Two weeks is making all the difference in TCU's spring football practice.

The Horned Frogs delayed the start of their 2008 camp to get injured players from last season healthy and ready for the spring session. Of the nine players who would not have been able to practice had the session started on the original March 10 date, seven were participating with the team when drills finally began.

Their participation was crucial for a program that hasn't won a conference championship in two years -- a pronounced drought by TCU standards. The team knows if it wants to get back to championship form, the work ethic begins in the offseason and spring practice.

"You're only as good as your weakest link," Frogs coach Gary Patterson told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Our spring ball is tougher than most. That's where we get our physicalness."

The Horned Frogs have momentum going into spring practice, having finished the 2007 season on a three-game winning streak after a 4-4 start. The offense, with starting quarterback Andy Dalton returning for his sophomore season, has eight starters back for 2008. It has depth at tailback with Aaron Brown and Joseph Turner, although Brown still is recovering from an ankle injury and Turner won't participate in the spring because of a knee injury. Getting those players healthy will be crucial.

Defensively, the Horned Frogs lose five starters from a unit that allowed just 323.6 yards per game in 2007. TCU will be without the services of ends Chase Ortiz and Tommy Blake, but could be more focused without the weekly drama surrounding Blake's emotional health last fall.

The secondary could be particularly strong in the upcoming season with the return of cornerbacks Nick Sanders and Rafael Priest as well as safety Stephen Hodge, who recorded seven sacks in TCU's last seven games of '07.

Finding second- and third-team players will be a priority for the Frogs into fall practice.

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