Thom Loverro
Columns by Thom Loverro
LOVERRO: Burden on Peyton Manning in Tom Brady matchup
Brady is 10-4 against Manning in his career, 2-1 in the playoffs. Manning has a losing career playoff record of 10-11, with one Super Bowl and one loss. Published January 16, 2014
LOVERRO: Baseball’s steroid era steeped in myths and lies
Coming on the heels of the debate over Hall of Fame voting, and the failure of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and others to garner much support on the ballot, the A Rod suspension is either the height or the depth of a tarnished era, depending on your point of view. Published January 13, 2014
LOVERRO: Without Jon Gruden, no one knows a thing about Jay Gruden
If Jay Gruden's name was Pincus McCoy, we never would have heard from him. As it is, his name is Gruden – the other Gruden being his better-known brother, Jon, the former NFL coach and Monday Night Football analyst and ESPN network star – and he is the new Washington Redskins head coach. Published January 9, 2014
LOVERRO: Remembering an American original in former Redskin John Wilbur
John Wilbur's football resume includes a stint with the Washington Redskins. His life resume? John Wilbur was an American original. Published January 6, 2014
LOVERRO: Shanahan’s parting gift to RG3 was removal from line of fire
Odds are the following words will be spoken by the Redskins Politburo to every candidate interviewing for the head coaching job: "Don't believe everything you read. He's really not that bad." Will they be talking about the owner or the quarterback? Published January 2, 2014
LOVERRO: Mike Shanahan exits, but questions and mysteries remain
Mike Shanahan followed the tradition of Redskins coaches now by leaving a trail of wreckage behind him – a steaming, heaping pile of controversy and chaos. It is the Redskins way of the 21st century. But he leaves behind a list of questions and mysteries as well. Published December 30, 2013
LOVERRO: There’s a coach out there who fits the Redskins’ dysfunction perfectly
The Washington Redskins seem to break new ground nearly every season in NFL dysfunction. They play their final game of the season Sunday against the New York Giants at Met Life Stadium, but the must-watch moments will come when the game is over. Published December 26, 2013
LOVERRO: Determining naughty, nice on Baseball Hall of Fame ballot
Unlike some of the writers who struggle with whether or not to keep some candidates out for use of performance-enhancing substances, I'm at peace with my decision to not vote for those candidates, and here is why — election to the Hall of Fame is a privilege, not a right. Published December 23, 2013
LOVERRO: Mike Shanahan’s QB bets keep busting in D.C.
I believe Redskins coach Mike Shanahan is a good football coach, and a quarterback guru. And if this is true – that Mike Shanahan is a good coach who knows quarterbacks – then he is on the worst losing streak a gambler like Shanahan has ever seen. Published December 20, 2013
Bengals’ Huber scheduled for surgery on broken jaw
Bengals punter Kevin Huber says he'll have surgery on Friday to repair his broken jaw, which was injured during a 30-20 loss in Pittsburgh on Sunday night. Published December 17, 2013
LOVERRO: Tone-deaf Redskins could use a bit of Joe Gibbs’ harmony
When you see the dysfunction that has turned Redskins Park into a battlefield of bickering, and the record nearing the end of Mike Shanahan's four-year tenure in Washington, mixed in with the two bizarre years of Jim Zorn, you have to come to a new appreciation for what Gibbs managed to do in those four years running this organization. Published December 16, 2013
LOVERRO: For Shanahans and Griffins, father-son dreams meet harsh reality
Mike and Kyle combined to lead the Redskins to a division title, while Robert Jr. and Robert III achieved their goal of making it to the NFL as an elite quarterback. But it has all fallen apart in Washington. Published December 12, 2013
LOVERRO: Wall between Dan Snyder, Redskins’ locker room crumbles yet again
Snyder, coach Mike Shanahan and quarterback Robert "SuperBob" Griffin III are the trinity of turmoil at Redskins Park, all seemingly staking out their corner in this political battle royal. But don't overlook GM Bruce Allen's role. Published December 9, 2013
LOVERRO: Squeaky clean Doug Fister latest piece in Nats’ personality shift
His presence is just a reminder of the remarkable transformation of the Nationals over the past five seasons, not just on the field, but in the clubhouse — they've gone from being a motorcycle gang to a gang of Goodfellows. Published December 5, 2013
LOVERRO: RG3 mentor still believes QB will be elite
Terry Shea — the quarterback guru who prepared Robert Griffin III for nearly three months to play in the NFL — has been watching the fall from grace of his former student from afar. Published December 2, 2013
LOVERRO: Despite Bradley Beal injury, signs of hope for Wizards
Bless the basketball fans in this town. They can set aside decades of ineptitude by the historically bad franchise – a franchise that has not won 50 games in an NBA season since 1979 – and get excited about a losing team in November. Published November 28, 2013
LOVERRO: Time for RG3, Mike Shanahan to stand together
The SuperBob diva storyline is a runaway train. The questions being asked about Mike Shanahan's future here in Washington in the fourth year of his five-year contract include whether or not SuperBob wants him to stay, and how much influence the embattled quarterback may have with owner Daniel Snyder when that decision is made. Published November 24, 2013
LOVERRO: The NFL games no one wanted to play
Fifty years later, the decision by Pete Rozelle — the man who helped usher the NFL into its place today in America as the national passion — to allow football to be played while feelings were still so raw over JFK's death is still a dark cloud over his legacy. Published November 21, 2013
LOVERRO: For RG3, it’s not the heat, it’s the humility
The interception at the end of the Philadelphia game was as much about the RG3 ego as anything — the voice inside his head that says "I can win the game because that's what I do." Not Sunday — and not most days this year. It's the difference between confidence and arrogance. It's the final chapter of the book of leadership. Published November 18, 2013
LOVERRO: Like it or not, Mike Shanahan should remain with Redskins
If you call for the firing of Shanahan after this year, then you are no better than the owner who angered you for years with his meddling and influence. We all know that Shanahan told Daniel Snyder he would need five years to dig this franchise out of the grave the owner had dug for it. You have to give Shanahan that fifth season. You have to see the end of this movie. Published November 14, 2013
