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Badger and the first padded practice

It's the third practice, but today will be the big one. The pads finally go on.

"You just can't hit '31' and '11,'" safety Tyrann Mathieu said. "Everyone else is free game."

Honey Badger had a small smile as he said it, but it's kind of true (it goes without saying Carson Palmer would join David Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald in that group.) When Bruce Arians talks about wanting a more physical camp, this is where we will see it. Arians already noted that there won't be a ton more tackling -- maybe two or three scrimmage-like periods, with mostly young guys, rather than just the one at the Red-White practice we usually see -- but there is a quest for a mentality upgrade from where the Cardinals came out of camp last season.

(We already know some vets will be handled carefully, which is a no-brainer. Arians already said Fitz and Palmer aren't playing in the Hall of Fame game.)

The best part for me is always the one-on-ones: Linebackers versus tight ends and backs, offensive line versus defensive line. Those are intense short-term battles. And this is when football season feels like it has really arrived.

If you are looking for the camp practice schedule to figure out when you want to visit, check out azcardinals.com/cardscamp.

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