Michigan QB Bryce Underwood is already under fire after Week 1 of the 2026 football season. The Wolverines almost suffered one of their worst losses in program history and Michigan needed a Hail Mary win to beat Western Michigan in Week 1. Underwood is at the center of the loss after a poor performance. The second-year QB isn't solely responsible for the loss, however. Michigan's offense played poorly as a unit, and frankly, WMU outcoached the Wolverines. However, Kyle Whittingham said on Monday that Underwood's leash isn't infinite as a starter, to which Underwood claimed he hadn't heard that on Wednesday during his availability, which made for an awkward exchange. With the exchange that had taken place between Monday and Wednesday, it's led to plenty of talking heads giving their takes on Underwood and Michigan. The latest being former Cincinnati Bengals WR TJ Houshmanzadeh. Appearing on the 'Speakeasy' podcast, the former NFL playmaker said Underwood needs to leave Michigan regardless of whether he plays poorly or even if he improves. "If I'm Bryce Underwood, if I play good or bad, I'm done with Michigan," Houshmandzadeh said. "I'm done. I'm done with Michigan. Good or bad, I'm out of there. I'm out of there.....He should have gone to LSU to begin with. You go to LSU. You start at LSU, you going to be a first round pick."And so I want him to succeed because Kyle Winningham has all but said Bryce Underwood is getting benched this year. He's getting benched. And if I play well and I'm Bryce Underwood, I am leaving Michigan because rarely do we see a coach make these type of statements with a quarterback."They don't make these statements publicly. No, they may say it in a staff meeting privately. They don't make these things public because now you playing with his confidence. Now he gonna play nervous."What a ridiculous takeUSA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectHoushmanzadeh made points that Whittingham's offense doesn't fit Underwood, which we've seen one game of, for what it's worth. He also said that Whittingham has never developed an NFL QB during his 21 seasons as the head coach at Utah, and that the Wolverines' offensive line isn't any good this season — again, one game sample size. We can call a spade a spade and say that if Underwood doesn't improve, and if Week 1 was any indication of what he's going to be this season, then yeah, Tommy Carr will play in 2026. But we can also assume that Jason Beck will get more out of Underwood and he does improve. If Underwood takes the step most thought he would take, then he's going to become a beloved figure in Ann Arbor. There might be heat now, but it's up to Underwood to take that heat off and show why he was the former No. 1 player in the nation. And if he does, there's a near 0% chance he's leaving Ann Arbor. We need to see more gamesUSA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectJim Harding is known as one of the best offensive line minds in all of football. We cannot see one game of football and say the Wolverines' O-line isn't good. Houshmanzadeh, someone who should know better, is falling into the trap of a single game and believing that is what it's going to look like all season. Could it? Sure. Anything is possible, but Michigan's talent is great and fans should believe there will be improvement along the line. And Houshmanzadeh isn't wrong that Whittingham hasn't produced NFL QBs, but Michigan is a different breed. There are certainly areas that need to be cleaned up, but before writing in stone that Whittingham's offense isn't a fit for Underwood — let's see a few more games.Beck utilized the 'Rhino' more than most thought he would in Week 1. Let's see what adjustments Michigan makes this week against Oklahoma, which is a pivotal week for everyone involved. Sign up for the Michigan Wolverines on SI newsletter for more free coverageAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow