PJ Duke needs a week off

[MedicineMan]

     Watching replay of Penn State VS Michigan, PJ Duke was gassed, and had to reach to his deepest reservoirs to pull it out. I reckon he’s got a bug and needs to heal up for a week. Call it ducking if you want, but I wouldn’t send him out for this next duel. Cael needs to get him right for the Big Ten’s and nationals.

mm

[cangemi]

47 minutes ago, MedicineMan said:

     Watching replay of Penn State VS Michigan, PJ Duke was gassed, and had to reach to his deepest reservoirs to pull it out. I reckon he’s got a bug and needs to heal up for a week. Call it ducking if you want, but I wouldn’t send him out for this next duel. Cael needs to get him right for the Big Ten’s and nationals.

mm

Selfishly I want see match. But your correct get him healthy give him break.

Grinding full steam since July. Better chance win in Cleveland resting. J MHO

 

 

[Gantry]

Only a guess, but I think it's weight more than a bug but I agree with your overall point MM. Duke needs a break, it's almost certain tOSU isn't going to have Cannon and Sealy is a big favorite against whoever they send out. Give him the week off

[Nak21]

Weight cut? Illness? Training thru? His last 2 matches he’s slowed down late. He has history with Catrabone going back to a close HS match. Also PJ went much of the season with most matches not making it too far past the 2nd period, that can catch up with your gas tank. 
He’s not long for 157 anyway. The “plan” unless something changes is - he goes 157 in 2025-26 while Kasak redshirts. 2026-27 Duke redshirts, Kasak goes 157. 2027-28 MM graduates, Kasak mans 157 for his Sr year, Duke goes 165 for his RS-soph campaign. Henckel mans 174.

PJ blows thru 165 and ends up 174 trashes all that. Time will tell.

[MedicineMan]

1 hour ago, cangemi said:

Selfishly I want see match. But your correct get him healthy give him break.

Grinding full steam since July. Better chance win in Cleveland resting. J MHO

 

 

Well said. 

[guygerloff84]

A lot of excuses 

[SocraTease]

3 hours ago, MedicineMan said:

     Watching replay of Penn State VS Michigan, PJ Duke was gassed, and had to reach to his deepest reservoirs to pull it out. I reckon he’s got a bug and needs to heal up for a week. Call it ducking if you want, but I wouldn’t send him out for this next duel. Cael needs to get him right for the Big Ten’s and nationals.

mm

With a record 84 wins in a row and 12 NCAA championships in (what?) 14 years, I think Sanderson et. al. know what they are doing.  Pulling out gutsy close matches (like he did against Michigan) can also give first year guys like Duke the confidence and grit to rise to the very top.  Penn State has 2 final home matches and almost a month to prepare for Big Tens (which is also at home so they won't need to travel until NCAAs in mid-March.). If you are going to rest Duke or anyone else, it might make better sense to do it against Princeton in the final week.  The dual against undefeated #2 Ohio State is by far the closest big event you can "simulate" all season long before the NCAA championships. Besides, is it certain that Cannon isn't going to wrestle for Ohio State?  Pyles said that Bouzakis is fine, I think.

[TAC]

I for one, think it is a benefit for him to have these tough close matches.  In the tournament, he is going to have to win close matches.  I do hope he can maintain 165 in two years as there is such a log jam at 174-197   

[The Kid]

8 hours ago, MedicineMan said:

     Watching replay of Penn State VS Michigan, PJ Duke was gassed, and had to reach to his deepest reservoirs to pull it out. I reckon he’s got a bug and needs to heal up for a week. Call it ducking if you want, but I wouldn’t send him out for this next duel. Cael needs to get him right for the Big Ten’s and nationals.

mm

Talk to Brooks. I heard he may have what PJ needs.

[Rassling]

7 hours ago, Nak21 said:

Weight cut? Illness? Training thru? His last 2 matches he’s slowed down late. He has history with Catrabone going back to a close HS match. Also PJ went much of the season with most matches not making it too far past the 2nd period, that can catch up with your gas tank. 
He’s not long for 157 anyway. The “plan” unless something changes is - he goes 157 in 2025-26 while Kasak redshirts. 2026-27 Duke redshirts, Kasak goes 157. 2027-28 MM graduates, Kasak mans 157 for his Sr year, Duke goes 165 for his RS-soph campaign. Henckel mans 174.

