GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Yes, the Green Bay Packers opened training camp on Thursday, but that wasn't football -- not real football, anyway -- in the world according to fiery defensive tackle Mike Daniels.

Real football isn't played in helmets and shorts, which is what NFL rules dictate teams do for the first two practices of camp.

That all changes on Saturday with the first full-pads session at 8:20 a.m. local time.

"Been talking about it since OTAs; I'm excited," Daniels said after Friday's practice. "It's always fun to get back into real football, and we get to see what everybody is made of."

It's also the time of the year that makes Packers general manager Ted Thompson cringe. He doesn't like it when, as he puts it, "Packers tackle Packers." That's one reason the annual Family Night event at Lambeau Field (set for Aug. 8 this year) was changed from a scrimmage to a regular practice.

But there's no denying the intensity -- and importance -- of these practices. It marks the beginning of the one-on-one pass-blocking/pass-rushing drill and the half-line running drill. Those are perhaps the truest measures coaches and scouts can get in a practice setting of those who play in the trenches.

"I think players work differently in pads; they play different," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "It's definitely a turning point in the training path, no doubt about it. I mean padded practices are the closest you can get to an actual game."

They also can be ugly at times, especially the first few. Players haven't worn pads since Jan. 18, when the Packers' season ended with the NFC Championship Game loss at the Seattle Seahawks.

"I always find it as kind of a sloppy day when you throw pads back on after six months off," linebacker Clay Matthews said. "You can take a lot away from it, but you obviously can improve upon it. There will be a bunch of big hits. I'm sure there will be a couple of fights, but it will be a good step in the right direction for this team."

For some players, especially those who play the skill positions, the pads don't change much.

"On the outside, it kind of remains the same," cornerback Casey Hayward said. "[It's] a little more physical on the blocking, but overall it remains the same."

Following Saturday's padded practice, the players will have their first day off on Sunday.