

Nine days from now, a disgruntled ex-employee will meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell with hopes of further discrediting his former boss. It's seriously doubtful that Matt Walsh has the goods to prove further videotape-related wrongdoing on the part of the Patriots, but that won't be known until the meeting actually takes place.

If Belichick is worried about it in the slightest, he isn't letting on - even if he is as accomplished as anyone at shielding most of his emotions from the public.

For anyone else in a similar situation, the best medicine is often to bury one's self in one's work. Leaving no room for wasted thought about other issues will make the days go by a lot faster.

But Belichick gave no impression Saturday that there were any negative connotations to burying himself in his work. It's what he loves. Football fuels him, and there is no greater joy than seeing cause-and-effect in action - seeing young athletes being instructed in one thing on a Friday, and being able to apply it themselves on a Saturday.

"We're trying to get a look at guys doing things the second or third time around," he said after Saturday morning's practice. "We're really starting to see some quick improvement, and that's a good sign. That's what we're looking for.

"It's part of the evaluation, to see how quickly players improve when they're instructed to do something and then are corrected on it," he continued. "A lot of the time, it doesn't look good the first time. Like when all of us do things for the first time, it doesn't come out good … but you work on it, improve, practice it and get coached on it. We're seeing better results."

That's what football is all about. Win or lose, succeed or fail, there is always the renewal and challenge of another season. The teaching and instruction that begins with the first snap of the first practice is like the planting of a seed - fittingly, in the springtime - and the growth that follows over the next seven or eight months is the greatest joy to those who have made it their life's work.

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