By Teresa Varley

Steelers.com

On Monday, Grant Bowman was sitting in his office at Lehman Brothers in New York City thinking about what it must be like for his former teammates.

 

He was wishing he could be there with them, wishing he was a part of the excitement surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for Super Bowl XL.

 

"Forty-eight hours ago I was at my desk just doing my work and being happy about what is going on here, but jealous as can be," said Bowman. "It was great to see the run they were making. I still have a lot of friends on the team. But I am not going to lie, I was jealous thinking it would be great to go, but oh well."

 

Well, sometimes wishes do come true.

 

As the day wound down, Bowman checked the messages on his cell phone and was stunned by what he heard.

 

"I had a call from my mother and agent telling me the Steelers called," said Bowman. "I called my agent and he told me they wanted to sign me to the practice squad. I was like, yeah right, they probably just want to work me out. But they were sincere about it. It was tough to comprehend. I was so far removed from it. It is just great to be here and be along for the run."

 

Bowman, a defensive end who was on the Steelers practice squad during the 2004 season and was released during training camp this year, went to his bosses and told them the situation. They didn't object to the time off so that he could join the practice squad.   

 

"It's been exciting," said Bowman. "It's been a big change from what I have been doing. I am not sure if you could do more of a 180 from where I was on Monday to where I am going to be tomorrow on the practice field wondering what am I doing there. It's going to be great."

 

Bowman knows how much making it to the Super Bowl means to this team. He felt the disappointment last year when the team lost to the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. He saw how his teammates reacted; he knew how much everyone wanted to get there for Jerome Bettis.

"Last season was great to be a part of, but it was unfulfilling at the end for everybody," said Bowman. "I have been rooting for everybody. There are so many guys on the team that deserve to have a Super Bowl ring. If I can help out in some small way, it's going to make me feel really good."

 

It's hard to imagine him feeling much better than he does right now.

 

"I feel like the PowerBall winner," he said.