PJ blows thru 165 and ends up 174 trashes all that. Time will tell.

[GV4444]

He was gassed because he was wrestling Antrell Taylor and Cam Catrabone and needed all 7 minutes to win and 10 minutes to lose.  

If he needs a break before B1G, then he can skip Princeton.  

[Jimmy Cinnabon]

Good take.  He does seem a bit sluggish the last few matches.  Agree the cut may be too much.

[Dogbone]

It's February 11th.   The post season starts March 7th.  He is 19 years old.  PJ has wrestled 2 matches since January 24th and PSU has 2 more dates before the B1G Tourney.     

The next 2 matches over the next 21 days will bring him to 4 matches in 40+ days.

I disagree that Duke needs a rest because the "grind" of wrestling 4 matches from January 25th to March 6th is too taxing for a 19 year old. 

[Hammerlock3]

14 hours ago, MedicineMan said:

     Watching replay of Penn State VS Michigan, PJ Duke was gassed, and had to reach to his deepest reservoirs to pull it out. I reckon he’s got a bug and needs to heal up for a week. Call it ducking if you want, but I wouldn’t send him out for this next duel. Cael needs to get him right for the Big Ten’s and nationals.

mm

is this a joke? It's 10/10 as far as satire goes. 

[JimmyCinnabon]

Cael has a history of. grinding guys in January/February to prepare them for March. He especially likes to do it over a weekend they have a match or two. It's gets talked about by Jeff Byers on the radio broadcast every year when guys look like Duke did. Duke also may be hitting the freshman wall.

But, Cael likes to "train guys through this" in a way that preps them for March. And it works. I don't think we will see Duke sit out on Friday, but then again I'm just a delicious sweet treat.

[Hammerlock3]

No its all fun all the time and he demands bonus every match too.

[Hammerlock3]

30 minutes ago, JimmyCinnabon said:

Cael has a history of. grinding guys in January/February to prepare them for March. He especially likes to do it over a weekend they have a match or two. It's gets talked about by Jeff Byers on the radio broadcast every year when guys look like Duke did. Duke also may be hitting the freshman wall.

But, Cael likes to "train guys through this" in a way that preps them for March. And it works. I don't think we will see Duke sit out on Friday, but then again I'm just a delicious sweet treat.

PSU is the only team that does this by the way 

[scourge165]

1 hour ago, guygerloff84 said:

A lot of excuses 

Yeah, sometimes there are just... REASONS. 

Does anyone really think Spencer Lee doesn't win a National Title if not for a torn ACL? 

Now, HE didn't use it as an excuse, but it's sure as hell a REASON why. 

Wrestlers who spend the summer OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL Wrestling, winning the U20, U23 and then making the World Team knocking off a 4X NC, then get into the grind of College, again, as a True Freshmen... they can wear down, injury or otherwise. 

He hasn't come out and said, 'I had a close match with a high level D1 Wrestler and I didn't beat him as badly as some thought I should have because I had a chest cold.' 

 

[ionel]

9 minutes ago, scourge165 said:

Does anyone really think Spencer Lee doesn't win a National Title if not for a torn ACL? 

I don't understand the question.  He won 3 with torn ACLs correct ... were they won because of the ACLs and he worked on other parts of his game?

[scourge165]

55 minutes ago, JimmyCinnabon said:

Cael has a history of. grinding guys in January/February to prepare them for March. He especially likes to do it over a weekend they have a match or two. It's gets talked about by Jeff Byers on the radio broadcast every year when guys look like Duke did. Duke also may be hitting the freshman wall.

But, Cael likes to "train guys through this" in a way that preps them for March. And it works. I don't think we will see Duke sit out on Friday, but then again I'm just a delicious sweet treat.

