NEW ORLEANS — Any time a team is on the cusp of playing in the Super Bowl, it's special.
Players chase the opportunity to bring a championship back to their city.
DeVonta Smith, making his second Super Bowl appearance in four seasons in the NFL, has the goal to do so just 45 minutes from where he grew up in Louisiana.
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It's a homecoming of epic proportions. One that many can only dream of.
For Smith, it will become a reality in six short days.
"It means a lot," Smith said to NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark on the Takeoff podcast. "You know, still setting an example for the kids back at home. The way to go about things, the way to do things, just giving them a vision. Just giving them a dream to chase."
It's an experience Smith isn't taking lightly — and the 26-year-old takes a lot of pride in his journey that got him to this exact moment.
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"It's been amazing," Smith said. "Just day in, day out the work that I put in. Thinking about all the times that things were really rough and just fighting through it, getting through the adversity that I've encountered.
"Just being here is a blessing."
Smith's cool, calm and collected demeanor is his staple personality. He jokes that when he's on the field, he becomes a completely different person. That first person gets him ready for game day and the other unleashes a talent and aura unlike any other on the field.
One might call it a tag-team effort.
The combination has him gearing up for another Super Bowl — in a rematch against the Chiefs — but that doesn't change the dynamic of anything in his day to day.
"I think it comes with your preparation," he said. "I think no matter how big or how small the game is, if you prepare well, you're going to succeed and do what you need to do.
"It's the same (as any other game). I approach it the same, don't make it bigger than what it is."
Still, Smith has the opportunity to cap off a seven-year run no other player in NFL history has accomplished — two college championships with Alabama, a Heisman Trophy recipient and (hopefully) a Super Bowl champion.
It could be history for Smith but the focus remains at a team-first attitude with the goal of reaching the mountaintop together.
When asked if he's ready to get that championship win in the Superdome?
"Oh yeah, definitely."
You can watch the full Takeoff podcast below:
Tune in to Mission 59 specials leading up to Super Bowl LIX on NBC Sports Philadelphia, presented by Toyota.

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