{"id":44749,"date":"2022-08-14T03:28:06","date_gmt":"2022-08-14T03:28:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/commanders-era-dawns-in-washington-at-teams-preseason-opener\/"},"modified":"2022-08-14T03:28:06","modified_gmt":"2022-08-14T03:28:06","slug":"commanders-era-dawns-in-washington-at-teams-preseason-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/commanders-era-dawns-in-washington-at-teams-preseason-opener\/","title":{"rendered":"Commanders era dawns in Washington at team’s preseason opener"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Midway through the fourth quarter of Saturday’s preseason opener, the speakers at FedEx Field blared a song that hadn’t been played here in more than two years. It sounded jazzier than before \u2014 more trumpet, less drum \u2014 and the crowd was a little slow to react. Eventually, recognizing the moment, fans sang along.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It was arguably then, in Washington’s first home game as the Commanders, that the franchise emerged from cultural purgatory. The two years of planning, and the fraught six months of rolling out, had finally built to a collision between past and present, and as the beat climbed, some tried the new lyrics on the video board \u2014 \u201cFight for our Commanders!\u201d \u2014 but many instead hollered the old lyrics, which came naturally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Minutes before the game, the team had introduced two versions of the new song. One was slower and long-form, the other punchier, for singing after touchdowns. Those renditions received both polite applause and loud boos. But once there were points on the scoreboard, the crowd seemed to be feeling it, and by the end, fans united to belt out the lyrics that hadn’t changed: \u201cFight for old DC!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI didn’t even hear it,\u201d running back and lifelong Washington fan Jaret Patterson said after the 23-21 loss to the Carolina Panthers. \u201cI’m a homegrown kid. I’m used to the old one. But once I hear the new one, I’ll probably fall in love with it, like I did when I was a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For most of the afternoon, FedEx Field felt as it had for the last decade. The stands were sparsely filled as the home team played from behind. Even the time of day \u2014 early afternoon, unusual for any preseason game \u2014 felt normal. Since 2019, the Commanders have played 20 of 24 home games in the Sunday 1 pm window, tied for the second-most in the NFL, according to TruMedia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Washington Commanders’ logo, team crest and uniforms, explained<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But in the fourth quarter, as the team rally behind rookie quarterback Sam Howell, it was possible to glimpse the vision optimistic business executives had laid out before the game. Team president Jason Wright and vice president of guest experience Joey Colby-Begovich said they were committed to improving the fan experience despite challenges posed by the team’s recent performance and the aging stadium.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Wright spoke glowingly about the front office’s progress \u2014 more tickets sold this year already than all of last year, suite sales up 30 percent, highest sponsorship revenue since 2005 \u2014 but declined to share specific figures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI don’t want to get ahead of my team being able to tell their story,\u201d he said. \u201cWe’re not quite there yet. We’re not going to have a full stadium every game this year. I don’t want to get ahead of our team being able to tell the real story of the resurgence of the fan base, which is still probably another year or so out.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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On the walk into the stadium Sunday, the place looked largely the same. The new logo was visible on lamp posts, directional signs and burgundy trash bins. There were a few banners on the south side of the building, alongside those for corporate partners \u2014 though there were glimpses of the past. One advertisement for United Airlines read: \u201cProud to fly for the Washington Football Team.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In a sea of \u200b\u200btailgate tents, Will Sowell, 57, had one of the only ones with the \u201cW\u201d logo. He bought it because he was excited about the new era. Sowell said even though he loved the old name he didn’t have a hard time getting over the change because he was born at Georgetown Hospital and still lives in Prince George’s County. He wouldn’t forsake his hometown team because it changed names or had an embarrassing owner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThat’d be like me going to my high school and saying I’m not going to root for my high school because I don’t like the principal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Becoming the Commanders: How Washington’s NFL team found its new name<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Inside the stadium, the Commanders had remade what they could. They put up more than a dozen works by local artists from their initiative \u201cCommand the Canvas.\u201d They input new technology to speed up the concession stands, including a program in the upper bowl to order ahead on the Grubhub app. They expanded the local food and beverage offerings, and because they’re apparently still without a beer sponsor they offered an array of alcoholic drinks, including craft beer and hard seltzers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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After kickoff, new quarterback Carson Wentz took the field to a tepid round of applause. Fans seemed cautious to embrace him, and until the fourth-quarter comeback, the loudest cheers were reserved for wide receiver Terry McLaurin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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During breaks in the action, the team debuted the Command Force, its 44-person entertainment team with tumblers, gymnasts and cheerleaders, and reintroduced the marching band. The team also included \u201cBeat Ya Feet\u201d dancers, who represented a style that originated in the District in the 1960s alongside go-go music. In the first quarter, the team also prompted fans to vote on one of four categories \u2014 hog, dog, historical figure or superhero \u2014 to help narrow the choices for the mascot the Commanders will unveil at home in Week 17.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The new name was everywhere. The video board played themed segments, including \u201cCommand the Season,\u201d in which players picked games they were most looking forward to, and \u201cCommand the Drip,\u201d which featured Wentz’s teammates rating his introductory news conference outfit, a gold jacket and a red shirt Veteran tight end Logan Thomas gave it a score of 3 of 10; second-year tight end John Bates gave his quarterback an 8.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Despite the barrage, the past few days have served as a reminder that even as the team implements two years of hard work, it still has a lot of hard work left.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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On Friday, at a practice at Joint Base Andrews, the Commanders introduced their new name to the military personnel it was meant to honor, and a few fans seemed split. Some didn’t like the name because, really, what had the team commanded in the last two decades?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But Rhonda Killmon, a retired Coast Guard officer, argued history was more important.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt’s been my team since I was a little girl,\u201d she said. \u201cI’m not giving up now because they changed the name. Just like in the military, you have to adapt and overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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At the stadium Saturday, Colby-Begovich, the vice president of guest experience, said he hoped fans would recognize his team’s work despite the things it couldn’t control, such as the play on the field and the confines of the stadium. He wanted fans to imagine innovation the team could implement at a new venue in the future, and as Washington seized a brief lead late in the fourth quarter, fans delivered a strong second rendition of \u201cHail to the Commanders.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The game ended as many have at FedEx over the years \u2014 with disappointed fans headed for the exits \u2014 but with upgrades on and off the field, it’s possible, at least for now, they had a little more hope.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Placeholder while article actions load Midway through the fourth quarter of Saturday’s preseason opener, the speakers at FedEx Field blared a song that hadn’t been played here in more than two years. It sounded jazzier than before \u2014 more trumpet, less drum \u2014 and the crowd was a little slow to react. Eventually, recognizing the …<\/p>\n

Commanders era dawns in Washington at team’s preseason opener<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":44380,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/pre-snap-reads-8-13-gameday-field-gulls\/","url_meta":{"origin":44749,"position":0},"title":"Pre-Snap Reads 8\/13: Gameday! – Field Gulls","date":"August 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"seahawks News Seahawks number primer: Get to know who you'll be watching for on SaturdaySeaside Joe 1255, 8\/12\/22: Get to know the numbers of the new Seahawks Seattle Seahawks vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Preseason GAMEDAY - Sports Illustrated Seattle Seahawks News, Analysis and MoreSaturday will be the first time Seattle's rookies\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":47863,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/ron-rivera-appears-upset-in-post-practice-huddle-commanders-trim-roster\/","url_meta":{"origin":44749,"position":1},"title":"Ron Rivera appears upset in post-practice huddle; Commanders trim roster","date":"August 17, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Placeholder while article actions loadThe Washington Commanders have inched closer to finding their initial 53-man roster. 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