My how the "mighty" have fallen

[Thumper]

Once mighty Iowa now is tied with Purdue and Indiana in 8th place in the 2025-26 Big Ten wrestling standings with a 2-3 conference record.

Iowa tied for 8th place in Big Ten wrestling standings

[Rassling]

57 minutes ago, Thumper said:

Once mighty Iowa now is tied with Purdue and Indiana in 8th place in the 2025-26 Big Ten wrestling standings with a 2-3 conference record.

Iowa tied for 8th place in Big Ten wrestling standings

“Anything that happens, as a head coach, is on me.” That’s what was quoted during an interview with Cael after the Nebraska duel. Now that’s a leader, and that’s the kind of leadership these kids at Iowa deserve. I look forward to coming into this forum some day and learning the Brands bros are stepping down at the end of this season. That would be good for the team, school, fans and the sport in general. 

Edited February 7 by Rassling

[CTMopar]

Yes going 4-16 against the top two teams in the Nation could translate into a ugly NCAA Quarter final result...Maybe 1 or 2 make it to the semi's or none...No worries Stickey Bun has their back she'll sugar coat it no doubt!!!

[Scouts Honor]

did cael do something ? 

[CTMopar]

You tell me...

[Simpleman424]

10 hours ago, Rassling said:

“Anything that happens, as a head coach, is on me.” That’s what was quoted during an interview with Cael after the Nebraska duel. Now that’s a leader, and that’s the kind of leadership these kids at Iowa deserve. I look forward to coming into this forum some day and learning the Brands bros are stepping down at the end of this season. That would be good for the team, school, fans and the sport in general. 

Cael says that but means none of it…I really hope you don’t believe that coach speak. Does Iowa need a coach that turns the other way when their wrestlers do the things Penn State kids have in recent years? No…and that dudes done nothing about any of that. He can coach these guys in a wrestling room but that guys no real leader…

[CTMopar]

You have your opinion...What makes a real leader?

[Simpleman424]

8 minutes ago, CTMopar said:

You have your opinion...What makes a real leader?

I spent 20 years in the Marine Corps…I know the leadership traits and principles. I also know how to look at a man see how he runs his organization, what’s most important to him and what type of man he is. I’ve seen all types of alpha “leaders”…and he’s not someone I’d send my kid to wrestle for at all.

[CTMopar]

Thank you for your service!!!

[Rassling]

3 minutes ago, CTMopar said:

Thank you for your service!!!

Mopar or no car? 

[Hammerlock3]

11 hours ago, Rassling said:

“Anything that happens, as a head coach, is on me.” That’s what was quoted during an interview with Cael after the Nebraska duel. Now that’s a leader. 

What happens if I post a recent clip of brands saying the same thing?

[manatree]

2 hours ago, Simpleman424 said:

Cael says that but means none of it…I really hope you don’t believe that coach speak. Does Iowa need a coach that turns the other way when their wrestlers do the things Penn State kids have in recent years? No…and that dudes done nothing about any of that. He can coach these guys in a wrestling room but that guys no real leader…

Right or wrong, so far Davis has missed as many matches as Turk did for shooting a teammate,

Edited February 8 by manatree

[SocraTease]

3 hours ago, Simpleman424 said:

Cael says that but means none of it…I really hope you don’t believe that coach speak. Does Iowa need a coach that turns the other way when their wrestlers do the things Penn State kids have in recent years? No…and that dudes done nothing about any of that. He can coach these guys in a wrestling room but that guys no real leader…

Do you really know how Sanderson deals with issues in and out of the room or behind the scenes?  I highly doubt it. Is Starocci wrestling now for the NLWC after last year's drama?  To my knowledge, he is not.  Is Aaron Brooks wrestling for them after the drug test?  I don't think so.  Did Braeden Davis wrestle on Friday after his tantrum on the mat?  Nope.  (Maybe it was related to injury; maybe it was disciplinary; who knows?) 

