FOXBORO -- Anthony Gonzalez is an interesting guy.

Not in the Dos Equis sense of the term, but if he makes the Patriots’ roster -- no guarantee given his injury history -- it’s clear that the wide receiver will be a go-to guy for the media over the course of the 2012 season for several reasons: As a collegian, he was a Rhodes scholar candidate. His sister is one of the best friends of the wife of Patriots’ backup quarterback Brian Hoyer. Over the last three years, he’s missed more games to injury than just about anyone in the league. And if he sticks, he will join a very select club of pass-catchers who can say they’ve played with both Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

“I was joking with my friends -- I have a very strict Hall of Famer-only policy,” he said with a smile.

In a session with the media on Thursday that ran for almost 15 minutes, the receiver, who was a first-round pick of the Colts in 2007, touched on a wide variety of topics, including his relationship with Hoyer, his injury history, the fact that he was hoping that the Patriots would call him when free agency began, as well as the fact that everyone in New England has been really nice to him since he arrived.

“Everybody has been super nice and very welcoming ... despite what they told me in Indianapolis,” he said, waiting a beat before cracking a smile. “It’s a great place, and I’m happy to be here.”

The former Colts receiver is hoping to cross over to the other side of one of the most notable rivalries of the last decade. The 27-year-old receiver has struggled mightily with injuries over the last three seasons (he’s appeared in 10 games the last three seasons because of a variety of injuries, including thumb, foot, knee, shoulder, hamstring, back and groin issues), but now appears hopeful that it’ll be a fresh start in New England.

“I’m excited to be here. It’s probably the best professional football environment there is, so I’m excited for the opportunity,” he said. “I love the east coast. I love this part of the country, so I’m excited. I’m happy and just glad for the opportunity.”

The free agency process was a first for the 6-foot, 193-pound Gonzalez, who was let go by the Colts this past offseason. Just over a month after sitting on his couch rooting for the Patriots to beat the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, he got a call from New England coach Bill Belichick. On March 17, he signed a one-year deal with the Patriots.

Gonzalez said that when it came to evaluating his options in free agency, the Patriots were at the top of the list.

“This was my first time as a free agent. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t know how it worked,” he said. “The phone call early was great, and it was somewhat surprising. But it was the one I was hoping to get, to be honest. When I kind of evaluated free agency and different teams and how I thought I would fit culturally, as well as from an offensive standpoint, this was one that I targeted. To have the interest be mutual, that worked out well.

“To me, it’s the perfect fit in a lot of ways.”

The Patriots certainly hope so. When healthy, Gonzalez has a rep as a good route runner who is shifty enough to create separation — in 2008, he recorded career highs with 57 receptions for 664 yards and four touchdowns. (In five seasons with the Colts — 40 games — the high school teammate of Patriots’ backup quarterback Brian Hoyer has 99 career receptions for 1,307 yards and seven touchdowns.)

But there’s that word again: healthy. Gonzalez addressed those questions head on Thursday, saying his focus right now is on the future with the Patriots, not the past.

“They certainly weren’t how I would have hoped for them to go,” he said of the last three injury-plagued seasons. “I’ve learned a lot of things, and going forward, that’s kind of in my past I would say. It’s a basic rule. I look forward, as opposed to back, and that’s the focus I’m putting on it right now.

“It’s pretty simple actually,” he added. “Honestly, you just deal with things as they come up. I don’t go home and think to myself, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’ve been hurt all these times. How am I going to do whatever?’ My focus has always been and will continue to be, ‘What am I doing today? What am I doing tomorrow? What am I doing next week?’ and just deal with things as they come up. That’s always been my approach, it always will be, whether I’m standing here talking to you guys or working in a bank somewhere, you know, whatever it is I’ll do [post-football]. That’s kind of my approach to life. I think it’s worked OK.”

One good sign is that he’s arrived early for offseason workouts -- a former high school teammate of Hoyer, he’s had a chance to lean on New England’s backup quarterback when it comes to getting acclimated. While he hasn’t yet had the opportunity to speak with Tom Brady yet, he wants to be as up-to-speed as possible when organized team activities start this spring.

“I want to get immersed as quickly as possible,” he said. “That’s really my focus, whether it’s with Tom or with Brian or with anybody, is just to learn this offense as quickly as humanly possible. I know just from watching that it’s pretty complex, a pretty involved offense, and the one in Indy was, too. So that part of it doesn’t worry me.

“But I do want to make sure when it’s time to get on the field and go through things that there’s no hesitancy mentally. Because I know if I don’t know exactly what I’m doing, there’s going to be problems for me. It’s a lot harder to play when you don’t know what you’re doing.”