Ron Rivera has to call the shots for Washington
Taylor Heinicke's surprising performance says a lot about how Ron Rivera and his coaching staff prepared this journeyman to face Tom Brady and the Bucs. Published January 10, 2021
Thom Loverro
Columns by Thom Loverro
Ron Rivera winning more than just football games
Ron Rivera's compelling story, the inspiring comeback of Alex Smith, the decision to jettison the polarizing nickname -- all of it has combined to win over the hearts of not just football fans, but the public at large. People want this team to win. Published January 4, 2021
LOVERRO: Connection to the owner wasn’t enough to save Haskins
There was something very un-Rivera-like about last week's decision to keep Haskins on the roster, let alone start him, after the quarterback betrayed his coaches and teammates. Published December 28, 2020
LOVERRO: Rivera aside, the culture won’t change until the ownership does
Kicking Dwayne Haskins off the team would have been an Albert Haynesworth-type statement of culture change. And it would have answered a lot of questions about what Rivera has been empowered to do. Published December 25, 2020
Cold, slippery walk in this franchise’s shoes offers some perspective
No one should be holding a parade for a team that might win its division with a losing record, or, at best, a .500 mark. But such titles have been difficult to come by under owner Dan Snyder's tenure -- just three in 21 years. Published December 21, 2020
Ron Rivera has turned a vilified Washington franchise into NFL’s teddy bear
Between the Alex Smith comeback story, the absence of the polarizing team name, and Rivera's personal battle against cancer, Washington has gone from despicable to admirable. Published December 14, 2020
John Wall legacy has two sides in Washington
The Washington Wizards traded the Russell Westbrook wanna-be for the real deal. Published December 6, 2020
Dan Snyder fate more pivotal than playoff cameo
The outside probe of sexual misconduct at Washington Football Team headquarters could be this generation's version of the Lombardi Trophy, if somehow, the report ends up forcing out owner Dan Snyder. Published November 29, 2020
No Burrow, no bite for Bengals in loss to Washington
It was Washington's third win of the season (3-7) and keeps them in the middle of the warped NFC East division battle, with their next game against one of the three teams Washington has already beaten. Published November 22, 2020
Alex Smith and the Hollywood unhappy ending
It was a reasonable-enough dream, as dreams go -- a five-or-six-win division championship and a playoff game in Ron Rivera's first year as coach. Published November 8, 2020
Verlon Biggs hero of Over-the-Hill Gang
"There is hardly a day I go through where I don't think about Verlon Biggs," Hall of Fame safety Ken Houston told me when I was researching the book, "Hail Victory: An Oral History of the Washington Redskins." Published November 1, 2020
Dallas win light at end of tunnel or oncoming train
In what was their best one-sided performance of the season, the Washington offense gained 397 yards, while the defense held Dallas to just 142 yards. Published October 25, 2020
Ron Rivera and difference between good, bad odds
Ron Rivera put his "Riverboat Ron" reputation on the line Sunday after his team came back from a 20-13 deficit to the New York Giants to score on a 22-yard pass from quarterback Kyle Allen to Cam Simms with less than a minute remaining. Published October 18, 2020
LOVERRO: Hallmark moments and double-digit losses
The Smith comeback, 693 days after he suffered a gruesome broken leg against the Houston Texans in 2018 that required 17 surgeries to fully repair, was the feel-good moment of the day Sunday at Ghost Town Field against the Los Angeles Rams. Published October 11, 2020
Ron Rivera courage is admirable, but at what cost?
Is coaching the Washington Football Team worth Ron Rivera's life? Published October 4, 2020
LOVERRO: Welcome to the process. Buckle up.
The interception-free Dwayne Haskins from the first two games this season was a no-show Sunday. But this is the process, we're told. Take a seat. Settle in. Published September 27, 2020
Arizona loss doesn’t figure on Rivera’s scoreboard
No matter what you thought of the Washington Football Team following its 27-17 upset opening win the week before over the NFC East defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, going out to Glendale to face a rejuvenated Cardinals team, led by their young second-year coach Kliff Kingsbury and his second-year quarterback phenom Kyler Murray, was going to be a tough ask. Published September 21, 2020
Dan Snyder on keeping Washington Football Team
Dan Snyder pretty much told the Wall Street Journal Sunday he doesn't really care what his team is called. Asked via email about keeping the name, "Washington Football Team" for good, Snyder replied, "Sure, it's possible." Published September 13, 2020
Cal Ripken, Mike Rizzo and what might have been
There was a time when it looked like Cal Ripken and Mike Rizzo -- both in the news recently in unrelated stories -- might share something more consequential. Published September 8, 2020
Dan Snyder unbowed as pressure builds
Dan Snyder doesn't sound like someone who will simply succumb to public pressure and shame. It doesn't look like he's inclined to sell. And -- Jerry Richardson aside -- NFL owners rarely have the stomach for kicking out a member of their exclusive club. Published September 1, 2020
