He married a supermodel, spent quality time with his 2-year-old son and appeared on the television show "Entourage," which joked about his knee surgery in a way Bill Belichick would never let him talk about for real.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been everywhere in the last 11 months.

Except playing quarterback for the New England Patriots.

After a year off worthy of a rock star — right down to the police investigation into whether his bodyguards shot at photographers covering his Costa Rican wedding — Brady is ready to return to the NFL tonight when the Patriots open the exhibition season in Philadelphia against the Eagles.

And that's when the two-time Super Bowl MVP plans to prove that, despite all the trappings of his success, he hasn't gone soft.

"I'm a believer that talk is real cheap," Brady said this summer. "I know it looks glamorous at times, but I think what I enjoy the most is playing football and being with my family, and those are the kind of things that I do. I'm excited to go out there and compete. And any time I have a chance to compete, I love that."

Brady, who had started 128 consecutive games, has played just 5 minutes, 58 seconds since a loss to the Giants in the 2008 Super Bowl spoiled the Patriots' chances at a perfect, 19-0 season. He sat out the entire exhibition season last year because of an unspecified foot injury, then was knocked out for the year in the first quarter of the season opener.

He made the best of it.

After visiting Brazil to meet her family, he married supermodel Gisele Bundchen in a pair of ceremonies, one in Costa Rica and another in the United States. He played Mr. Mom for the son he had with actress Bridget Moynahan. Then came reports Bundchen is pregnant. (Brady has denied it, but publicists for one of Bundchen's modeling gigs said they airbrushed the baby bump out of the photo shoot.)

"There's been great things happening in my life for a long time," Brady said. "And certainly this year was no different, and different areas of success with marriage and with children. It's a great part of my life and so is work. I'm excited for all those things coming together. I think I'm a happier person when I'm working."

Brady appeared as himself this week on the HBO show "Entourage," in which Mark Wahlberg sandbagged for extra strokes on the golf course by saying, "This guy's had 12 surgeries in six months." But Brady didn't want the extra strokes, and he doesn't expect any sympathy on the football field, either.

"No one wants to play more than he does," center Dan Koppen said. "I know how much that hurt him to be off on the sidelines last year and watch. No one's a bigger competitor than him."

Belichick would not say how much Brady will play in the four-game exhibition season, though the coach said he was not worried the 2007 NFL MVP would be nervous about his injury or distracted after a year away from the field.

"Tom's always been a pretty focused guy, very focused," Belichick said. "He does his job and there are a lot of distractions out there when you're at quarterback and a lot of things that can get you off-track. But that doesn't happen much to him. I'm sure he'll be ready to go and he's worked awfully hard. I'm sure he's looking forward to the opportunity to play."

He's right about that, especially after waiting so long.

"I'm expecting to play; there's no reason why I wouldn't," Brady said. "I mean, I've been out here and doing everything and it will be nice to get out there and play some football."

After all, with everything in his life, that's still what Brady does best.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Colts: Safety Antoine Bethea has cracked a bone in his right hand, leaving him on the sideline for both of Indianapolis' practices yesterday. Coach Jim Caldwell did not give a timetable for Bethea's return. Caldwell said Bethea would be fitted for a cast and would return when he can play while wearing the cast.

Jets: New York left guard Alan Faneca will miss the team's preseason opener against the St. Louis Rams because of a broken finger. Faneca didn't practice with the team at Hofstra last night because he injured the middle finger on his left hand earlier in the week.

Saints: Veteran linebackers Derrick Brooks and Derek Smith impressed coaches during workouts but the Saints will wait until after tomorrow night's preseason opener against Cincinnati before they decide whether to sign either player.

Broncos: The Broncos waived Ryan Torain, their oft-inured second-year running back, after he was diagnosed with a strained knee ligament, the latest in a series of physical setbacks to dog the talented athlete.

Buccaneers: Punter Josh Bidwell will miss the Buccaneers' preseason opener because of a hip injury. The 10th-year pro had an MRI yesterday. The results were being evaluated.

Chargers: The San Diego city attorney's office says linebacker Shaun Phillips won't be charged in a case in which he was accused of striking a security guard in the face at a downtown hotel in late April.

Texans: Houston's top draft pick, linebacker Brian Cushing, won't play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Chiefs because of a left knee injury. It was not immediately clear how serious the injury is.

Eagles: Philadelphia has signed quarterback Adam DiMichele. The undrafted rookie originally signed with the Eagles in May and was released a month later.