Diligent Sanders is now a strong safety

FOXBOROUGH -- The pairing is an unlikely one, the lesser-known safety and the superstar quarterback.

James Sanders rubbing elbows with Tom Brady?

Two years ago, Sanders might have felt uncomfortable being in the same ZIP code as Brady, even though the quarterback, in many ways the consummate teammate, is willing to lend a helping hand to most everybody.

Still, call it an unwritten rule of locker room etiquette. There are boundaries, and fourth-round draft picks must know their place. It wouldn't seem right going up to the three-time Super Bowl champion to solicit advice.

Things are a bit different now, and sometimes Sanders and Brady walk onto the practice field together. Other times they chat in front of Brady's locker. They even talk some trash, but it's the X's and O's Sanders truly appreciates.

"Him being a quarterback, we talk about what he sees in a defense and how I can relate that to disguising coverages or how to prepare for certain routes," he said. "He's a great guy. For someone of his stature to take a couple minutes out to sit and talk to you a little bit, it says a lot about him."

A lot about Sanders, too.

The 23-year-old safety has won over many of his teammates with his soft-spoken approach, grind-it-out work ethic, and handling of adversity. Coach Bill Belichick is among those impressed.

Yesterday, when noting how starting safeties Rodney Harrison and Eugene Wilson complement each other, Belichick added that Sanders is essentially in the same category. As long as any two of those three are on the field, he said, things should run smoothly.

Indeed, Sanders has grown from the time he overran Broncos receiver Javon Walker on an 83-yard touchdown pass last September, a costly mistake in a 17-7 loss. He holds an important place on the roster as the top backup to Harrison and Wilson, both of whom are coming off injury-shortened seasons. His standing was further solidified when the Patriots released veteran Artrell Hawkins last Saturday.

After his early-season dip against the Broncos, Sanders, a strong presence on special teams, waited patiently before receiving another chance on the regular defense. He ended up starting five of the final seven regular-season games and all three playoff contests, leading the secondary with 17 postseason tackles.

"Last year was a very defining year for James as a professional football player," Belichick said. "There were times earlier in the year where things didn't go as well for him as I'm sure he would have liked for them to go. The way he bounced back was to work harder, to prepare harder, to try to be more attentive on the practice field and really to try to correct the mistakes that he made.

"We've talked about that before with other players, guys like Kevin Faulk and people like that, where those guys make a mistake and you correct them on it, then they're obsessed with getting that straightened out and it not happening again.

"I give James a lot of credit. For a young guy, he stepped up. He addressed some things that he had trouble with. He improved them significantly and, really, by the end of the year, they were strengths, not weaknesses.

"That's not easy for a player to do. Most players like to work on the strengths, work on the things that they're good at, and they're not as anxious to work on their weaknesses or things that need a lot of work.

"I think a really good player, and a real professional player, does that. He knows that's where he's going to be attacked and that's what he has to shore up. James did a great job of that last year. It was really impressive for such a young kid."

Sanders often arrived to practice 20 minutes early, working one-on-one with former Patriots defensive back Otis Smith. He credits Smith for helping him with the technical side of the game, and also realizes he's been fortunate to lean on players like Harrison, linebacker Junior Seau, and cornerback Ellis Hobbs, one of his closest friends on the team.

"I feel a lot more comfortable," said Sanders, who grew up in Porterville, Calif., and recently proposed to his fiancée. "Knowing the system and the playbook better, you get an opportunity to relax and just play ball."

And tap into resources like Brady, which has been another reminder of how far Sanders has come.

Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com.