Thom Loverro
Columns by Thom Loverro
LOVERRO: Renaming franchise at this point solves nothing
If it was just the bad football, that would be enough of a burden for Washington Football Team fans. There is certainly enough of that to go around. Just look at Sunday's 17-10 loss to the Broncos - bad offense, bad coaching, bad outcomes. Published November 1, 2021
LOVERRO: Goodell, Manfred in a race to the gutter
We saw the worst of American sports this week. We saw the leaders of the country's two most popular leagues -- football and baseball -- square off in a competition over who could be more arrogant, who could tell the biggest fib with a straight face. A fraud-off, if you will. Published October 28, 2021
LOVERRO: Heinicke hasn’t done enough to keep Rivera’s preferred quarterback on bench
We are getting close to Kyle Allen time. That should make Washington Football Team coach Ron Rivera happy. Published October 25, 2021
LOVERRO: Lanier’s voice conspicuously absent from Washington Football Team sex-harassment scandal
Two instances of sexual harassment against two different women in two different workplaces. You might think there would be a connection between the two victims of sympathy and support. Published October 21, 2021
LOVERRO: Dear Bruce, your shadow is still a dark cloud over this franchise
Enough of the game. They lost. They're 2-4 and about to travel to Green Bay to face the Packers. Nothing new to you, right, Bruce? Your teams had a 62-97-1 record while you were here. Losing on the field? Old hat. Published October 17, 2021
LOVERRO: Ovechkin stands alone in city once awash with sports icons
The sight of Ovechkin on the ice in a Capitals uniform Wednesday night is perhaps the lone anchor of security for Washington sports fans. We were once awash in celebrated sports heroes. Now there is only Ovechkin. Published October 14, 2021
LOVERRO: It’s high time Goodell and the NFL came clean on Snyder, Allen
The Gruden revelations just raise more concerns that the league is covering up embarrassing information that could further damage Snyder. What is in the rest of those emails? Published October 12, 2021
Rivera’s culture change dream hits Washington reality
When the news broke that the DEA had raided the Washington Football Team's headquarters in Ashburn in connection to a federal probe involving team trainer Ryan Vermillion, the organization issued a statement that said the trainer was placed on administrative leave "due to an ongoing criminal investigation that is unrelated to the team." Published October 10, 2021
LOVERRO: Amazon telecast just another sign Bezos’ tentacles are all over NFL
The commitment to Amazon is a big step for the league, devoting one of its prime-time broadcasts solely to a streaming site. It is also another step in the relationship between the NFL and one of the most powerful men in the world -- Amazon owner Jeff Bezos. But he already has more influence in NFL business than any of the 32 franchise owners. Published October 6, 2021
LOVERRO: Rivera needs to accelerate progress, or last season’s division title was an illusion
Ron Rivera took a step in the right direction in that first year by winning the NFC East, exceeding expectations. But it was, and remains, important for him to at least meet expectations in this second season, if not exceed them, to deal with the stuff that comes along. Published October 4, 2021
LOVERRO: A half-century ago, the lights went out on baseball in Washington
Fifty years ago, on Sept. 30, 1971, Dick Bosman took the mound to preside over a wake. Washington baseball fans had gathered at RFK Stadium to say their goodbyes to the second incarnation of the dying Senators, who would be resurrected the following year in a Texas cowtown called Arlington -- a suburb of the bigger cowtown of Dallas. Published September 29, 2021
LOVERRO: An unexpected detour on the road to superstardom
Chase Young seems like a decent, smart young man who may have too many demands around him, demands he may have welcomed. Published September 27, 2021
LOVERRO: Ali’s mountaintop retreat prepared him for war, offered him peace
It was the place where Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Andy Warhol, Sylvester Stallone, the Jackson Five and many other celebrities came to watch Muhammad Ali work and hold court. Published September 23, 2021
LOVERRO: A pattern emerges — and for Chase Young and Co., it’s not a pretty one
Them Loverro gets that the NFL is a week-to-week league, and a win is a win, all of it. But the hyped Washington defense is developing a pattern of taking too much punishment. Published September 19, 2021
LOVERRO: Waldorf’s baseball treasure climbing into record books a game at a time
Last week, Stan Cliburn won his 1,800th game as a minor league manager, leading the Atlantic League's Southern Maryland Blue Crabs to a doubleheader sweep over the York Revolution. He's managed 3,631 games total, and those numbers have him on the brink of cracking the all-time top 25 for minor league managers. Published September 16, 2021
LOVERRO: The solution at quarterback? Not on this Washington roster
Face it: Washington will face a mismatch at quarterback most weeks this season -- whether Ryan Fitzpatrick returns, or Taylor Heinicke gets the call or Kyle Allen takes over the job. Published September 12, 2021
LOVERRO: ‘Are you not entertained?’ Yes Maximus, we are, so add a 17th game
There is no honest "data" that says the danger isn't going to go up when players, who are at risk every time they step on the field, are asked to play one more game. Ask factory workers who work 50 hours a week or more instead of 40. Published September 8, 2021
LOVERRO: New Orleans storm refugee made lifelong Nationals connection
As Hurricane Ida bore down on New Orleans last month, Benjamin Camp wasn't going to risk winding up being stuck in a flooded house, rescued by boat and helicopter, and then flown to some unknown location. Not again. Published September 6, 2021
LOVERRO: In Thomas, Nationals may have found a gem sitting on the shelf
Outfielder Lane Thomas, who seemed like an afterthought pickup at the trade deadline a few weeks back, is making a name for himself with the Washington Nationals. Published September 1, 2021
LOVERRO: Ruiz, Gray signal new chapter for Nationals
Retooling instead of a complete overhaul makes sense in a division like the National League East, where no one seems to be able to run away from the field. Published August 29, 2021