This makes no sense to me... and I'm readily admitting it's akin to me telling Tom Brady how to read an NFL defense or Aaron Judge to work on his swing... I'm OBVIOUSLY not qualified, but to my mind, it just seems odd. 

Early in the year... he doesn't want to go to the duals because he's got his plan to set them up for success... and honestly, in thinking about it this year with SO many guys Wrestling at the U20, U23, or Sr level and the summer they had, it makes MORE sense to me now(I still think don't like it especially a program that has Nate Demond who could Wrestle 125 or Henckel or... so Connor Mirasola, Joe Sealy(almost literally a 2nd squad tat could have gone and been competitive)... BUT now, late in the year, he wants guys to grind through a tough weekend. 

 

It's a little counterintuitive. Two matches over 3 days is not really grinding it out other than making weight and having to stay in it mentally, so I guess in that sense it works.

I realize I'm kinda realizing how this make sense as I talk through it, but I still wish they were at National duels... just to... stick my foot in that rotting equine. 

We'll see though. David Taylor is doing it a different way. Give them 2 years and I think it'll be interesting to see the two different perspectives... which is also odd to me as Cael is his Mentor. 

[JimmyCinnabon]

1 hour ago, scourge165 said:

Yeah, sometimes there are just... REASONS. 

Does anyone really think Spencer Lee doesn't win a National Title if not for a torn ACL? 

Now, HE didn't use it as an excuse, but it's sure as hell a REASON why. 

Wrestlers who spend the summer OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL Wrestling, winning the U20, U23 and then making the World Team knocking off a 4X NC, then get into the grind of College, again, as a True Freshmen... they can wear down, injury or otherwise. 

He hasn't come out and said, 'I had a close match with a high level D1 Wrestler and I didn't beat him as badly as some thought I should have because I had a chest cold.' 

 

Spencer Lee will never be a 4x NCAA Champ. You cannot re-write history with what ifs. It's the same as the 2020 NCAA tournament. No matter how much Iowa fans want to claim that as a national title because they "would have won" they did not win and Spencer Lee did not win 4 NCAA titles.

[CHROMEBIRD]

He can wrestle the tOSU dual and take 3 weeks off before Big Tens

[Gene Mills Fan]

Some opponents are just good. thats why he went 17 minutes.  Cannons out, Sealey can get the win. So if he wrestles Friday is he fine, or is Carl torturing him?

[ionel]

5 minutes ago, Gene Mills Fan said:

Some opponents are just good. thats why he went 17 minutes.  Cannons out, Sealey can get the win. So if he wrestles Friday is he fine, or is Carl torturing him?

Is it true @kentuckymudflap has never complained about Carl throwing wrestlers to the wolves? 

[CHROMEBIRD]

1 hour ago, scourge165 said:

This makes no sense to me... and I'm readily admitting it's akin to me telling Tom Brady how to read an NFL defense or Aaron Judge to work on his swing... I'm OBVIOUSLY not qualified, but to my mind, it just seems odd. 

Early in the year... he doesn't want to go to the duals because he's got his plan to set them up for success... and honestly, in thinking about it this year with SO many guys Wrestling at the U20, U23, or Sr level and the summer they had, it makes MORE sense to me now(I still think don't like it especially a program that has Nate Demond who could Wrestle 125 or Henckel or... so Connor Mirasola, Joe Sealy(almost literally a 2nd squad tat could have gone and been competitive)... BUT now, late in the year, he wants guys to grind through a tough weekend. 

 

It's a little counterintuitive. Two matches over 3 days is not really grinding it out other than making weight and having to stay in it mentally, so I guess in that sense it works.

I realize I'm kinda realizing how this make sense as I talk through it, but I still wish they were at National duels... just to... stick my foot in that rotting equine. 

We'll see though. David Taylor is doing it a different way. Give them 2 years and I think it'll be interesting to see the two different perspectives... which is also odd to me as Cael is his Mentor. 

I think he was just kidding/trolling? Cael's philosophy has always been "if they feel like wrestling, they'll wrestle; if they don't they won't". It'll mostly be PJD and each starter's decision.