Thom Loverro
Columns by Thom Loverro
LOVERRO: Among those who faced him on the court, Bird’s legacy undeniable
In a 1997 interview with sportscaster Ahmad Rashad, when asked to select the greatest players they had ever seen other than themselves, Wilt Chamberlain picked Bird. Russell selected Bird third after Magic and Jordan -- not Oscar Robertson, who he played against, but Bird. Published December 12, 2022
LOVERRO: House probe may be done, but still many shoes remain to fall
The House Oversight Committee's probe of Dan Snyder may be done, but there are still four - count them - four different ongoing investigations being conducted by highly-ranked criminal justice officials. Published December 8, 2022
LOVERRO: There’s no going back to Wentz, the legend of Heinicke is now the story of this team
The Commanders (7-5-1) may have a good defense and two studs up the middle in Jon Allen and Daron Payne. They may have a great running attack, rushing for 165 yards Sunday. But perhaps no one represents this season's success to date more than Taylor Heinicke Published December 5, 2022
LOVERRO: What was once bemusement at Qatar’s antics should be replaced these days by disgust
Qatar is having a pretty good time watching the world come to its manufactured doorstep and pay tribute to the tiny country. That's what you're doing if you are in Qatar, paying thousands of dollars to watch the World Cup in person or TV, which would lead you to believe it is taking place in Disney World. Published December 1, 2022
LOVERRO: Rivera may be the bright spot franchise has been searching for in the dark
I still don't know how good of a coach Ron Rivera is. But as a leader -- really, the part that counts the most for a head coach -- he ranks among the best we've seen here in Washington, maybe since the glory days of Joe Gibbs. Published November 27, 2022
LOVERRO: Commanders said they wanted their day in court. Then they settled instead with Maryland AG
Doesn't the Commanders' settlement with the Maryland attorney general validate Jason Friedman's committee testimony, first reported in the Washington Post and outlined in a letter from the committee to the Federal Trade Commission? After all, there is no Maryland investigation without his testimony. Published November 24, 2022
LOVERRO: Rivera’s coaching shakeup now looks like the right move
Given the dominant performance of this defensive line, my money for the Commanders' turnaround is on the day Ron Rivera announced he was firing his longtime coaching colleague Sam Mills III and replaced him with assistant defensive line coach and 17-year NFL veteran Jeff Zgonina. Published November 21, 2022
Zero was no hero: Honoring Gilbert Arenas is a franchise low mark
The franchise whose name was changed by the late owner Abe Pollin in 1997 because "the name 'Bullets" is no longer appropriate for a sports team is now honoring a player who celebrated guns and bullets so much he brought them into Pollin's building. Published November 17, 2022
LOVERRO: Anything can happen now that Racine has stepped up to the plate
Everyone expects Attorney General Karl Racine to strike out in his lawsuit against the Commanders, Dan Snyder and the league. But a lot can happen now that someone has picked up a bat. Published November 13, 2022
LOVERRO: Alabama country boy Dave Butz became a hero in the nation’s capital
When legendary Washington Redskins defensive tackle Dave Butz and I last spoke in March, we talked about his birthplace -- a small Alabama town called Lafayette -- where coincidentally another great champion, heavyweight Joe Louis, was also born. Published November 10, 2022
LOVERRO: Heinicke’s got some magic, Cousins has the whole bag of tricks
Taylor Heinicke, last year's starter who began this season as the backup, threw a six-yard touchdown at the beginning of the fourth quarter -- and suddenly the crowd was mesmerized by Heinicke magic. Then Kirk Cousins showed the stadium who the real sorcerer was. Published November 6, 2022
LOVERRO: The overreach for Wentz fits Snyder’s M.O. for quarterback mistakes
Washington Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke had some answers Sunday for those "analytics" that his coach, Ron Rivera, was bellowing about two weeks ago when questions were raised about Rivera's previously professed love for Carson Wentz. Published October 31, 2022
LOVERRO: NFL is waiting for a smoking gun that’s sitting in plain sight
In all the talk about what it would take to perform the public service of ridding Skipper Dan the Sailing Man from the lives of battered Washington Commanders fans, the speculation has always been about needing a smoking gun. Published October 27, 2022
LOVERRO: Win over the Packers won’t free a fan base imprisoned by ineptitude
It's hard to find peace in the team's cursed home, even on a day that the Commanders (3-4) pull out a 23-21 win over the Green Bay Packers for the lowliest two-game win streak (12-7 win over Chicago two weeks ago) you might ever see. Published October 23, 2022
LOVERRO: Dragging down the NFL’s bottom line? That’s one Snyder sin the owners will not forgive
If the NFL is a "mafia," as Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder reportedly referred to it, then Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay's declaration that kicking Skipper Dan out deserves "serious consideration" was a Corleone family kiss on the lips. Published October 19, 2022
LOVERRO: Food for thought, goals for the soul and Ovechkin’s blue-plate special
Alex Ovechkin is the constant that calms the acid reflux in the stomachs of Washington sports fans. As long as he remains on the ice in Washington, there is a level of respect and competitiveness that makes the world all right -- even if the real world itself is a nightmare. Published October 17, 2022
LOVERRO: Damning new report puts focus on Skipper Dan’s naughty list
"The NFL," Snyder reportedly told an associate, "is a mafia." No, Skipper Dan. The NFL is not a "mafia." If it were a mafia, the Washington Commanders owner would be in a hole in the Nevada desert by now. Or a New Jersey landfill. Published October 13, 2022
LOVERRO: Eventually Rivera will have to look in the mirror for answers to team’s failures
What was funny about the latest predicament that Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera found himself embroiled in -- and, let's face it, this franchise is a Don Rickles stand-up routine 24/7 -- was that it didn't happen as a result of one of his wordy, drawn-out answers to a press conference question. It happened because he gave a one-word answer: "Quarterback." Published October 11, 2022
LOVERRO: Snyder’s offseason promises look emptier with every loss. Is anyone surprised?
Instead of the regular column, a postgame email from Thom Loverro to John Mooney, managing director of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, after the Washington Commanders' loss to the Tennessee Titans. Published October 9, 2022
LOVERRO: Nice clubhouse chemistry, but Nationals sorely lacking talent
It turned out their chemistry was fine. By 107 team loss standards, it was a good clubhouse. What they were missing was, as the former Nationals manager Davey Johnson used to say, players "expressing their talents." There wasn't much expression. The reality is almost nothing went right this past season. Published October 6, 2022
