Colorado @ Michigan, Post Game Discussion.

[froot loops]

It will be interesting to see that offense after Butt moves on to the NFL. He's their easy button when crap goes sideways.

[Hannibal]

I'm not worried about losing Butt. We have an embarrassment of riches at that position. Easily the deepst and most talented set of TEs that I have ever seen at Michigan.

[Mainevent]

I watched the 2nd half yesterday as I missed most of it on Saturday. Colorado had guys open against the secondary still, but the DL had cranked the pressure way up. Would a healthy Lofou been able to diagnose/expose that more than the freshman could? Probably, but we'll never know if it would have been enough to keep CU in it.

Gary looked really good, though he got run up the field a few times when went to the outside rush a bit too often. Need to work on that counter hump/spin move.

[hack]

Butt is a wonderful security blanket for a first-year starter.

I think that by the second quarter Brown had figured out the right response to the Buffs offense, and the players are starting to get it, but there's a ways to go.

Overall, the team looks shakier than you'd hope for. There's been no miracles worked with the OL, and I had hoped that Year 2 in the system would have made a bigger difference than it seems to be making. Unless Braden is more hurt than we know.

[Buckeye Paul]

Three games in and 3-0, yet I feel like I have no idea how good or not good Michigan really is.

[Rocky Bleier]

They're an 8-4 to 11-1 team. Basically the same as last year's team without the QB. Potential losses to Wisconsin, Michigan State, Iowa, and OSU. The OSU game is the sure loss.

[paul daugherity]

That's about right. Still too many holes on the roster. The lack of development of OL is disappointing and concerning. No way that beat OSU.

[drok]

The OL seems like the area of this team that we won't be able to dig out from under. Everything else seems like it could be fixed or improved through the course of the year.

[paul daugherity]

Does anyone have an explanation for why the OL hasn't turned the corner? I'm just curious as to what the issue is.

[hack]

Dymonte Thomas too, though hopefully he settles in a little better. Or maybe Kinnell takes the spot.

[froot loops]

Does anyone have an explanation for why the OL hasn't turned the corner? I'm just curious as to what the issue is.

It probably just needs time, getting to the point where you have a dominating line is a years long project.

You need some better running backs as well.

[Hannibal]

It probably just needs time, getting to the point where you have a dominating line is a years long project.

Not really

[hack]

Drevno came here reportedly having produced a solid OL at USC with a bunch of frosh. But that wasn't billed as a dominant line. We're starting 3 guys who will have spent the majority of their time under Hoke/Borges/Funk. Cole and Newsome are younger. Given that guys like Newsome, Onwenu and Bredeson have seemingly passed Hoke recruits like Dawson, who was a five-star, and Kugler and Bushell-Beatty, my bet is that we won't see the line we want or the running game we want until the line has five upperclassmen recruited by Harbaugh. Is what it is. You can't just erase all traces of incompetence in two years.

[Hannibal]

You can't just erase all traces of incompetence in two years.

With good coaching you can. At the very least, you should show some signs of progress, which we are not after game #16 of the Harbaugh era.

The run game is miles below expectations.

[hack]

True. I'm disappointed too, but not gonna blame it on coaching at this point. Harbaugh has a pretty good track record as a coach. Nor am I willing to write off the possibility of in-season progress.