'Great Building!' Commanders' Assistant General Manager Finding Footing in Washington

Following last season, new Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris stripped the entire team down and rebuilt it from scratch. He tasked general manager Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn with not only building a winning team, but building a winning culture.

The previous regime led by former coach “Riverboat” Ron Rivera was considered to be a “toxic losing culture”, as former Commanders defensive end Montez Sweat so eloquently said this offseason.

As a part of this rebuild, Peters hired former scout Lance Newmark to be the assistant general manager. On Thursday, Newmark spoked to the media who asked him how he felt everything was going.

“I feel like it’s a very unique situation where a lot of really motivated, talented, people came together to try to do something special,” Newmark said. “Dan and Adam both have great reputations. They’ve been winners, and a lot of people came here believing in them.”

Players have been outspoken about the changes around the Ashburn, Virginia facility. Some have even said it felt like they were traded to another team and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen said it was “a whole new vibe.” Newmark says that feeling goes far beyond the field.

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“The energy, the atmosphere is really good. Players, coaches, staff, existing employees everybody has bought in. There’s a lot of excitement for next Sunday. We’re ready to get going. It’s been a really fun process.”

Fans are ready to get the season going as well. The hype around the team this offseason has reached a fever pitch.

The Commanders kick off their season in Florida where they will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Sept. 8. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. EDT.