 When his father was hired as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 1994 , he offered Rex his first job in the NFL as a defensive assistant , working with the team 's linebackers and defensive linemen . After nine straight losing seasons prior to Buddy 's arrival , the Cardinals produced an 8 – 8 record in Buddy 's first year as head coach . However , in his second season , the team went 4 – 12 and subsequently , the entire staff was fired despite the positive performance of the defense . 
