The bitter: A hamstring injury robbed him of seven games, causing him to eventually get bumped from the lineup. In the biggest game of his life, he’ll stand on the sidelines, possibly in street clothes. The sweet: His team is in the Super Bowl. And even if he’s not playing, he’s still a part of it.
And thus it is for Fort Washington’s Leon Joe, a linebacker and special teams player for the Chicago Bears, which plays Indianapolis in Super Bowl XLI on Sunday in Miami.
“I’m down because I’m not playing,” said Joe, a graduate of Friendly High School. “But at the same time I’m up because we’re in the Super Bowl. I just go through it, man. I don’t know how I’m making it through it; I don’t really talk to anybody about it or anything. I take it for what it is and I’ll just be the best fan I can for my team.”
Early in the season Joe, who played collegiately at Maryland, was more than that, which came after a fight just to make a team’s roster. Chicago had cut him after playing one game in 2004; he then played four games with Arizona that season.
But the Cardinals cut him last year and he re-signed with the Bears. Joe finished second in special teams tackles with 21 and started the final three games as the strongside linebacker.
“I did make some strides and this year I was expecting a bigger year,” he said, “but my hamstring did not agree with me.”
He missed two games in October because of his hamstring. He returned for three games, then suffered another one. He played one game, then missed four more because of a third hamstring injury. He’s healthy now, but hasn’t played in the playoffs.
Before this year, he had never missed a game because of injury.
“It’s beyond frustrating,” he said. “You just want to throw your hands up.”
But Joe already is eyeing next season. He also knows the Bears might need an outside linebacker if Lance Briggs bolts in free agency.
“It wasn’t my dream to come to the NFL and play special teams,” he said. “I want to play linebacker. I know I can start.”
In the meantime, he’ll watch the Super Bowl with a mix of excitement and regret. But the good still outweighs the bad.
“I’m still a part of the Bears and a victory would be nice,” he said. “A ring is a ring and I’ll take it.”
