I always felt sorry for Powlus... he had a ridiculous amount of expectation and reputation heaped on him, and yet he didn't believe any of it. And that was kind of his problem, actually. I remember his first year, where he put up epic numbers against Northwestern for the opener, then followed that up with a pressure-cooker game against Michigan that went down to the wire. It all came down to one last dramatic drive by the Irish, led by Powlus, and he couldn't deliver. And that seemed to permanently stunt his own confidence in himself. He had talent, but nowhere near enough talent to keep up with the hype around him, and it nearly destroyed him as a player.
And that's precisely why he's the guy I want in charge of player development. He's seen what can happen and how horribly, horribly wrong it can go. He fully understands the consequences and what's at stake, because he's lived it.
Welcome back, Ron!
