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OK State v. West Virginia Sunday 1/14 12 noon

It reminds me of something David Taylor said about Sanderson. He said CS always told them that it’s harder to win if you’re just worried about winning. You need to worry about scoring as many points as possible at all times. The margin for error is so much smaller if that’s your goal.
 
I’m not really sure what you’re talking about. We’ve been wrestling the most aggressive we have in years.
Agreed. I’m being alittle dramatic due to me being pissy about BT at Pitt and Izzac last night.

I was just so jacked after the NC State dual and I thought we were just pressing like crazy (in a good way for a change). With that in mind I think every little sign of backsliding sets me off.

I’m pumped about this team and I continue to hope we’re trending in the direction of a major push
 
Thompson is a true freshman so there’s going to be growing pains this season and 165 is a meat grinder so just accept that now. Isaac got beat by a good wrestler today who had some exceptional defense. He might be a little concerned about losing but I’m sure it’ll change now that it’s happened. Got to let it fly.
 
It’s hard to watch after recent years (decade plus) and see visions of our past. It used to be just straight hammers through the lineup and the ones that weren’t, were tough guys for anyone in the country.

Here lately, you see it…without looking hard and through orange glasses.

Spratley is turning into a DUDE! Straight buzz saw!

Fix, well, he’s elite.

Plott, not far behind elite.

There are probably 4 locks at AA and another 3 that are right there as solid AA guys. The other 3 are going to be a problem for anyone in March.

This is a solid team!
 
Thompson is a true freshman so there’s going to be growing pains this season and 165 is a meat grinder so just accept that now. Isaac got beat by a good wrestler today who had some exceptional defense. He might be a little concerned about losing but I’m sure it’ll change now that it’s happened. Got to let it fly.
Yeah I get it but you just don’t have that luxury these days. PSU has 2 true fr that are just exploding and getting better and more confident every match (w/o including Mesenbrink who’s a rsfr). The pedal has to be on the floor. They’re machines because they wrestle like they are machines. They never stop pressing the action. Whether we can beat them or not, that is one thing we have to come around too. We can’t rationalize guys wrestling like Doucet does. Winning duals isn’t the goal. He’s in a comfort zone that’ll never lead to anything great imo.

I’m really not trying to be negative overall. I love what I’m seeing from alot of the guys but that is what makes the issues more apparent and the corrections more vital. We are starting to get something going. We can’t let there be holes or you’re back to falling just short.
 
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Yeah I get it but you just don’t have that luxury these days. PSU has 2 true fr that are just exploding and getting better and more confident every match (w/o including Mesenbrink who’s a rsfr). The pedal has to be on the floor. They’re machines because they wrestle like they are machines. They never stop pressing the action. Whether we can beat them or not, that is one thing we have to come around too. We can’t rationalize guys wrestling like Doucet does. Winning duals isn’t the goal. He’s in a comfort zone that’ll never lead to anything great imo.

I’m really not trying to be negative overall. I love what I’m seeing from alot of the guys but that is what makes the issues more apparent and the corrections more vital. We are starting to get something going. We can’t let there be holes or you’re back to falling just short.
This year, we are probably a top 8 team. But, with the coaching staff and the OSU factor, we are a top 5 team. If we are clicking on all cylinders and hit it just right, we could be a top 3 team, coming this March. Honestly, seeing how hungry this team is, I could see this happening. Next year and the year after that, we are looking at some very good teams. You got to stop comparing us to PSU. Can we learn from them, yes. Can we improve in many areas, yes. Let’s celebrate our successes and improve on where we can improve. Maybe, we can be like the ‘78 Olympic hockey team and upset the professional Russians (PSU) when it counts.
 
Something I heard about his injury. I got it from a pretty good source. It is not public information about health so I do not feel comfortable posting it on the forum. I heard it in early December and nothing has happened for me to believe it not to be true.
Thanks for sharing what is appropriate then.

Makes me question not burning Robbs redshirt though. Unless what we have seen from him briefly was a fluke compared to what they’re seeing at practice?
 
Surber was a bit of a reach to AA this year and I doubt Robb was beating him in the room. Usually the heavier weight guys improve with age and maybe Robb has some chances to AA in the future, but not now. I would do whatever it took to keep him redshirted. I think we are seeing our two highest recruites from last year (which I think will be very successful) that it is hard for a true freshman to make an immediate impact above 165 pounds. Cael Sanderson and Pat Smith are very rare. 125 and 133 champions come along every once in a while, but big guys are rare. Most improve with age.
 
