If I were Gabe Dean....

[RED 52]

Anyone think he is, or should be "all-in?" 

[2td3nf 536]

......I'd keep hitting that gorgeous takedown that he scored on Taylor.    :D

That was my favorite takedown on the whole card last night. So slick.

[AnklePicker 521]

9 hours ago, RED said:

Anyone think he is, or should be "all-in?" 

After that match I can't see why he wouldn't be.  He seemed to be able to handle Taylor's hand fight and not wear down in the process.  Not only was he able to finish quickly on that TD he was able to get in deep with a chance to finish at the very end.  Hopefully we get to see him vs Myles Martin at Flo's RTC event.  

[Glane18 72]

I thought he officially un-retired recently?  Maybe not?  I know he's helped Dake train a lot lately so maybe that helped him realize how good he still is.  Training with Dake doesn't hurt, either.  

[klehner 390]

Asked and answered:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIEH_4cFPHL/?igshid=15l4cf4imqe57

[hammerlockthree 1,961]

Tbar thinks he should stay at home.

[nhs67 895]

Yes!

[nom 796]

Klehner - thanks for that link.  Gabe Dean is all in!!!  Love it.  Makes 86kg very interesting.  Will also help Taylor up his game.  Good for the US.
 

Cornell now has Dake, Yianni, Vito and Gabe as what I’d call ‘contenders’ ... some with higher odds than others. May have 0 become Olympians ... but .... maybe 3???  Would be crazy.   Spartan RTC looking good!

[Housebuye 2,071]

On 11/27/2020 at 8:34 AM, nom said:

Klehner - thanks for that link.  Gabe Dean is all in!!!  Love it.  Makes 86kg very interesting.  Will also help Taylor up his game.  Good for the US.
 

Cornell now has Dake, Yianni, Vito and Gabe as what I’d call ‘contenders’ ... some with higher odds than others. May have 0 become Olympians ... but .... maybe 3???  Would be crazy.   Spartan RTC looking good!

Dake is probably 40% or something. 
  
Yianni is probably similar. 
  
I think Vito beats anyone aside from Spencer Lee, but Spencer could lose to Gilman or Fix. If he is on the opposite side to Spencer and Spencer has Gilman or Fox, Vito could take the spot. 25% maybe

 Dean is aweosme but no. With everyone peaking he is going to struggle I think.

[hammerlockthree 1,961]

1 hour ago, Housebuye said:

Dake is probably 40% or something. 
  
Yianni is probably similar. 
  
I think Vito beats anyone aside from Spencer Lee, but Spencer could lose to Gilman or Fix. If he is on the opposite side to Spencer and Spencer has Gilman or Fox, Vito could take the spot. 25% maybe

 Dean is aweosme but no. With everyone peaking he is going to struggle I think.

This is a lame predication, but at some point vito beats Lee. 

Vito is one of the more consistently underrated wrestlers in america.

[Billyhoyle 1,987]

Dean has no chance against Taylor at full strength, but who knows what happens with Taylor’s health between now and the OTT.  He’s still an underdog against the rest of the field, but much crazier things have happened. He did just win senior nationals after all.
 

At the very least he could be Dake’s training partner for the Olympics if Dake makes the team. 

Edited November 30, 2020 by Billyhoyle

[hammerlockthree 1,961]

29 minutes ago, Billyhoyle said:

Dean has no chance against Taylor at full strength, but who knows what happens with Taylor’s health between now and the OTT.  He’s still an underdog against the rest of the field, but much crazier things have happened. He did just win senior nationals after all.
 

At the very least he could be Dake’s training partner for the Olympics if Dake makes the team. 

Why is taylor (paid to train) not at full strength?

[nom 796]

Interesting.  If Dake makes the team and Dean does not ... I’m not thinking Dean is the right training partner.  Doesn’t seem like the right guy to ‘mimic’ the 74kg guys from around the world.  Not sure who the right guy would be ... IMar?  Not sure.  

[nom 796]

Good Q Hammer.  Why would Taylor not be back at full strength by now? 

[Billyhoyle 1,987]

I didn’t say he isn’t at full strength. Just that Dean can’t beat Taylor at full strength. If Taylor has a nagging injury going into the OTT or is unable to compete, Dean has a chance to make the team. Taylor is on a different level though when healthy. 

