Cael is going to make changes

[LukePlansky]

In today's weekly press conference, Cael Sanderson was not pleased.
Sunday's third-place wasn't the reason. He said the half of the team didn't fight.
Here is the story I wrote for the Iowa State Daily about it:

I will post a transcript a little later.
Also, here is a brief on how Duke Burk (174) will be back sooner than initially expected.
Here are some of the key quotes, and there were plenty (too many to get into one story):
"I hate sitting there watching my guys not fighting. It drives me crazy, but we've got half of our guys doing that"

"I mean, right now we're taking the easy points. We're not fighting for the tough points, and that's frustrating as a staff because that's what wrestling is. Wrestling is fighting for the tough points. And that's the adjustment we have to make. I feel like I'm giving the guys the Holy Grail of how to think, how not to feel pressure, but it's not working. Everyone is not the same, and that's kind of what I'm learning as a head coach is that people think differently. They're not willing to accept ... People want to feel pressure. They want to have excuses, so I gotta make adjustments and get the most out of these guys, and really hold them accountable for what I expect 'em to do.
Nothing is harder for me than to sit up here and say 'Ya, we're fighting. That's what I expect them to do,' and then we show up at the match and we have five guys fighting. It's ... you know... It's not very fun. That's what I was raised on is fighting. That's all I know: that's all I knew as a competitor, and that's all I know as a coach. And if you watched our team wrestle, you wouldn't know what I'm preaching as a coach. You wouldn't know. Things are going to change."

"That's the hardest thing about being a coach: I can't go out there and wrestle a match, you know. I have to sit back here and pump these guys up and try to get them to go out and do what they're supposed to do. And it's fun, man. You compete, you step out on the mat - how many opportunities do you get to do that? You step on the mat, and you get to throw somebody down, you know? Those days are numbered; they're limited. Those days are over for most of us."

Fascinating stuff.

 

[LukePlansky]

Here is the transcript:
Link

 

[LeaningCy]

I watched this earlier. Said the word 'fight' just a few times, huh? :yes:

 

[jumbopackage]

A classic example of why great players don't always make great coaches...

 

[1100011CS]

Good stuff. It will be real interesting to see what comes of this.

 

[1100011CS]

A classic example of why great players don't always make great coaches...

WTF?

 

[Tornado man]

In today's weekly press conference, Cael Sanderson was not pleased.
Sunday's third-place wasn't the reason. He said the half of the team didn't fight.
Here is the story I wrote for the Iowa State Daily about it:

I will post a transcript a little later.
Also, here is a brief on how Duke Burk (174) will be back sooner than initially expected.
Here are some of the key quotes, and there were plenty (too many to get into one story):
"I hate sitting there watching my guys not fighting. It drives me crazy, but we've got half of our guys doing that"

"I mean, right now we're taking the easy points. We're not fighting for the tough points, and that's frustrating as a staff because that's what wrestling is. Wrestling is fighting for the tough points. And that's the adjustment we have to make. I feel like I'm giving the guys the Holy Grail of how to think, how not to feel pressure, but it's not working. Everyone is not the same, and that's kind of what I'm learning as a head coach is that people think differently. They're not willing to accept ... People want to feel pressure. They want to have excuses, so I gotta make adjustments and get the most out of these guys, and really hold them accountable for what I expect 'em to do.
Nothing is harder for me than to sit up here and say 'Ya, we're fighting. That's what I expect them to do,' and then we show up at the match and we have five guys fighting. It's ... you know... It's not very fun. That's what I was raised on is fighting. That's all I know: that's all I knew as a competitor, and that's all I know as a coach. And if you watched our team wrestle, you wouldn't know what I'm preaching as a coach. You wouldn't know. Things are going to change."

You should ask him if he has the team do any strength training. In comparing our wrestlers to Boisie St., Cornell, Nebraska, and Iowa, we look small, especially in the middle weights. We try a take down, get stuffed, and then their counters work on us. We look worn out; I think it's physical more than mental, which is odd since we have tons of talent.

 

[JHudd]

A classic example of why great players don't always make great coaches...

Those same coaches usually aren't able to identify that they may be going about thier methods wrong either. I see this as he does know what has been going on hasn't worked for everyone and he will identify those that are motivated by different methods and coaching. For a lot of people having the number 2/3 ranked team in the country would be enough and it speaks volumes about the man that it isn't enough for him and he is identifying what it will take to get the team to the top.

 

[jumbopackage]

WTF?

He expects kids to have his same level of motivation and ability and becomes frustrated when they don't.

I'm not saying that he can't learn to be a great coach, just that statements like, "...that's kind of what I'm learning as a head coach is that people think differently..." means that he wasn't fully prepared for what he was getting himself into.

Performing as a coach is a very different task than performing as an athlete. One requires the ability to motivate, while the other requires the ability to be motivated.

 

[Tornado man]

For a lot of people having the number 2/3 ranked team in the country would be enough and it speaks volumes about the man that it isn't enough for him and he is identifying what it will take to get the team to the top.

Cael is a great, great guy, but everyone knows why he replaced Bobby Douglas: we weren't winning national championships.

 

[JHudd]

I'm not saying that he can't learn to be a great coach, just that statements like, "...that's kind of what I'm learning as a head coach is that people think differently..." means that he wasn't fully prepared for what he was getting himself into.

I agree with your whole statement for the most part but wanted to comment on this part. I think this really may be true but I am much happier being where we are now and having him at the help even if he is learning on the job. He could be that guy to be here for a very long time and if we have a few "lean" years up front in his learning curve I won't be disappointed. Much better to see this then see him somewhere else succeeding in the future.

