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For years, players on the Ravens' offense have said that practicing against their defensive teammates has left them better prepared for when they have to face actual opponents.
Now, members of the Baltimore defense can truthfully say the same about their offensive teammates.
With the number of weapons that the Ravens now present on offense, defensive coordinator Greg Mattison has to get creative in practice.
He needs to be prepared to go up against sets that feature four or five wide receivers, three tight ends, two quality running backs, and jumbo formations that feature 350 pound defensive tackles as fullbacks.
Getting that experience in practice benefits the defense as a whole, but the majority of the guys in the Ravens' front-seven have been around for a few years and seen most of those tricks before.
The one area that this practice time might help the Ravens the most is with their secondary.
Without Ed Reed and Domonique Foxworth, and with Fabian Washington still slowly working his way back into the fold after tearing his ACL last year, the Ravens don't have a ton of game experience in their first and second-team secondary right now.
That's why Mattison says that this training camp has been huge when it comes to helping the Ravens' young defensive backs progress and learn on the job.
"What happens is, when you're playing against the best every day, it speeds up practice for you," Mattison said. "Then, when you get into the games it isn't that, 'Oh boy, this is a little faster than practice.'
"Our receivers have done a tremendous job in camp, and if you slip up just one time on them, if you don't play perfect technique against them, they're going to beat you."
There's value to that. If Cary Williams or Prince Miller make this team, they'll go into the regular season having played against a strong group of wide receivers throughout an entire offseason.
Even guys like Washington, Chris Carr, Tom Zbiwkoski and Travis Fisher, who have been in the league, will likely benefit from facing Boldin/Mason/Clayton/Stallworth/Heap/Dickson every day in practice.
The Ravens will face a number of teams with impressive passing games this year. The Bengals, Patriots, Texans and Saints all are on the docket for 2010.
It's possible, from a Ravens defensive back's perspective, that those teams' passing attacks suddenly might not seem as intimidating anymore.
