Leading up to Super Bowl 52, Torrey Smith knows that this moment doesn’t come around often unless you’re fortunate enough to be a New England Patriot. Since most players are not, he’s very conscious that winning five Super Bowl’s is a rarity. Many never make it to the big game, they make it and don’t come back again, or it’s a long journey back. Smith can relate to the latter point, which makes this time around even more special. In his second season as a Baltimore Raven, he experienced the joys of winning a Super Bowl very early in his career. But he never thought it would take him five long years to return.
“Personally, I’ve been on a couple of teams the past few years. I’ve gotten a lot older and matured. Its been five years since I’ve been in this position. There’s been a lot of highs and lows. More lows than highs,” said Smith. “For me it’s special to be in this position. I’m cherishing it because the first two years we went to the AFC Championship and lost to New England then my next year we beat them and went on to win the Super Bowl. I thought it would be like that every year. That’s flat out not the truth. Because of the last five years, I’ve been able to realize that and cherish this moment even more.”
After a couple of rough seasons with the 49ers, Smith signed a three-year contract with the Eagles earlier this year which took him to his wife’s hometown of Philadelphia. The Eagles have faced a lot of adversity this year, losing some its key players throughout the season. Smith doesn’t take for granted that they were able to prevail and end their season with the possibility of winning it all.
“It means a lot for us to be here. We expected to be here so we’re just thankful for the opportunity as a team,” said Smith. “We didn’t ask for any excuses or praise, we just continued to work. This is the product of that.”
Most importantly, he isn’t making the moment bigger than it is. Here are a couple of other thoughts Smith shared about the upcoming game:
Don’t get too caught up, It’s still a regular football game. “Yes, it’s the biggest game in our sport. The whole world’s watching but the reality of it is, when we get to Sunday, it’s going to be 60 minutes of football. That’s it. Still the same thing. Longer halftime but it’s still the same thing. So cherish this, enjoy this, but the reality of it is, it’s all business at the end of the day.”
Distractions come with the territory. “You know this is going to be distracting. It’s apart of it. There’s a lot of people who want to know what’s going on. It just comes with it. Just understand that when we get the weekend, it’s more normal, your family comes in, you’ve got to control that a little bit. You just have to stay with a routine.”
Being the underdog isn’t that bad. “Its been fun. You know when walking in here that out of maybe 5,000 people, only 4,000 are rooting for you. It’s kind of cool to embrace that. But for us, the goal has been the same from day one. We believe in ourselves. It’s not about outside noise. We’re all we got. We’re all we need.”
Nick Foles can get it done. “People often forget that Nick Foles is the same guy who threw seven touchdowns in a game a few years ago. He’s a heck of a quarterback. He adds a lot of value to our locker room that goes beyond the field.”
Although there’s plenty to think about before Sunday’s game, Smith is still taking some time to enjoy Minnesota. Especially since he lived in Pipestone, MN for a short period of time. So far, the Minnesota fans are treating him well despite the Eagles edging them out for a spot in the Super Bowl.
“Folks in Minnesota have been nice. There’s been some comments here and there but overall, they’ve been very welcoming, food’s been amazing the entire time, and just great people.”
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