FOXBORO — Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says he’s not going to let his contract situation affect the way he goes about his business this season.

Brady, who spoke to the media for approximately 15 minutes after Friday morning’s practice session at training camp, is heading into the final year of a five-year contract that will pay him $6.5 million this season. But the quarterback, who turns 33 early next month, said it’ll be business as usual in 2010.

“I like to think I have a little more mental toughness than anything becoming a distraction that would affect the way that I play,” he said.

“I’m in the position that a lot of guys are around the league and on this team,” he added. “While I’m under contract, it’s my responsibility to come out and play as hard as I can. I’ve always felt that’s what I love to do anyway. I love to come out here and compete. I have a job. I think that’s important to realize too. It’s a tough time in the world, and I’m glad I get to come out here and do something I love.”

Much has been made over Brady possibly being angry or upset about his status, with reports of a “disconnect” between the quarterback and the franchise over the fact that he isn’t signed past the 2010 season. But Brady, who is entering his 11th season with the Patriots, sounded an optimistic note yesterday.

“I’ve always been privileged to play for coach Belichick, who, I’ve always said, is the best coach in the history of the league. And Mr. Kraft, I have a great relationship with him,” he said.

“I’m not into playing games. I just want to come out here and be the best I can be,” Brady added. “Whether you make a dollar playing or make millions of dollars like we do make, I really enjoy playing quarterback for this team. I have since the day I stepped on the field. It’s something I relish.”

Ultimately, Brady said he wants to play “for another 10 years,” and said he “certainly” wanted to end his career with the Patriots.

“Everyone works hard to make a living for themselves, and I certainly don’t think we have much to complain about,” Brady said. “We come out, we love what we do — most of us. So I just enjoy coming out and playing, and that’s where I get a lot of enjoyment in my life, and I want to do it for a long time.”

Even though the sample size is small, Brady’s work through the first two days of training camp certainly seems to indicate that the contract situation won’t be a distraction. A year removed from having to endure endless speculation about the state of the knee (and how it may or may not have affected his mechanics), this summer, he has been crisp and sharp with his throws to a variety of both the old (David Patten, Torry Holt, Randy Moss and Kevin Faulk) and new pass catchers (Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski, Taylor Price, Brandon Tate).

“As far as I can tell, he’s still the same guy,” said Patten, who is in his second stint with Brady and the Patriots. “He approaches the game at a high level. He hates to lose. And is still a great leader.”

“Every player is really in about the same boat here right now,” said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. “They all have a long way to go. They’ve come in, practiced for a day, or two days, or three days, or whatever it is, however long they’ve been here. The quarterbacks came in [for their] first practices on Monday. There are a lot of things to work on.

“Tom works, I think, as hard as anybody does. He’s very professional and he’s got a great work ethic and he’s very intelligent, so I’m sure that he’s done all those things,” Belichick said. “But still, there’s no substitute for being out there with the other 21 players and putting it together from a team standpoint – offensively, your group, but also recognizing and dealing with whatever the defense is throwing at you that day.”

Despite the fact that the Patriots are coming off a 10-6 record — and their first home playoff loss of Brady’s career — he remains encouraged about the state of the team, saying he doesn’t “give a damn” that some believe expectations for the Patriots are lower this season than they have been in the past.

“I don’t care what you guys think. I know what we think and what we think we can accomplish,” he said. “What my Dad thinks, I don’t really care about. What my Mom thinks, I don’t care about because they don’t know. The only guys who can do anything about it are the guys on this practice field. It feels pretty good to me what we're doing, what I see out here. We’ve just got to continue to put the work in.”