Baltimore Ravens

Ravens hoping high price of extended stays pays off

Published Sep. 17, 2015 12:53 p.m. ET

foxsports

After their Week 1 loss in Denver, the Ravens hopped on a plane to San Jose to get ready for their next game in Oakland rather than traveling back to Baltimore.

The Ravens are hoping to parlay their two extended stays out west this season into a third as Super Bowl 50 will be held at Levi's Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers. After all, the Ravens are ponying up over $1 million for the accommodations for roughly 150 members of the team's staff for this trip and the one leading up to their Week 7 game against Arizona.

Head coach John Harbaugh made the decision to reduce his team's travel time after consulting with his players and also his brother Jim, who won both of his games with the 49ers when they stayed on the East Coast between road games.

"Really, more than anything, you go with your gut," Harbaugh said per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. "I talked to Jim a lot about his trips east, and he really felt great about it. That was the overriding factor."

Besides finding a hotel that had enough space for 150 staff members, the Ravens also had to fly in equipment like blocking sleds and also rented hot and cold tubs according to Hensley.

Quarterback Joe Flacco acknowledged that cutting down on what would have been eight cross-country flights will help his teammates feel fresher.

"I know how you can feel when you get out there after the long trip and getting your body going," Flacco said. "I think guys are just intrigued by the fact that it might be the good way to do it and we might feel fresher because of it."

A trip to another Super Bowl will make the decision even more fruitful.

h/t: ESPN.com