Cardinals Fullback's Mom Predicted Playoff Success

Dying of cancer, Terrelle Smith's mom called the NFC Championship

As if Arizona's postseason run needed any more good vibes. The Cardinals are already America's underdog, the Clippers of the NFL, only successful, and with a full stadium of excited fans set to greet them in their first-ever NFC Championship game in Glendale. It's been a remarkable run. A win Sunday could push it into magical territory.

But the Cardinals seem to attract good vibes without even trying, and this small, heartwarming story is no exception: Cardinals fullback Terrelle Smith had a prediction for Terrelle in April -- that he and the Cardinals would be hosting the NFC Championship Game. His mother was battling breast cancer at the time. It soon spread to her brain, before endin her life in December. What he initially saw as delusion has a whole world of meaning for Smith:

"Doctors say sometimes they get delusional and, at times, we thought she was," Smith said. "But now it lines up. It makes sense, and it tells me what to fight for every week. I'm keeping a positive out of something that could devastate you badly," Smith said.

We'll admit: That's pretty freaky. And without minimizing Smith's sad loss, it's also pretty funny that the doctors described her as "delusional." Before last week, that description could have been applied to anyone who thought the Cardinals would be hosting the NFC Championship. So it goes with Arizona, at least so far.

So let's get this straight. In their corner, the Cardinals now have momentum, Larry Fitzgerald playing better than he ever has, Kurt Warner's famous piousness, a stadium of raucous, beleaguered fans and, now, Terrelle Smith's prescient mother. Good luck, Philly.

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