Edited November 30, 2020 by Billyhoyle

[drag it 260]

5 hours ago, Billyhoyle said:

I didn’t say he isn’t at full strength. Just that Dean can’t beat Taylor at full strength. If Taylor has a nagging injury going into the OTT or is unable to compete, Dean has a chance to make the team. Taylor is on a different level though when healthy. 

Taylor was the better wrestler last week, but to me, he didn't look like he is on a different level than Dean.  

Dean didn't compete for years until recently, and after an understandably tentative start vs Taylor, his ability to wrestle evenly against a guy whose pace usually breaks people should be an eye opener.  His lack of freestyle seasoning and inexperience in par terre will be significant hurdles in a short ramp up to the Trials, but this bear is back -- and dangerous.  

[1032004 809]

Has Dean wrestled Nickal since the NCAA finals loss?

[Crotalus 392]

10 minutes ago, 1032004 said:

Has Dean wrestled Nickal since the NCAA finals loss?

I don't believe so. A Dean/Nickal OTT semifinal would be awesome.

[nom 796]

@Billyhoyle - got it.

So, Taylor winning 4-2 with Dean in for a winning takedown in final seconds (but Tayor gets the TD in the scramble) ..... is what you call Taylor being on another level?  

[Billyhoyle 1,987]

1 hour ago, nom said:

@Billyhoyle - got it.

So, Taylor winning 4-2 with Dean in for a winning takedown in final seconds (but Tayor gets the TD in the scramble) ..... is what you call Taylor being on another level?  

Taylor being on another level is the resume he has put together compared to what Dean has accomplished.  He beat Dean 6-2 in an exhibition match that he controlled almost the entire way through. Dean had a nice takedown, but wasn’t particularly close to winning the match.  I feel the same way about Taylor vs Zahid and Myles Martin.  Taylor is simply much better. Nickal is the only wild card to me because he is such a freak athletically that I have no idea how much he has improved in this extra year.

Edited November 30, 2020 by Billyhoyle

[wrestlingnerd 2,585]

I think Zahid has a legit shot if he stops partying and gets in shape. I see Nickal getting big brothered. 

[IronChef 714]

Dean had a nice takedown, but wasn’t particularly close to winning the match.

I disagree with this. He was in deep and it took some great technique from Taylor to fend him off at the end.

As to the original question, he should definitely go for it. You only have so many chances to lace em up, and when it's gone, it's gone. Now he'll never look back and wonder if he could have done it.

[nom 796]

I expected Taylor to be on another level vs Dean.  What I saw very much surprised me.  @Billyhoyle - you and I apparently define being on a another level differently.  

[Billyhoyle 1,987]

6 hours ago, nom said:

I expected Taylor to be on another level vs Dean.  What I saw very much surprised me.  @Billyhoyle - you and I apparently define being on a another level differently.  

Yes, I view Taylor as a class above the rest of the field in the US and Dean on the level of guys like Zahid/Dieringer/Martin. That’s not a knock on Dean but rather my opinion of just how good DT is.

 

 Wrestling somebody close and losing in an exhibition match doesn’t change that-beating DT or getting some equally elite international wins would though. Nick Marable used to wrestle JB close and even beat him once, but was never on his level (by my definition). I think the gap between DT and Dean is probably larger than the gap between what Marable and JB used to be. 

[hammerlockthree 1,961]

19 minutes ago, Billyhoyle said:

Yes, I view Taylor as a class above the rest of the field in the US and Dean on the level of guys like Zahid/Dieringer/Martin. That’s not a knock on Dean but rather my opinion of just how good DT is.

 

 Wrestling somebody close and losing in an exhibition match doesn’t change that-beating DT or getting some equally elite international wins would though. Nick Marable used to wrestle JB close and even beat him once, but was never on his level (by my definition). I think the gap between DT and Dean is probably larger than the gap between what Marable and JB used to be. 

I basically agree, except that you are willing to die on this "another level" hill.

Taylor is not on another level than Dean, to me "another level" means you are gonna beat him 99% of the time, Taylor beats Dean 85-90% of the time. 

Its all semantics so I'm really not trying to hash this out but its ridiculous to me to say "he lost to him but he was on another level".