On the whole, my sense is that the team is very well-run.  And Sanderson, I think, has a pretty damn good reputation both as a coach and as a person. He rarely, if ever, makes it about his own ego and success.   He doesn't jump around and scream at kids, refs, or fans.  (Well, okay, there was one incident years agao when he threw a chair across the mat after Cox wasn't penalized in a match against David Taylor.)

Sports should not be conflated with or judged by the standards of military or police organizations, which we increasingly see have their own set of very real problems, which are far more serious.

[WrestlingRash]

3 hours ago, Simpleman424 said:

I spent 20 years in the Marine Corps…I know the leadership traits and principles. I also know how to look at a man see how he runs his organization, what’s most important to him and what type of man he is. I’ve seen all types of alpha “leaders”…and he’s not someone I’d send my kid to wrestle for at all.

marines and other armed service people who think their experience gives them some kind of special insight are complete and total clowns. 

[BruceyB]

4 minutes ago, WrestlingRash said:

marines and other armed service people who think their experience gives them some kind of special insight are complete and total clowns. 

[Simpleman424]

8 hours ago, BruceyB said:

It’s ok his WrestlingRash is just bothering him…

[Simpleman424]

8 hours ago, WrestlingRash said:

marines and other armed service people who think their experience gives them some kind of special insight are complete and total clowns. 

I’ll be the first to tell you there a ton of douchebags in the military and personalities that need humbling…you have clearly not met the good ones. And I’m sorry about that. I’m not saying you have special insight others can’t gain outside of the Marine Corps about leadership BUT I can tell you it’s not nearly as stressed and when you can go to a Marine 40 years later (literally any good Marine) and they can tell you JJ DID TIE BUCKLE…well they might have thought about leadership more than the average person…

[happyvalet]

8 hours ago, SocraTease said:

Do you really know how Sanderson deals with issues in and out of the room or behind the scenes?  I highly doubt it. Is Starocci wrestling now for the NLWC after last year's drama?  To my knowledge, he is not.  Is Aaron Brooks wrestling for them after the drug test?  I don't think so.  Did Braeden Davis wrestle on Friday after his tantrum on the mat?  Nope.  (Maybe it was related to injury; maybe it was disciplinary; who knows?) 

On the whole, my sense is that the team is very well-run.  And Sanderson, I think, has a pretty damn good reputation both as a coach and as a person. He rarely, if ever, makes it about his own ego and success.   He doesn't jump around and scream at kids, refs, or fans.  (Well, okay, there was one incident years agao when he threw a chair across the mat after Cox wasn't penalized in a match against David Taylor.)

Sports should not be conflated with or judged by the standards of military or police organizations, which we increasingly see have their own set of very real problems, which are far more serious.

Starocci stayed at PSU after the issues were known and reported to coaches. If he's gone from NLWC then that didn't happen until after the reports were made known to the public.

Brooks is banned from training any any RTC. It wasn't Cael's decision. 

Gilman is banned as well, but was welcomed back by Cael.

Kyle Snyder faced no apparent discipline for bringing negative publicity to the program. 

Braeden Davis was supposedly being punished for the year for his MMA sparring with the cops... That is until Nagao went down and they needed someone at 141 and Nasdeo wasn't good enough. 

Cael cares about one thing and one thing only. Winning. 

[Simpleman424]

17 minutes ago, happyvalet said:

Starocci stayed at PSU after the issues were known and reported to coaches. If he's gone from NLWC then that didn't happen until after the reports were made known to the public.

Brooks is banned from training any any RTC. It wasn't Cael's decision. 

Gilman is banned as well, but was welcomed back by Cael.

Kyle Snyder faced no apparent discipline for bringing negative publicity to the program. 

Braeden Davis was supposedly being punished for the year for his MMA sparring with the cops... That is until Nagao went down and they needed someone at 141 and Nasdeo wasn't good enough. 

Cael cares about one thing and one thing only. Winning. 

