Forgive me if I get a little excited in this post. It isn't often a Cardinals fan can get the feeling of real hope.

Actually, that's not completely true. Cardinals fans are hopeful some years ... and then disappointed. But for the first time in a long, long time I'm getting the feeling Arizona can make the postseason.

Arizona? As in the Cardinals? Always the laughingstock of the NFL and the butte of jokes (example: What do you do with a Cardinals player wearing a Super Bowl ring? Arrest him for stealing.).

It's not always easy to cheer on the Birds. The p-word is rarely used by fans during the season. Prior to the season? Sure, there's been hope in recent years with the surge of talent on offense. Then came the reality that all the talent at skill positions doesn't matter if a team doesn't have an offensive line. It's like drafting the perfect fantasy football team and taking five players who wouldn't start on any other franchise in the NFL and hoping for the best.

The "best" in such cases isn't fun to watch.

But in 2007 the Cardinals have a head coach with a passion for the game. And not a Denny Green "they were who we thought they were(!!!!!!!)" kind of passion. No, he's got a winning spirit. He was part of a winning environment in Pittsburgh, where fans are less than forgiving after 6-10 seasons.

Around Arizona that's considered an average year. Hey, the team hasn't finished above .500 since 1998 when they went 9-7. Prior to that, you have to go all the way back to 1984 to find the next team in line that finished with a record better than 8-8.

But that's why things are so great this season. At 5-5, things are clicking. You can see the progress this team has made since last season, when it finished 5-11. The players believe they can win. They play with heart and tenacity. Not always smarts, but that will come as Ken Whisenhunt's system becomes second-nature.

The point is, for the first time (ever), there's a real hope this team is going somewhere. Now and in the future. Given the craziness of the NFC, who knows?