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Parents Will Be On Smith's Mind HOPING TO REPEAT HISTORY

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By JACK MacGRUDER

Tribune correspondent

Published: January 24, 2009

TEMPE, Ariz. - A few minutes before the national anthem on Super Sunday, Cardinals FB Terrelle Smith will walk to a corner of the end zone, kneel, and say a prayer in memory of his parents.

He has found that refuge before every game since his father died four years ago, saying the same special words he learned from his mother.

Now he must include his mother, who died Dec. 10 after a battle with cancer, but not before she told her son about her vision of the 2008 season.

"She said, 'I had a dream you played in one of the biggest games in Arizona Cardinals history,'" said Smith, in his second season with the Cardinals.

She said, "You'll either go to the Pro Bowl or the Super Bowl. I don't know which one."

The Cardinals will play in their first Super Bowl on Feb. 1, with Smith starting at fullback in an offense that has shown a renewed vigor in the running game in playoff victories against Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia.

Smith said he draws strength from his pregame ritual and it frees and inspires him.

"It gets me going," he said. "I can feel her presence. She is within me, just like my father."

Smith played in Cleveland for four seasons and befriended Hall of Famer Jim Brown, who called Smith last week with some advice about the Super Bowl.

"He told me you can't get too involved in your emotions or you get beat," Smith said.

The two talked after Brown had hip surgery, before he left to attend the inauguration ceremonies for President Barack Obama on Tuesday.

"He said, 'I'm down here watching this history, and you guys are down there making history, so keep up the good work,'" Smith said.

The first signature victory of Ken Whisenhunt's Arizona coaching career came against the Steelers, a 21-14 victory on Sept. 30, 2007, in a game that also marked increased responsibility for QB Kurt Warner.

After the Cardinals were shut out on their first three possessions, Warner relieved starter Matt Leinart and led them to a tying touchdown midway through the third quarter.

Pittsburgh native Steve Breaston broke the tie with a 73-yard punt return early in the fourth quarter, and Leinart re-entered to engineer an 82-yard drive for a 21-7 lead.

The Cardinals limited the Steelers to 282 yards of offense and 77 rushing while holding Willie Parker to 37 yards on 19 carries. Parker came into the game as the league's rushing leader.

"We are two different teams, but the one thing that is constant is, the key to beating those guys is stopping the run," DE Bertrand Berry said. "They're committed to it, and it's been a trademark for as long as I can remember."

INJURY UPDATE

HB J.J. Arrington (right knee) did not practice again Friday, while LB/DE Travis LaBoy (biceps), DE Antonio Smith (knee) and P Ben Graham (groin) were limited. All are listed as questionable for the Super Bowl. WR Anquan Boldin (hamstring) again went through a full practice, and the Cardinals do not appear concerned about his status.

Jack MacGruder

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