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• While Cardinals second-round DT Alan Branch's footwork has been uneven in the early going, daily camp observers tell us that, when he does take the proper first step, he's something to behold. The consensus, we hear, seems to be that once the physically imposing Branch really "gets it," the Cards will have themselves a potentially dominant force on the D-line.

• The agent for Cardinals LB Karlos Dansby has been pushing the team for a new deal for his client before the season starts, but we hear Cardinals GM Rod Graves would prefer to stand pat for the time being, with mid-to-late season shaping up as a more likely time frame for a contract extension. Unlike last year at this time, when the prevailing feeling under Dennis Green was that Dansby was a malingerer who just fired up for Sundays, we hear Dansby has been one of the team's most conscientious campers under new head coach Ken Whisenhunt, doing everything the organization has asked him to do.

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