in·dis·pen·sa·ble
[ˌindəˈspensəb(ə)l]ADJECTIVE
absolutely necessary:
"he made himself indispensable to the parish priest"
synonyms: essential · necessary · all-important · of the utmost importance · of the essence · vital · must-have · crucial · key · needed · required · requisite · imperative · invaluable
antonyms: superfluous
Of course, it's far too early at this point to know with much certainty who Ohio State's most indispensable player will be in 2017. We don't even know who will actually be starting at several key positions. But based on what we do know now, who do you think it will be?
Hey - it's a long offseason - the topic can always be revisited later.
Keep in mind, we're not necessarily talking about the best offensive player on the team. Sure - it's important how good the player is. But in this case, considerations such as depth and/or the abilities/experience of the players at positions surrounding a given player could be just as important - if not more so. To put it another way, who could the Buckeyes least afford to do without?
For example: Billy Price might not actually be Ohio State's best player on offense - although, he is the only returning All-American. For that matter, he might not necessarily even wind up being the Buckeyes' top offensive lineman this season. That honor could easily go to left tackle, Jamarco Jones, before it's all said and done.
In my opinion, it's a close call between Price and Jones, offensively - with Price barely edging out Jones because he will be saddled with the added responsibility of making the line calls - and compensating for a new starter at right guard (where he played last season).
The back-ups are relatively unproven at either position - but both Branden Bowen (tackle) and Brady Taylor (center) have played reasonably well in limited action.
After Price and Jones, however, who else would it be? Every other returning starter has, at least, some "holes" in their game.
Marcus Baugh returns at tight end - but he has been criticized by the coaches for his blocking in the past. That's a problem for a tight end in a UFM offense - a Kevin Wilson offense, too.
Unfortunately, the same could be said for Baugh's back-up, AJ Alexander. Bowen was even brought in as a "blocking tight end" in certain situations last season.
By the way - a "blocking tight end" specialist shouldn't be necessary very often in an Ohio State offense. If Baugh and Alexander don't improve in that all-important area - don't be surprised to see one of OSU's three redshirt freshmen tight ends get some significant reps in '17. Heading in to the meat of Spring drills - it looks like that could be a young man who was, apparently, tearing it up in winter conditioning, Luke Farrell.
There really isn't an established starter returning at any wide receiver position - X or Z (or H-back). Since we're not even sure who will be starting where, it seems unlikely any receiver could be termed "indispensable" at this time.
The Buckeyes are returning a 1,000 yard rusher at running back. Mike Weber was able to accomplish that feat as a redshirt freshman. While that is impressive, he was not relied upon as a receiver out of the backfield as much as he might have been if he had shown more promise in that regard. He had some ball-security issues in the Clemson debacle, as well.
In fact, it would not be too shocking to see Weber sharing reps this year with one of the more dynamic up-and-coming running backs on the roster. Plus, Wilson has been known to lean heavily on his running backs. A rotation may be necessary, in any case.
Of course, JT Barrett returns at quarterback. Barrett is the first three-time captain in program history. Beyond being an obvious leader, he is a smart player and a tough runner. So, how could a veteran starting quarterback with those qualities not be the offense's most indispensable player?
In my view, a quarterback who has had, at least, some issues with accuracy could hardly be seriously considered to be the most indispensable offensive player on a team that has national championship aspirations. Especially, not on an offense that also returns players like Price and Jones.
Plus, his back-up has looked particularly good (in admittedly limited action) in the very area Barrett has struggled most. By all accounts, redshirt freshman, Dwayne Haskins has looked very good in practice, too. Clearly, the depth at quarterback looks much better than it does on the offensive line.
By the way - I would really appreciate it if this does not turn in to yet another debate on the pros and cons of JT Barrett. I acknowledge that his problems with accuracy comprised only a fraction of the problems with the passing game in general last year. Plus, there are plenty of those threads scattered throughout the site.
Besides, I would put him at a respectable third on the indispensable list for offense - right behind two nearly certain early-round draft choices (in 2018) - Jones and Price.
However, I would be interested in hearing the opinions of others regarding this topic. So, let 'er rip.
Incidentally, the defensive version of this is already in my head - so if you're interested in this sort of thing - it'll be coming soon. If you're not - why are you still reading this?
