| Stafford, Sanchez helping each other prep for NFL |
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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) -Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez are set to become rich beyond comprehension long before throwing their first official NFL pass. The quarterbacks will be anointed as saviors - Stafford for a Detroit team that went winless in 2008, and Sanchez for a New York Jets club that hasn't tasted the Super Bowl in 40 years. The accompanying pressure can be overwhelming. So Stafford and Sanchez often find themselves seeking someone who understands their situation. They call each other. Already linked as the top two quarterbacks in this year's draft, Stafford and Sanchez have forged a separate bond. They go back and forth as a sounding board for the other while attempting to turn potential into performance. o get on the field.'' The friendship started last summer, when they were counselors at the same camp for elite high school quarterbacks. They've kept in contact regularly since, talking about practically every imaginable topic. On Tuesday, at the NFL rookie symposium, they were on the same field together - throwing footballs around with dozens of kids brought in to interact with the game's newest professionals. But in down moments during this mandatory event for first-year NFL players - which offers education on how to handle subjects like personal conduct, finances and security - the two young quarterbacks tend to huddle together. ``We talk so much about how's the playbook coming, what are the guys like in the locker room, have they treated you OK,'' Sanchez said. ``Both of our situations have been very similar. Obviously, we're in different markets, but you're a rookie quarterback, you just signed your contract, you and your family are financially secure. There's a dynamic to that. It means a lot to be able to talk to someone.'' The biggest lesson many of the rookies took from the symposium, Stafford included, was that they'll have to say ``no'' a lot - especially when it comes to people asking for money, gifts or favors from the new millionaires. ``I've had to do it for a while,'' said Stafford, who spent most of last season at Georgia being touted as the possible No. 1 pick. neither Stafford nor Sanchez is all that removed from being a kid, either, so they fit right in with the high schoolers. ``All about the kids, today,'' said Sanchez, who posed for photos, signed countless autographs on the backs of T-shirts and has been known to keep a Sharpie marker on his keychain in case the mood strikes to scrawl his name. ``All about the kids.'' Sanchez, who starred at USC, is already a huge name in the massive market that is New York. He's gotten to meet Tiger Woods and Derek Jeter, both of whom offered their advice on how to handle all the attention that he'll draw playing in the Big Apple. ``You've got to be smart,'' Sanchez said. ``You've got to protect yourself and protect your team.'' Stafford hasn't quite commanded that sort of Woods-and-Jeter attention, even though he was the top pick. Even on Tuesday, when they walked onto the converted flag-football field - it's typically a driving range at the PGA National compound - within moments of one another, cameras and heads started turning quickly toward Sanchez. Stafford, meanwhile, seemed almost invisible by comparison, and didn't mind that whatsoever. ``We're both pretty similar, easy-going guys,'' Stafford said. ``Pressure really doesn't get to us too much. We just talk about how much fun it is to be living the dream.'' |
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