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49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman says he’s ahead of schedule[/h1]
Posted on April 7, 2014 at 1:09 am by
Kevin Lynch
49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman has been making the rounds without the aide of crutches. Bowman’s knee buckled at an horribly awkward angle when players fell on his left leg in the 49ers NFC title game loss in Seattle.
Bowman tore his anterior cruciate ligament and his medial cruciate ligament after falling on the ball for what appeared to be a 49ers turnover. At the bottom of the pile, the Seahawks recovered.
After surgery in January, Bowman now says he’s ahead of schedule in his media interviews with ESPN, CSNBayArea and Bay Area Newspaper Group.
Bowman told
ESPN he will begin running in the pool in the next four to six weeks and that building up his left quadriceps muscle is key during this phase of his rehabilitation.
BANG reported that Bowman is in Miami, working with the same trainer that guided the miraculous recovery of Vikings running back Adrian Peterson from ACL surgery. After that, Bowman intends to return to the South Bay where 49ers trainers will oversee the final stages of his rehab.
Bowman will undoubtedly lobby to play at the start of the season, which will be about eight-and-a- half months after the injury. “The coaches have mentioned several times that they don’t want me to rush,” he said.
The 49ers slowed the knee-surgery rehabs of defensive lineman Tank Carradine and running back Marcus Lattimore. Neither played a down last year.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh mentioned that Bowman is expected to return at mid-season, but Harbaugh said he would not underestimate Bowman’s ability to return sooner.
One result from the injury was a change in the NFL rule book. In what will now be known as the “NaVorro Bowman” rule, officials can review loose balls to determine which team recovers the turnover.
“I commend them for doing it,” Bowman said of the rule change. “But it doesn’t fix my knee.”
