UKHTTC Viewpoint: the first press conference

“In the midst of darkness, light persists” Mahatma Gandhi

That first press conference then: impressive, professional, articulate, and sincere.

A unanimous verdict of a win across social media and the gathered journalists, command of the room from Josh Harris, Mitchell Rales and Magic Johnson and a palpable sense of excitement from that trio. Billionaires in Harris and Rales who projected the wonder of a child who had just been given the golden ticket.

How wholesome was Momma Commander which is how Josh Harris’s Mom wishes to be known. All the feelings for that one!

In front of past great Redskins and present great Commanders, Jason Wright made the introductions and, no, it wasn’t a glitch in the Matrix; we really have gone from Dan “Happy Thanksgiving” Snyder to the sheer force of nature Magic Johnson.

The obvious fandom of Harris and Rales, who both grew up as Redskins fans, was balanced wonderfully by their vocal commitment to excellence, diversity and continuing, and building upon, the culture improvements that have been made under HC Ron Rivera.

The shift in personalities from outgoing owner Snyder to the new ownership group is almost overwhelming in truth. Harris and co spoke with such clarity, warmth and promise that it felt as if 25 years of pain had been healed in just one press conference.

As fans, we might not expect overnight success on the field, but I have never been more certain that the foundation for deep forays into the playoffs will be built.

What might be the immediate blueprint for the Josh Harris group as new owners? Expect a deep dive into the current culture and employees, playing staff and coaches. That will take place throughout the 2023 season rather than an immediate desire for splash moves.

And that makes sense: the Commanders roster contains a decent number of guys who have major upside, and an essentially rookie QB in Sam Howell who may or may not be the answer under centre for the long-term.

We might even have to be prepared for the moving out of guys who we like in 2024; it will be about the bigger picture and the long-term building blocks for sustained success.

The stadium: some improvements had already been made to FedEx and the group seem committed to further increasing the fan experience for a stadium that is consistently ranked 32 /32 as the worst in the NFL. That will be immediate is my guess, with one eye on eventually getting the team back into D.C itself.

My last point is a confession.

Part of me thought that perhaps the biggest win with new ownership would be that they were simply not Dan Snyder. These guys are much more than that; this is a genuinely exciting time to be a fan of the Washington Commanders and I have zero doubts that the burgundy & gold will soon be back on top of our perch.

Let’s Go!