Washington Redskins: The Impact of Shawn Lauvao
By Hunter Noll
The Washington Redskins roster is full of star talent that is expected to produce. That doesn’t mean some of their star production can’t come from players that aren’t considered stars.
Left guard Shawn Lauvao may not be the biggest name on the Washington Redskins roster, but he’s definitely one of the biggest bodies. At 6’3″ and 315 lbs, Lauvao is a monster of a left guard. Not only is Lauvao big, he’s athletic. That’s a deadly combination (word to Big L and Tupac).
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Last season Lauvao only appeared in three games after suffering an injury in week three against the New York Giants (via Mike Jones of the Washington Post). I know what you’re thinking. How could a left guard be that important to a team? Just take a look at Washington’s numbers in his three games compared to the rest of their season without him.
Through three weeks, the Redskins ran the ball 94 times for 431 yards. That averages out to 4.59 yards per carry. If they continued at that pace the entire year, Washington would have been the seventh best rushing offense in the NFL.
In the 13 games that Lauvao didn’t appear in for the Redskins, they ran 335 rushing plays for 1,135 yards. That comes out to 3.39 yards per carry. If they had that average the entire year, Washington would’ve been the worst rushing offense in the NFL. As it turned out, they finished near the bottom anyways (30th).
Not only does Lauvao returning clear up Washington’s left guard spot, but it frees up Spencer Long, who could get a shot at the starting center job.
Lauvao is looking pretty important all of a sudden, isn’t he?
It’s not just lucky that the Redskins running game is at it’s best with Lauvao on the field either, he’s a major part of it. His ability to find his man, drive him, and take him out of the play is extremely underrated.
Shawn Lauvao is a very efficient player, particularly on Zone blocks w/very good hand placement/steering ability pic.twitter.com/QE33IMGlQI
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) November 26, 2015
That’s straight domination.
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The running game of the Washington Redskins just couldn’t keep up with the massive success of their passing offense. With Lauvao back in the mix, there’s no reason for them not to be optimistic about their rushing attack in 2016 however.