 

[JHudd]

Cael is a great, great guy, but everyone knows why he replaced Bobby Douglas: we weren't winning national championships.

I agree, I also think we were investing in the long term future of the program.

 

[CrossCyed]

Cael's still kind of learning on the job too. He had never been a college coach or anything before. I'm sure he knows he can improve.

 

[jumbopackage]

I agree with your whole statement for the most part but wanted to comment on this part. I think this really may be true but I am much happier being where we are now and having him at the help even if he is learning on the job. He could be that guy to be here for a very long time and if we have a few "lean" years up front in his learning curve I won't be disappointed. Much better to see this then see him somewhere else succeeding in the future.

Agreed.

All the hero worship over what he achieved as an athlete taints our perception of him as a coach, though, IMO. He's a lot of things, but so far, he's not any better than the guy he replaced (though he's not much worse, and the guy he replaced was pretty good).

 

[LukePlansky]

I'm not going to get into to much commentary here, because it compromises my positions as a journalist to some degree. But here are a few points to consider:
-He is 29 years old and has been a head coach for three years. As an assistant coach, his role was deferential to his college coach and mentor, coach Douglas
-This team has an inordinate amount of talent, which makes a different challenge to deal with
-This quote, which I used in my story:
“I think when you’re kind of thrown in here — and I want to win every time — you kind of let things go by because some things are sensitive — but those days are over,” Sanderson said. “We’ve got to make some changes, and we’ve got to do it now.”
-His philosophy from day one, which he has repeated time and again, "Give your best effort at all times, and results will take care of themselves." That works, if everyone does what they're supposed to.
-He owned up to this problem, put it on his shoulders in the press conference.

 

[LukePlansky]

I think it might be because ISU can't afford Gable version 2.0
A great ISU wrestler that would leave to coach another college and be extremely successful there.

This is a common misnomer: Cyler was coming to wrestle here, and Cael had absolutely no intention of leaving. I've heard him say that - I'm not sure the setting.

Coach Douglas was planning on retiring by the end of last year at least - according to Jamie Pollard, anyway. Regardless, he was mentoring Cael for the spot.

 

[Tornado man]

-This quote, which I used in my story:
“I think when you’re kind of thrown in here — and I want to win every time — you kind of let things go by because some things are sensitive — but those days are over,” Sanderson said. “We’ve got to make some changes, and we’ve got to do it now.”

Except that up until Saturday, Cael was saying that the team was progressing right on schedule, and that he wasn't concerned. Huh???

 

[LukePlansky]

You're right: he doesn't go negative to the media usually.

But they really hadn't looked bad until last weekend. He said he thought the team wrestled "fairly well" at Midlands, but that they weren't turning six-point decisions into eight-point majors.

Before the season started he told me that one of his biggest disappointments last year was that the team didn't score bonus points in the NCAA Tournament.

The reason I'm posting: once you admit something, then you are accountable for it. He's being accountable here, and I am trying to be too, since I'm circulating the story this way.

But this is mid-season. Watch the upcoming home duals. I'm pretty sure we'll see a difference.

 

[iowaboy]

A blind man could see the problem a mile away. ISU is not "mean" enough. They are not as intense and passionate as they should be. Morningstar beats our guy twice in two weeks the same way..... He wanted it more.

Cael was so good as a wrestler that he could basically "coast" against all but the toughest of wrestlers. He could eat a ham sandwich and play video games while riding out most of the guys he wrestled. His wrestlers while talented are getting beat when going up against wrestlers of equal talent. The difference lies in ISU doesn't have a street-wise mindset. They unlike IOWA are not as mean. You gotta want it bad, you gotta put that chip on your shoulder and go out there and go down fighting. ISU has what I call a prevent offense. They are NOT offensive to anyone let alone offensive enough to score. Wrestling today is all about takedowns and then hold-on. Very seldom do I see someone on top take control, bar someone up and turn their butts to the mat and STICK their sorry a$$! Its all about trying to out-think and out-smart the other guy. No Killer instinct!

Nobody can really "Ride" anymore and nobody goes for the "KILL" except maybe Metcalf at Iowa. Cael needs to instill some pride and espirit de corps into these "gentlemen" and they need to wrestle like someone is trying to molest their sister. You do that by pounding the living crap out of them and keep pounding until they get tired of it,get better, or go wrestle elsewhere.

ISU teams of the past would eat these guys up. Mark Manning, Carr, Gable, and a long list of guys that would rather kick your butt than win a lottery. They would get out of bed and drive 90 miles to whip up on some loudmouth that was flexing his muscles that they normally wouldn't wrestle in regular competition. They LOVED the combat> Todays wrestlers especially at ISU are not combative.... They are finesse wrestlers, light on their feet and wait for YOU to make a mistake instead of imposing their WILL on you. The sooner Cael starts turning up the heat and make these "gentlemen" aware of that the better he'll be. He MUST turn these "Gentlemen" into raving lunatics out there. Thanks for allowing me a snapshot of what once was.

 

[Bubbahotep]

He expects kids to have his same level of motivation and ability and becomes frustrated when they don't.

I'm not saying that he can't learn to be a great coach, just that statements like, "...that's kind of what I'm learning as a head coach is that people think differently..." means that he wasn't fully prepared for what he was getting himself into.

Performing as a coach is a very different task than performing as an athlete. One requires the ability to motivate, while the other requires the ability to be motivated.

I'd rather have him learn how to be a fantastic coach at Iowa State than Iowa. He has the program on the verge of being at the top. Sometimes it takes a few tweaks here or there to make the difference. At least he isn't to stubborn to admit his methods aren't the right way for everybody. I see this as the turning point that will take us to the peak of wrestling.