Brandon Wegher, James Morris: Potential great stories

It's back to work for Young Mike, who will dip his toe back into these waters by looking at a few former Iowa football players who are trying to make NFL rosters.

Let's not dwell on those who have spots secured on their clubs' final 53-man active rosters. It's safe to say Marshal Yanda and Chad Greenway won't get taps on the shoulders from their teams' versions of The Reaper when cut-days come.

I'm not sure what the best ongoing story is among former Hawkeyes in NFL camps, but right now I think it's a tossup between Brandon Wegher and James Morris.

Wegher played one season of running back for Iowa in 2009, was quite good, and then left the program and football for personal reasons. Fast forward to 2013 and 2014 where he resurfaced in his Sioux City hometown at Morningside College, where he ran amok on NAIA football fields.

Still, it was small-college, not the Big Ten. No 2015 draft pick was spent on Wegher. However, Iowa State let him participate at its NFL pro day, and Wegher subsequently got an invitation to the Carolina Panthers' training camp.

In two preseason games, he has three touchdowns.

Carolina Coach Ron Rivera said the following in this Charlotte Observer story:

'Brandon is most certainly going to make it tough on us as we try to figure out who our 53 are. He really is deserving of our attention right now.'

Morris disappeared from our sight

last year.

The ex-Iowa linebacker from Solon didn't get drafted in 2014, but signed with the New England Patriots shortly after the draft. Then he got waived four days later after failing a physical.

Then he rejoined the team in time for training camp. Then he suffered an ankle injury and was on injured reserve for the 2014 season.

That wasn't a promising start to a pro career, but Morris stayed with it. He started for the Patriots last Saturday in their 26-24 preseason win at New Orleans. He stripped the ball away from Saints receiver Josh Morgan late in the third quarter (see photo), and Saints safety Jordan Richards recovered it deep in New England territory.

Morris left his feet and punched the ball from Morgan's grasp. That'll get you noticed.

Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald wrote this: 'James Morris is around the ball a lot, and his forced fumble was a coach's delight.'

Patriots Coach Bill Belichick said the following about Morris at Patriots.com: '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.'

Morris has 11 tackles in two preseason games.

Jim McBride of the Boston Globe projects Morris as making the Patriots' final roster.

How good a story would that be, going from undrafted free agent who sat out his rookie year with an injury to making the team of the league's defending champions?

Who took more snaps

than any Houston Texans player in the Texans' 14-10 home loss to the Denver Broncos last Saturday?

That would be center James Ferentz, another undrafted Hawkeye in 2014 who is trying to earn an NFL home.

Ferentz took — or should we say 'made?' — 62 snaps in the game, the most of any player on either side.

He spent last season on the Texans' practice squad, watching former Iowa players Jeff Tarpinian and C.J. Fiedorowicz playing.

This year, the Texans are HBO's 'Hard Knocks' team. Ferentz has been a face in the crowd, but his story could turn out to be interesting.

Here's what Texans Coach Bill O'Brien said in this Houston Chronicle post by Aaron Wilson:

'I think that you're around the game your whole life, you kind of have a sense for the game, how things work. His dad was an offensive line coach, his brother played offensive line.

'His brother's a great friend of ours, that we worked together at New England with, played offensive line for Iowa then here came James, so he's been around that offensive line position. He understands how it works, and he's a hardworking guy and he knows it's not going to be the easiest thing in the world to make this team. But he's making a case for himself.'

O'Brien may have offered James Ferentz a spot in camp last year because he worked with Brian Ferentz at New England, because he knows and respects Kirk Ferentz.

But I've written this before: There's nothing sentimental when it comes to doling out NFL roster spots. Every one of them matters. If James Ferentz sticks with the team, he's earned it and he'll have to keep earning it.

Other notes: Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com projects former Iowa offensive lineman Julian Vandervelde as being 'on the bubble' with the Philadelphia Eagles. Vandervelde has been with the Eagles in one form or another since they drafted him in 2011.

Another ex-Hawkeye OL, Matt Tobin, appears to have a firm hold on a spot with the Eagles.

As for yet another former Iowa blocker, Adam Gettis is projected to be headed for the final roster of the New York Giants by NJ.com's James Kratch, who wrote this:

'Gettis is versatile — he has taken reps at both guard and tackle — and he has been one of the first linemen in at practice recently. So he slides onto the board this time around.'

Week 3 of preseason games begins Friday. Teams must cut down to 75 players by next Monday afternoon. After the final preseason games are played next Thursday and Friday, the teams will reduce rosters to their final 53 spots next Saturday.

Many more happy and sad stories involving ex-Hawkeyes will be told by NFL general managers and coaches on the same day Iowa's 2015 football season starts.