Who is the most indespensable player on team?

Dustman

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I think it's Butker too. We were awful in the kicking game before he got here. I really thought he would win an extra game for us last year, and maybe he did with all those deep kickoffs
 

Techster

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Unless a team is LOADED with talent (see Alabama's run since Nick Saban got there), QB will pretty much be the most important player on any team. There is no position that carries as much responsibility, and can impact a team in so many ways (especially in our offense) like the QB. A great QB can lift the talent around him...Cam Newton at Auburn, Matt Ryan at Boston College, Peyton Manning at pretty much every team he's been on...

I think it's "trendy" to say OL or DL...but the fact is, those are multiple players, not one player. You can scheme around a weak link in the OL (see 2008 and 2009), but it's hard to scheme around a QB that doesn't fit the system (see 2013 Vad...though 2012 Vad looked awesome, Calvin Booker).
 

vamosjackets

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The kicker is NEVER going to be the most indispensable player. Every school had multiple guys who can kick an extra point, and you might never use him for a field goal in the game. If you do, he'll probably have at least a 60% chance of making it anyway. Kickoffs are not going to win/lose you the game.

QB is usually going to be the guy, but I could see another player in certain cases. I thought last year Jay Finch or Attaochu were our most indispensable because we had a HUGE drop off behind Jay last year at Center and Attaochu was the biggest game changer we had last year. Even then, Vad may have been the most impactful if he were out.
 

thwgjacket

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The kicker is NEVER going to be the most indispensable player. Every school had multiple guys who can kick an extra point, and you might never use him for a field goal in the game. If you do, he'll probably have at least a 60% chance of making it anyway. Kickoffs are not going to win/lose you the game.

QB is usually going to be the guy, but I could see another player in certain cases. I thought last year Jay Finch or Attaochu were our most indispensable because we had a HUGE drop off behind Jay last year at Center and Attaochu was the biggest game changer we had last year. Even then, Vad may have been the most impactful if he were out.

Tell Harbaugh that in Baltimore where Justin Tucker was winning games late in the season.
 

thwgjacket

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Justin Tucker is one of the lowest paid kickers in the league because he is so young. Although he still made more last year than Russell Wilson, along with Hauschka who kicks for the Seahawks. So you have a lot of kickers making more than the Super Bowl winning QB. You're statement was that a kicker is "NEVER" going to be the most indispensable player on a team. You're argument lacks structure because you don't give any time constraints. Justin Tucker was definitely more indispensable than Joe Flacco for a few weeks in a row in Baltimore this year. (See Harbaugh trying to run the spread option with backup QB) Their salaries are a subjective viewpoint from the GM and owner but objectively, for a few weeks, it was Tucker over Flacco. Again, because you only offer the term "NEVER", it is easy to point out that when a FG is needed to win in the waning seconds of a game the Kicker is the most indispensable player on a team.
It's funny how you're dismissive of how important kickers can be when the top 25 scorers in NFL history are ALL kickers. Now I'm not saying they should make the big bucks. I'm not even disagreeing with you on the comment about how QB's are the most indispensable player on a team 99% of the time. But to use a term like "NEVER" is absolute, and on that point I strongly disagree.
 

00Burdell

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For me, indespensible means that our season hinges on the player - in his absence, we lose at least two maybe three games that he would have won for us.

I don't see a player like that on our roster. That isn't to say that we don't have anybody who can jump up and be that player, but I can't hand out the 'franchise' tag to anyone. Yet.
 

Rodney Kent

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If the question is in regards to a particular player, we do not have an individual player who is that important to our winning or losing. If we are talking about a position, there should be no doubt it would have to be bad play at quarterback where the leadership of the team resides.
 

alaguy

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Guys, I see this as the one player that we can least afford to lose--it may be that he is that good but also it is a function of who else can take his place adequately
ie: to me JT is important but RIGHT NOW he is not so good/important that putting Byerly in would be THAT big a drop off

thus I said Gotsis because now he is the ONLY Def Lineman that to me is a proven "playa", (much less at DT)
 

AE 87

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I hate being repetitive, and in fear of being redundant, I'll expand on what I was saying before. I agree with those who have said that indispensability stems from two factors: a guy with stand-out talent and a big drop-off in depth behind him.

Last year, I was surprised to see this occur with Morgan Bailey and J. Attaochu. I can't remember the details with certainty, but I think our move away from the diamond set and more shot-gun correlated with Bailey's injury. Also, Stargel showed signs of being reliable but our D dropped off when Jerry wasn't 100%. I think the absence of IJ and Jamal Golden exposed a lack of depth in the secondary.

Unfortunately, I don't think we know enough about our team to have a really good idea about who that's going to be this year. I think with IJ and Golden back, and the added experience of a lot of guys back in the secondary last year, we may be okay with depth. Also, I think that Step Durham will compete for at least a spot in the rotation right away. While we will miss, Jerry, I don't know if anybody is ready to step so far out ahead of the pack at that spot,that they earn the label indispensable. That same thing holds true for me with respect to our OL, QB and LB spots.

It seems to me that we're going to be relying on a lot of guys that are unproven but with high expectations. It'll be interesting to see how it shakes out.
 

vamosjackets

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If Justin Thomas isn't our most indispensable guy, we're going to be in trouble. If Vad had been more "indispensable" of a player for us last year, we'd all be singing a better tune this off season.
 

jayparr

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I hate being repetitive, and in fear of being redundant, I'll expand on what I was saying before. I agree with those who have said that indispensability stems from two factors: a guy with stand-out talent and a big drop-off in depth behind him.

Last year, I was surprised to see this occur with Morgan Bailey and J. Attaochu. I can't remember the details with certainty, but I think our move away from the diamond set and more shot-gun correlated with Bailey's injury. Also, Stargel showed signs of being reliable but our D dropped off when Jerry wasn't 100%. I think the absence of IJ and Jamal Golden exposed a lack of depth in the secondary.

Unfortunately, I don't think we know enough about our team to have a really good idea about who that's going to be this year. I think with IJ and Golden back, and the added experience of a lot of guys back in the secondary last year, we may be okay with depth. Also, I think that Step Durham will compete for at least a spot in the rotation right away. While we will miss, Jerry, I don't know if anybody is ready to step so far out ahead of the pack at that spot,that they earn the label indispensable. That same thing holds true for me with respect to our OL, QB and LB spots.

It seems to me that we're going to be relying on a lot of guys that are unproven but with high expectations. It'll be interesting to see how it shakes out.
Just curious only, so why do think an off, tackle being injured took us away from the diamond. I was very disappointed in not using it more! Very much so in fact.
 

AE 87

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Just curious only, so why do think an off, tackle being injured took us away from the diamond. I was very disappointed in not using it more! Very much so in fact.

I'm thinking it required longer sustained and/or different blocking than our base at which the next-ups, due to injury, were less capable.
 
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