Surber was a bit of a reach to AA this year and I doubt Robb was beating him in the room. Usually the heavier weight guys improve with age and maybe Robb has some chances to AA in the future, but not now. I would do whatever it took to keep him redshirted. I think we are seeing our two highest recruites from last year (which I think will be very successful) that it is hard for a true freshman to make an immediate impact above 165 pounds. Cael Sanderson and Pat Smith are very rare. 125 and 133 champions come along every once in a while, but big guys are rare. Most improve with age.
Cael wasn't a true Fr.
 
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Thanks for sharing what is appropriate then.

Makes me question not burning Robbs redshirt though. Unless what we have seen from him briefly was a fluke compared to what they’re seeing at practice?

Robb is also a 184. He is strong and could perform up at 197 but they really like his potential and depending on what Plott does next year he could be plugged in at 184.
 
If Robb is a true 184 pounder we look really good the next four years from 174 through heavyweight. I think maturity really helps larger weights.

He has wrestled at 184 all season until he bumped up to fill in for Surber a few times.
 
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This year, we are probably a top 8 team. But, with the coaching staff and the OSU factor, we are a top 5 team. If we are clicking on all cylinders and hit it just right, we could be a top 3 team, coming this March. Honestly, seeing how hungry this team is, I could see this happening. Next year and the year after that, we are looking at some very good teams. You got to stop comparing us to PSU. Can we learn from them, yes. Can we improve in many areas, yes. Let’s celebrate our successes and improve on where we can improve. Maybe, we can be like the ‘78 Olympic hockey team and upset the professional Russians (PSU) when it counts.
The only thing I’d say or really disagree with is what you said about not comparing ourselves to them. It’s vital that we have an understanding of where we need to be imo. Whether it’s the coaches offering a guy or that guy putting in the work… We have to know what we’re chasing down and just how damn big of a job that is. Itll take special efforts on both fronts. The juice has to be worth the squeeze. Developing and getting better is the goal but there has to be an unnatural sense of urgency to track down a beast like PSU or the Russians in hockey. It’s not business as usual. You better believe that USA hockey knew who they were chasing.
 
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The only thing I’d say or really disagree with is what you said about not comparing ourselves to them. It’s vital that have an understanding of where you need to be imo. Whether it’s the coaches offering a guy or that guy putting in the work… We have to know what we’re chasing down and just how damn big of a job that is. Itll take special efforts on both fronts. The juice has to be worth the squeeze. Developing and getting better is the goal but there has to be an unnatural sense of urgency to track down a beast like PSU or the Russians in hockey. It’s not business as usual. You better believe that USA hockey knew who they were chasing.
Ok, 👍🏻
 
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Tom, feel free to argue with me. I’m not easily riled and I like the conversation on here. Don’t take my rebuttals as an end all be all opinion but more of a conversation driver
lol, no problem. Some times I have a million things going on and I think of typing a ton and it’s easier to just say “ok”.
 
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I don’t disagree with what you are saying but I think it’s a bit putting the “cart before the horse.”
What I mean is that we have had a non responsive past, with a “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” attitude, but we have made a ton of changes in that last year and we can’t expect immediate changes. We are all guilty of this ‘push button’ society and we want to see change right now. Well, the fruits of the changes we have made, won’t be seen (for the most part) right away, but will be more apparent in the next few years. It’s fruitless to compare us to PSU right now. If we continue at the current rate, in about 2 years, with the right athletes, we can start to become competitive with them. For us, we can expect to recruit the athletes they don’t want. That doesn’t mean it’s a failure, it’s a process. We are making the changes and hopefully it can translate to podium finishes, if not this year, next year and the year after that. PSU is ahead of the curve, we just have to catch up. If anyone can do it, we can
 
Robb is also a 184. He is strong and could perform up at 197 but they really like his potential and depending on what Plott does next year he could be plugged in at 184.
Plott will be 184 end of discussion lol lol
 
Plott will be 184 end of discussion lol lol

If Plott comes back then yes absolutely. Nobody is saying anything different. He has wrestled 4 years and is around 23 years old.

He has another year due to Covid but could also graduate and move on.
 
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