Since winning the NFL championship as the Chicago Cardinals in 1947, the franchise has won one playoff game, a 20-7 wild-card victory at Dallas on Jan. 2, 1999.
The next week, the Cardinals fell to the Vikings in the divisional playoffs.
Now the coach of that Minnesota team, Dennis Green, is one of four candidates the Cardinals will interview this week, although Green may be seeking more power and control than the traditionally unorthodox franchise is willing to invest in one man.
The other candidates: recently fired Giants coach Jim Fassel, the Cardinals' former offensive coordinator; New England defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, a highly regarded minority candidate; and Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, who may be considered too old at 62.
The Cardinals may also consider a coach from the college ranks before making a decision.
Michael Bidwill, the Cardinals' vice president and general counsel and son of owner William Bidwill, indicated the new coach will be offered a long-term contract.
The team wants him on the job in 2006, when it is scheduled to depart Arizona State's Sun Devil Stadium for a new facility in Glendale, Ariz.
But the ultimate decision will rest with the elder Bidwill.
"There's ownership and there's employees," said Rod Graves, the Cardinals' vice president of football operations who served as the Bears' player personnel director during the Wannstedt era.
Rookie wide receiver Anquan Boldin was a surprise star for the Cardinals this season, finishing with 101 catches. But they got almost nothing from Emmitt Smith after signing the NFL's career rushing leader as a free agent, and they were hit hard by injuries, losing quarterback Jeff Blake and running back Marcel Shipp for extended periods. Josh McCown, a third-round draft pick in 2002, was the quarterback in Sunday's upset
The next week, the Cardinals fell to the Vikings in the divisional playoffs.
Now the coach of that Minnesota team, Dennis Green, is one of four candidates the Cardinals will interview this week, although Green may be seeking more power and control than the traditionally unorthodox franchise is willing to invest in one man.
The other candidates: recently fired Giants coach Jim Fassel, the Cardinals' former offensive coordinator; New England defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, a highly regarded minority candidate; and Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, who may be considered too old at 62.
The Cardinals may also consider a coach from the college ranks before making a decision.
Michael Bidwill, the Cardinals' vice president and general counsel and son of owner William Bidwill, indicated the new coach will be offered a long-term contract.
The team wants him on the job in 2006, when it is scheduled to depart Arizona State's Sun Devil Stadium for a new facility in Glendale, Ariz.
But the ultimate decision will rest with the elder Bidwill.
"There's ownership and there's employees," said Rod Graves, the Cardinals' vice president of football operations who served as the Bears' player personnel director during the Wannstedt era.
Rookie wide receiver Anquan Boldin was a surprise star for the Cardinals this season, finishing with 101 catches. But they got almost nothing from Emmitt Smith after signing the NFL's career rushing leader as a free agent, and they were hit hard by injuries, losing quarterback Jeff Blake and running back Marcel Shipp for extended periods. Josh McCown, a third-round draft pick in 2002, was the quarterback in Sunday's upset
