FOXBORO -- Tom Brady wasted little time in making his presence felt on the fields behind Gillette Stadium.
In his first practice back with the Patriots since serving his four-game suspension, Brady took a leadership role, directing equipment assistant Brenden Murphy on where to stand -- short, deep, on the hash, on the goal line -- as Murphy caught warm-up throws from both Brady and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Brady worked with Garoppolo, rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels early in the sweats-and-shells session as the signal-callers got their arms loose and worked on ball-security in the pocket. Brissett did not make any warm-up tosses while members of the media were present.
There didn't appear to be much rust when it came to Brady's passes, and Garoppolo also appeared to be throwing well after missing his second-consecutive game last week with a shoulder injury.
Reporters were allowed to watch the first few minutes of Patriots practice, including stretching and a few warmup drills. The only players missing from the session were defensive lineman Vincent Valentine, running back Brandon Bolden and linebacker Shea McClellin. Valentine and Bolden left Sunday's loss to the Bills with injuries.
The Patriots also had a few new faces on the practice fields for the first time: Newly-acquired tight end Greg Scruggs was wearing No. 83; practice-squad fullback Glenn Gronkowski wore No. 47; and practice-squad offensive lineman Chase Farris wore No. 66.