It is these types of bonds that forge team chemistry. And team chemistry often leads to winning.
If the players needed a reminder about how this is a family endeavor, even Harbaugh got a roommate this year - his father, Jack.
"I'm not a big fan of [training camp], especially since last year I didn't have to do it," said linebacker Terrell Suggs, who skipped last year's camp because he played under the franchise tag. "But this is a good time where it's just us up here. You get to become a team."
Making sacrifices
This is the time for the football family, not loved ones at home. New Ravens center Matt Birk estimated that he saw his four children for a total of two hours the first week of camp.
"It's a sacrifice for guys with families and a sacrifice for their families," Birk said. "It's hard to be on the phone with your kids and they're crying, asking when you're coming home. I think mentally, it tears you up."
Along with the mental strain, there is a physical one, too.
Since the full team reported to camp July 31, there have been practices for 13 straight days. Players in the 30-and-older club get every third day off from practice, but they still have to run and lift weights.
On most mornings, the Ravens suit up in pads to block, tackle and knock helmets. Defensive end Trevor Pryce said the Denver Broncos had only four full-contact plays (a goal-line session) for an entire training camp. The Ravens equaled that in the first 10 minutes of camp.
It was an adjustment last season in the inaugural "Camp Hardball." After the first two weeks, more than a quarter of the Ravens' roster - 21 players - had missed at least one practice because of injury. This year, the total is 16 players.
Harbaugh said the difference is that fewer players came to camp this year with an injury.
"Our philosophy is, 'The harder you work, the healthier you stay,' except for the fluke injury," Harbaugh said. "I think our guys are in much better shape. There's nobody in the league that goes live more than we do, and yet they take care of each other."
Going against the trend
By practicing at McDaniel College, the Ravens are going against the migration of NFL teams to their own facilities for training camp.
During the past five years, four teams (the Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers) have shifted training camp to their team headquarters. That means 16 teams - half the league - relocate to prepare for the regular season.
