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COLE BREILAND / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Blue Bombers linebacker Marcellus Bowman takes part in practice on Monday.

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   • Win does wonders for Bombers' spirits

For a guy who works as a personal trainer in the off-season, hovering around the outskirts of a football team waiting for a hamstring injury to heal must be nothing short of torture.

Marcellus Bowman confirmed this notion after practice Monday.

"That's just salt in the wounds, knowing as much as I do about the body, and I'm the one on the sidelines," the Blue Bombers' starting weak-side linebacker said after a full workout at Canad Inns Stadium. "It was a very frustrating process, but I tried to do everything I (could) outside of the trainer's room to expedite the whole process and I think it worked."

The 6-3, 231-pound Bowman missed nearly all of training camp and all five games with a hamstring injury (suffered on an innocent-looking play during the June camp). Barring any setbacks this week, he expects to return to the lineup when the Bombers host the Montreal Alouettes on Friday (7:30 p.m.).

And what will he bring to a defence that's been hot and cold of late?

"That hunger," the 25-year-old said. "Everybody is hungry, running around like crazy during training camp the first couple days, and then everybody gets a couple bumps and bruises and loses their energy.

"I'm just trying to bring that pulse back to our team, to wake up a sleeping giant."

A three-year veteran, Bowman will slot in ahead of Dustin Doe, Terrell Parker and Henoc Muamba on the depth chart at the weak-side position and should help the sleeping gia... er, the Bombers as soon as he sets foot on the field. With Bowman out of commission, the club watched its run defence get trampled, allowing an average of 98 yards against per game (second last in the CFL) through the first five weeks of the season.

There will be an adjustment period for Bowman, though.

First off, when he's been on the field, Bowman hasn't seen a lot of time in his usual spot over the last year. He was the main replacement at middle linebacker when Joe Lobendahn went down with a knee injury in the Banjo Bowl last season, playing eight games there to close out 2011.

That's a lot of time to be away from the office.

"We think he's a good player -- just have to get the rust out of him," said Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice, suggesting the club has been disciplined with Bowman's injury to ensure he's 100 per cent. "It will be good to have him flying around if he's ready."

Another issue for the Boston College-product is the worry that surrounds all players coming back from a lengthy injury: conditioning, and the residual effects that go with its drop-off.

"Once your conditioning goes down, your focus goes down, too," said Bowman. "I have to maintain both."

Bowman announced his intention to rejoin the Blue and Gold Monday, when he smacked running back Nathan Riva during a drill. Players hooted and hollered in the echo of the cracking pads, but some felt obligated to come over and quietly offer advice to the linebacker.

Take it easy. Don't try to do too much.

"Nathan was just a practice wdummy, no offence to him..." Bowman joked. "I had to make sure I had a little bit on me."

Taking it easy might be the hardest thing for Bowman to deal with as his readies to return. He's an intense player, one of the hardest hitters on the Bombers, and loves getting his hands dirty (which explains the "a little bit on me" quote earlier). Keeping that all in check this week will be tough.

It seems an amped up Bowman was a bit caught up in the excitement of the one-point victory against Edmonton last week -- a game he wasn't even dressed for.

"I damn near ran on the field last game, the crowd was so crazy," he said.

The Bombers, and Bowman, are back on the practice field this morning.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @wazoowazny

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 31, 2012 D2