ASHBURN, Va. — If the new bleachers set up outside the Commanders training facility were any indication of the type of crowd to expect, then it was pretty telling. Just the fact that there were bleachers there, which there hadn’t in recent years, was already a good sign. One person I spoke with told me he hadn't seen this big a turnout at training camp in four decades. To put it simply, the Snyder to Harris era is like night and day.
Hundreds of fans arrived promptly at 7:30 am Thursday morning to watch Washington practice. It was the first day fans were able to get a glimpse of this year’s squad under new team owner, Josh Harris.
“In the first week of his ownership he’s so much better than 23 years under Snyder,” said Evan Diaz, a longtime Washington fan.
Similarly, Norris Jones, another loyal fan says this has felt like a long time coming.
“It’s a blessing for coaches, players, and the fans. I’ve been looking forward to this day for 30 years since the last Super Bowl since Joe Gibbs left. We finally got a good coach in Ron Rivera in his staff and now we have Eric Bieniemy as an offensive coordinator, and we have the players so they’re going to do it this year.”
A long-suffering Washington fan base is still waking up from a dream. And still getting used to the fact that that dream is a reality, and the black cloud that loomed over the team during Dan Synder’s time as owner, is gone.
“The energy he brings, it's just a breath of fresh air especially after that toxic ownership,” said Julian Banks from Hagerstown, Maryland.
From allegations and investigations, to hope and optimism, Harris has already gained the fans' trust. Harris has interacted with fans more in the past week then Dan Synder did in his entire era, welcoming fans at the celebration at FedEx Field on Friday and now at training camp. He’s attended both days of camp so far and spent time with fans Thursday morning shaking hands and signing autographs.
“He is a man of the people,” said Diaz.
Josh Kirby traveled from Stephens City and isn’t taking for granted Harris’s genuine effort to engage fans.
“That says something that they actually care about the fans, and they support the fans and they’re glad that we’re filling up these stands here at training camp.”
Governor Glenn Youngkin was also in attendance with Harris signing autographs as well.
The long-anticipated feeling of reaching this milestone after years and years of waiting can be summed up in one word as Jones puts it.
“Elation. Elation that we’re going to get some positive situations here for our team.”