The Ravens have always been known for high-intensity practices under Head Coach John Harbaugh.
This summer, it will be taken to another level.
"Our training camp this year will be more physical that it was last year," Harbaugh told reporters Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings.
"It's going to be a tough, physical training camp. We're going to wring everything we can out of every single second."
Harbaugh didn't cite missing the playoffs for the first time during his six-year tenure as the reason. He said it's because his team is younger and could use the strenuous training.
"We're younger than we were two years ago, and we need it more," he said.
"The young guys are going to get more of that than the veteran guys. [Veteran defensive end] Chris Canty, for instance, is not going to line up in two-on-one combination block drills. But [second-year defensive tackle] Brandon Williams is. He needs it."
Harbaugh generally gives players at 30 years or above occasional days off during camp. But even some of those players don't like to rest.
Carolina Head Coach Ron Rivera, said new Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith hated taking a day off, and the Ravens also have other hard-working veterans that will push the rest of the team.
"Our guys know how to work. Ask a guy like Terrell Suggs, our guys know how to work," Harbaugh said.
In addition to tweaking the tempo of training camp, Harbaugh said he also has some other changes in store this offseason.
The Ravens evaluate everything they do each offseason, but it was more difficult to do that after the Super Bowl because they didn't have very much time. By the time the parade ended, there was just about a month before free agency, then the draft was right around the corner. Harbaugh said his coaching staff has had a lot more time this offseason to ponder changes. "We've made a lot of changes to a lot of things we're doing – more mechanical, structural, methodology as opposed to principal-based stuff," Harbaugh said. "We always say our principals are written in stone, our methods are not. We got methods that we're changing."
