They are equal parts mother hen, father confessor, spiritual advisor and shrink-in-training, and the men employed as quarterback mentors in the NFL occupy a position of trust inherent to very few assistant coaching jobs.

In most cases, the quarterback assistant is emotionally closer and more psychologically tethered to a team's most important player than are the head coaches. And in many instances, they are far more responsible for the success or failure of the quarterback than any other member of the coaching staff, including the offensive coordinator.

If the quarterback is the player upon whom most teams rely, then the quarterback coach is the man upon whom most signal-callers lean for counsel.

	“	Sometimes the quarterback just needs a buffer, a middleman, between him and the coach. It's an important responsibility. You feel like you can make a difference. ”
		— Wade Wilson, Cowboys quarterback coach

"It's kind of like a marriage," said Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, who served as the quarterbacks coach in Indianapolis for Peyton Manning's first three seasons in the league. "There's kind of an implied trust, a bond, because you spend a lot of time together. It can get to the point where, you know, you're finishing each other's sentences."

Given the internal politics that accompany the sport, football can become a kind of "who do you trust?" experience at times, and most quarterbacks prefer to have a confidant upon whom they can lean. The physical and mental demands of the position, at least in the mind of some coaches, dictates an assistant who can work one-on-one with the quarterback.

Most of the league's current starting quarterbacks can cite a personal mentor who helped them get through some difficult stretches. Brett Favre, for instance, often notes how much former Packers quarterback coaches Steve Mariucci and Andy Reid, both NFL head coaches now, helped his career.

Miami Dolphins starter Jay Fiedler recently cited the difference that Dolphins quarterback coach Mike Shula has made in his career.

"It's good to know that there is someone with an open mind and an open door for you," said Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon. "Sometimes you just need someone to hash things out with ... or someone to kick you in the butt once in a while, too. Those guys keep you straight. The good ones don't let you get too high or too low."

Twenty-two of the 31 league franchises employ a quarterback coach -- a tutor who does not also possess the responsibility of coordinator, an assistant who can focus primarily on the details and mechanics so critical to the passing game. That number was reduced by one when New England Patriots veteran quarterback coach Dick Rehbein died during training camp.

Not surprisingly, five of the six teams currently in first place employ a quarterback coach, with the Chicago Bears the lone exception. In Tom Clements, the Pittsburgh Steelers have their first quarterback coach in 25 years, and it is hardly by happenstance that his presence coincides with the resurrection of Kordell Stewart's once-flagging career.

By definition, the quarterback coach is largely responsible for working on technique, honing the physical act of throwing the football. By implication, he is also charged with the well-being of the quarterback's mental state, a task that requires being a tough critic but a good listener. And it is understood, in most cases, that a quarterback can say more to his position coach then he can to the head coach.

"Sometimes the quarterback just needs a buffer, a middleman, between him and the coach," said Dallas Cowboys quarterback coach Wade Wilson, who played the position for 17 seasons in the league. "It's an important responsibility. You feel like you can make a difference."

There may be no better example than Stewart, who didn't even go to training camp this summer as the acknowledged starter, but who has forged a quick bond with Clements. The entire Steelers offensive staff, revamped this year at all but one position, has done a laudable job. But opponents who have played the Steelers lately said it is hard to underestimate Clements' importance in what Stewart has accomplished this year.

"Hey, look, Clements played the position and he knows the ups and the downs," said one AFC defensive coordinator. "He can relate to Stewart and Stewart, it seems, relates well to him. And, really, that's what the quarterback coach is supposed to be all about."

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.