 *taps nose* Exactly

I wasn’t/am not on here to dunk on the guy or get into back and forths with fans who will only see things through one lens but there’s enough there around Cael and the whole organization to get it if you want.

Also, not trying to debate military leadership with people, because there’s people in the military that never get it (as hard as it’s pushed) and go out into the real world and embarrass themselves and whatever branch they came from. I have worked in both private and military so I can speak to both but if you haven’t experienced both…well I’m not sure how you could even possibly have an opinion on the matter. I know I don’t speak on things I haven’t experienced or truly know about. 
 

Finally…in the end my service or anyone else’s doesn’t make us better or worse than anyone. The only things that matter are how you treated others, led others (when required) and whether you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. All egos aside those are the only things that matter…

[One8alpha]

40 minutes ago, Simpleman424 said:

 *taps nose* Exactly

I wasn’t/am not on here to dunk on the guy or get into back and forths with fans who will only see things through one lens but there’s enough there around Cael and the whole organization to get it if you want.

Also, not trying to debate military leadership with people, because there’s people in the military that never get it (as hard as it’s pushed) and go out into the real world and embarrass themselves and whatever branch they came from. I have worked in both private and military so I can speak to both but if you haven’t experienced both…well I’m not sure how you could even possibly have an opinion on the matter. I know I don’t speak on things I haven’t experienced or truly know about. 
 

Finally…in the end my service or anyone else’s doesn’t make us better or worse than anyone. The only things that matter are how you treated others, led others (when required) and whether you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. All egos aside those are the only things that matter…

Have you experienced being a D1 college coach?  Your making comments as if your an SME in that arena.  Leadership in the military and leadership in coaching are two different animals.  How are you sourcing your intel?  Just from the bad stuff in the program?  What do Caels wrestlers say about him?  What kind of men are they after they graduate? 

You said you wouldn't send you son to wrestle for him. What if your son wanted to as an 18 yr old?  Where would you "send" him?

[The Kid]

10 hours ago, WrestlingRash said:

marines and other armed service people who think their experience gives them some kind of special insight are complete and total clowns. 

There's more nepotism in those branches of government than in the private sector.  

[Simpleman424]

20 minutes ago, One8alpha said:

Have you experienced being a D1 college coach?  Your making comments as if your an SME in that arena.  Leadership in the military and leadership in coaching are two different animals.  How are you sourcing your intel?  Just from the bad stuff in the program?  What do Caels wrestlers say about him?  What kind of men are they after they graduate? 

You said you wouldn't send you son to wrestle for him. What if your son wanted to as an 18 yr old?  Where would you "send" him?

While I appreciate your references the discussion was about him as a leader in general not a wrestling coach. Leadership is leadership…saying leadership in coaching is different than leadership in the military is a weak attempt to try and wordsmith an argument. They are far more similar and applicable than clearly you would like to admit. HUMINT, open source reporting…you know the stuff all of us have access too. The poster above gave you some pretty good examples of actions he’s taken or hasn’t. Doesn’t take a D1 wrestling coach SME to figure this one out.

Clearly you’ve been triggered here. Now “sending” your kid somewhere offends you…you may be too emotionally involved in this conversation. It’s ok to sit back and say “yea I know what he means” and move on vise trying to play cute word games cause the conversation is critical off Penn State…

Edited February 8 by Simpleman424

[Simpleman424]

15 minutes ago, The Kid said:

There's more nepotism in those branches of government than in the private sector.  

Nepotism?

[One8alpha]

Triggered?  Want to silence an debate?  Didnt answer the questions asked, instead deflected.  Hmmm, reminds me of a certain culture.  I wont debate you any further.  You have no credibility

[The Kid]

10 minutes ago, Simpleman424 said:

Nepotism?

Yes, you get promoted due to seniority even if you're a lazy moron.

I know guys who retired from the military who can't work in private industry because theyre too stupid and lazy.  Entitled babies.