FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick delivered insight on several players on the roster this week, and his view of second-year linebacker James Morris included how he perceives players who come from Kirk Ferentz's program at the University of Iowa. Ferentz, of course, was a former assistant under Belichick with the Browns in the early 1990s.

"He’s a typical Iowa kid -- tough, hard-working, blue-collar, dependable, consistent," Belichick said of Morris, who is vying for a roster spot as a top backup behind Jerod Mayo.

Morris has played 91 defensive snaps over the first two preseason games and coaches have credited him with 10 tackles. He also forced a fumble on a heads-up hustle play against the Saints on Saturday.

This has been Morris' most extended chance to show what he can after missing last season to injury.

"He plays hard. He gives you great effort out there on the field in all situations – defensively and in the kicking game – works hard in practice, prepares hard. He’s rehabbed off his injury from last year [and] works hard in the weight room, the training room," Belichick said.

Morris has also been a consistent presence on special teams, playing 21 snaps in the first two preseason games.

A few other sound bites from Belichick on Patriots players:

Reserve guard/center Josh Kline: "Josh is a smart kid. He can handle multiple positions and roles, so I don’t think the learning part of [center] is that big of a thing for him. Obviously when you put the ball in a guy’s hand, that’s different for the center than for the other offensive linemen, so the technique and some of the mechanics and fundamentals of that position are different than the other four. But he adapts to that well."

Running back James White: "I think [he] has really had a good camp and a good offseason; he’s performed well in the opportunities that he’s had. He’s made yards on his own, made people miss in space, caught the ball well, his blitz pickup has been good. Like a lot of our second-year players, he’s improved in a lot of ways from Year 1 to Year 2 – mentally, the overall understanding of our opponents and defenses and things like that. His offseason training improved and his fundamentals at his position have improved. He works really hard [and] he’s a smart kid."

Rookie safety Jordan Richards: "Jordan is a really sharp kid. I think very into football, has a really good understanding of the game. Even at the college level, I think he did some things that you don’t normally see guys do – kind of a level of sophistication and anticipation and awareness – so that was very impressive. ... You can really see how much he’s able to absorb and turn that into production and functionality on the football field. It’s not just a classroom thing. He’s shown the ability to apply it both on defense and in the kicking game, in the running game and in the passing game. He has a lot of passion and he works hard, and those things are evident, but they’re also showing up in his performance and his production, so that’s good."

Defensive end Jabaal Sheard: "Jabaal played in a system that [had] some definite differences between what he’s done and what we do. He’s definitely learned and tried hard to do the things we’ve asked him to do and adapt to those. Some things are probably a little more comfortable than others, but he’s worked hard at it. He’s a quiet kid who doesn’t say much, but he goes about his business, shows up every day ready to work, works hard on the field, practices hard, plays hard, is tough and tries to do everything you ask him to do. Again, there’s just some degree of difference and newness [compared] to what he had the last four years in Cleveland and what we’re asking him to do. But that’s not uncommon for a player coming in to any new team, really. I like him; I like the way he goes about his job."