Two people competing for the same job usually don't consider themselves friends.
They normally don't walk out of practice together, laughing and joking with each other.
Consider Cameron Newton and John Brantley the exception as they work during fall two-a-days to capture the undesirable role of being Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow's backup.
Tebow is so crucial to UF's offensive effectiveness that Newton, who held the No. 2 spot on the depth chart all last season, attempted only 10 passes last season.
But coach Urban Meyer has stressed throughout the spring and off-season that he wants to play two quarterbacks this season if possible.
Meyer has enjoyed the competition so far this fall between the different styles of Newton and Brantley.
Newton, a redshirt freshman, fits more into the mold of a mobile quarterback while Brantley is more of a pure pocket passer.
"Are they a lot different? Yeah," Meyer said. "There's a different element, but it's a great element.
"For the past seven years, we've had many different styles of quarterbacks, and they've all experienced success."
Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Dan Mullen reiterated the same desire, but said the backup's playing time will be dictated by his readiness to run the offense.
"If we have more than one quarterback then we will play more than one quarterback," Mullen said. "Chris (Leak) and Tim (Tebow) were unique and drastically different quarterbacks. Tim went in to run power football. It was a separate package for him. Now, we want to get the backup to run just in our regular system, to build experience just so they are ready to play throughout the season."
While both are fierce competitors, Brantley and Newton manage to keep the competition from affecting their relationship.
"We're friendly," Brantley said. "I'll give him a ride on my scooter. We're real cool off the field. Even on the field, we joke around. There's much respect between both of us."
Newton had similar kind things to say about Brantley.
"He's my buddy," Newton said. "We go out here, we play on the field, we're competitors, but off the field we're friends. We don't let all the hype get between our friendship and that's a good thing."
The sophomore got an early jump last season by enrolling early during the spring semester, while Brantley didn't come to Gainesville until the fall.
Luck, again, didn't fall Brantley's way this spring when he dislocated his non-throwing shoulder before the beginning of spring practice. After recovering from that injury, he broke his hand three days before the Orange and Blue game and was forced to sit out
"It's been a rough road," said Brantley, who added that his teammates helped him get through the frustrations of the many injuries. "But I've just got to keep moving on, looking forward.
"You have to be able to keep your spirits high. I redshirted, so I've still got four more years. I didn't waste a year."
The backup battle also has the added benefit of pushing Brantley and Newton to their fullest potential.
"You know you're always being watched," Brantley said. "You always want to go hard instead of being like I have this job, I don't have to go as hard."
