<table> </table> COLUMBIA | Colin Brown has heard the murmurs, whispers born of too many Missouri football fans suffering heartbreak too many times to buy into the predictions of good times just ahead with total confidence.</p><p>With sophomore Tim Barnes stepping in at center and junior Dain Wise going to right guard &#8230; With part-time starter Ryan Madison taking over full time at left guard &#8230; With returning starter Kurtis Gregory moving from right guard to left tackle &#8230; And with only Brown playing the same, full-time right tackle position he did a year ago &#8230;</p><p>Is quarterback Chase Daniel going to survive, much less prosper, behind such a patchwork?</p><p>&#8220;I think that&#8217;s what everybody is worrying about,&#8221; admitted Brown, who at 6 feet 8 and 325 pounds does not have to admit too much. &#8220;We do have to protect Chase.&#8221;</p><p>To do that, contends offensive coordinator and line coach Dave Christensen, the experienced players will have to help develop those with less game-day time.</p><p>&#8220;To help train, to help teach, to help solidify the unit because it takes all five guys all beating on the same drum and playing the same tune,&#8221; Christensen said Monday, when all his beef was sizzling in temperatures that Weather.com claimed felt like 107 degrees.</p><p>And that was at 9 p.m., not 5:53 when the Tigers cleared the practice field after a 2-hour, 8-minute first day of August drills.</p><p>&#8220;I put a lot on the older guys to bring the younger guys along,&#8221; Christensen said. &#8220;It&#8217;s going to take some time. But if you&#8217;ve had any experience at all, I expect you to practice every single day at an extremely high level.</p><p>&#8220;The bar is a lot higher for you than a player without any experience.&#8221;</p><p>Wise, a 6-5, 305-pounder, played sparingly in eight games last season at right tackle. He played in four games the previous year.</p><p>Barnes, a 6-4, 305-pound sophomore, got limited time in seven games last season. He switched from right guard to center in the spring of the 2007 season.</p><p>Barnes wore a nervous sort of smile after Monday&#8217;s practice. No shotgun snaps had sailed over a quarterback&#8217;s head. None had dribbled back to the QB on the ground.</p><p>&#8220;As far as I know, it went OK,&#8221; Barnes said. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t have anybody say anything to me yet.&#8221;</p><p>When something is said to Barnes and Wise, it probably will be delivered with a smile from the vets of the line.</p><p>&#8220;Be enthusiastic,&#8221; Gregory said. &#8220;The more enthusiastic you are out here, the less people are thinking about how hot it is, how sore they are.</p><p>&#8220;Positive encouragement. You try to pass down your knowledge to them.&#8221;</p><p>Barnes appreciates that.</p><p>&#8220;Whenever we screw up, me and Dain, we know what we did,&#8221; Barnes said. &#8220;We don&#8217;t have to hear it from the guys. We&#8217;ll hear it from the coach.&#8221;</p><p>Gregory, who worked out at center before the switch from guard to tackle last spring, says he&#8217;s asking for help from Brown.</p><p>&#8220;Well Colin, on this play, didn&#8217;t you used to do this?&#8221; Gregory asked the senior tackle.</p><p>Brown&#8217;s emergence into a preseason All-Big 12 pick is a favorite example for MU head coach Gary Pinkel.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a Tommy Saunders story,&#8221; Pinkel said.</p><p>Saunders, senior wide receiver and 2008 team captain along with Daniel, safety William Moore and defensive lineman Ziggy Hood, started as a walk-on at MU. So did Brown.</p><p>&#8220;Some kids can walk on from this state and not only earn scholarships, but have some success,&#8221; Pinkel said.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m real proud of him, how hard he&#8217;s worked, how much he&#8217;s improved.</p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s why you don&#8217;t give up on kids.&#8221;</p><p>Daniel, meanwhile, is keeping a watchful eye on the development of his new offensive line. He and Gregory have already talked about how a left tackle has to watch the back of a right-handed-throwing quarterback.</p><p>Daniel has every confidence in his line, but he isn&#8217;t about to take protection for granted.</p><p>&#8220;I definitely don&#8217;t,&#8221; Daniel said. &#8220;Even though those guys are some of the best in the nation, and I truly believe that.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s their time to step up and play.&#8221;</p><p><hr class="infobox-hr-separator" /> <div class="infobox"> @ Go to <strong>KansasCity.com</strong> for Mike DeArmond&#8217;s vlogs from Missouri&#8217;s camp.</p><p></div>