Columbia, Mo. ? Gary Pinkel has seen the progress in practice. He has seen his team improve in fundamentals and quickness.

Now, the Missouri coach wants to see progress where it counts.

“To be very blunt, I want to see the progress in wins and losses,” Pinkel said Monday as he prepared for the start of spring practices Thursday. “That’s the way I want to see it, that’s what Gary Pinkel wants to see.

“You think my fans want to see it? You think my players want to see it? I want to see it. This has been a tough two years for me.”

When Pinkel came to Missouri from Toledo after the 2000 season, he inherited a team that had gone 3-8. Since then, his Tigers have improved to 4-7 in 2001 and 5-7 in 2002. With the return of freshman standout quarterback Brad Smith, Pinkel hopes the Tigers will bring a new attitude into spring practices.

“This place is drastically different right now than it was the day I walked in here, thank God,” Pinkel said. “I think there’s a little bit more enthusiasm around here in general. We’ve had to go through a process, and when I took this job I knew I was going to have to do this. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I was not naive.”

Players took physical exams Monday and Tuesday. They’ll enter Thursday’s first practice looking to analyze schemes — on offense, defense and special teams. Pinkel and his staff will evaluate personnel, which they hope to sort out before the spring’s 15 practices are complete.

Some changes already have been made. Brandon Barnes, who shared time at free safety with Marcus King in 2002, will open the spring as a linebacker. Former tight end Earl Stephens has moved to defensive line. More changes could come before the spring ends, Pinkel said.

One of the biggest fights of the spring will be for backup quarterback. Smith became only the second Division I-A player to run for 1,000 yards and throw for 2,000 last season, and he has three years of eligibility remaining. Scrambling for the No. 2 spot are sophomore Sonny Riccio and redshirt freshmen Brandon Coleman, Josh Hibbets and David Overstreet Jr.

Smith said the improvement last season — including several close losses to ranked opponents — had raised expectations.

“There’s a great deal of excitement,” Smith said. “The anticipation of us having a good year makes us want to come out and have a great year. The expectation is pushing us.”

The Tigers also will look to replace two lost starters on the defensive line, Keith Wright and Antwaun Bynum. Missouri lost two cornerbacks and an outside safety from a secondary that ranked 113th out of 117 Division I-A teams last season in pass defense. So, defensive personnel will be key for Pinkel.

“Are there any specific concerns at any specific areas?” Pinkel said. “Yeah, all of them.”