The Atlanta Falcons' coaching search continued to pick up momentum Tuesday, with both Pittsburgh coordinators -- Mike Mularkey and Tim Lewis -- scheduled to be interviewed Wednesday in Pittsburgh.

So far, the Falcons have met with Rams defensive coordinator Lovie Smith in St. Louis on Monday night, and 49ers defensive coordinator Jim Mora Jr. on Tuesday in Atlanta. Atlanta officials also plan to interview New England defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, most likely Thursday in the Boston area.

Mularkey said he'll meet with Falcons president/general manager Rich McKay and team owner Arthur Blank late Wednesday in Pittsburgh, and a league source confirmed that Atlanta will also meet with Lewis on Wednesday. While Lewis' name had not previously surfaced in regards to the Falcons' coaching search, he has been mentioned among the league's young coaching prospects in the past.

There are believed to be other candidates remaining on Atlanta's list, not the least of which is LSU head coach Nick Saban. But with Saban's team still to play its bowl game, there is not expected to be any official contact between him and the Falcons until at least next week, if at all. Also, the Falcons plan on interviewing interim head coach Wade Phillips later this week, even though Phillips is considered a long shot to get the fulltime job.

Reached Tuesday, McKay declined comment on the specifics of the team's coaching search, but both Smith and Mora are said to have made favorable impressions on Falcons officials in their interviews. The highly in-demand Smith continues to be regarded as Atlanta's likely leading candidate. Smith interviewed with the Giants on Tuesday, and Chicago also has sought permission to talk to him this week about its coaching vacancy. Buffalo is another team that is thought to be seeking an interview with Smith.

McKay is known to be very high on both Smith and Mularkey, who have ties to him dating from their days together in Tampa Bay. McKay, the former Bucs general manager, interviewed Mularkey for the Tampa Bay opening that Jon Gruden eventually got in early 2002. Mularkey was the Bucs tight ends coach under Sam Wyche in 1994-95. Smith was Tampa Bay's linebackers coach under Tony Dungy from 1996-2000.

"There is a comfort zone with Rich,'' said Mularkey, who also interviewed for Cincinnati's head coaching job last offseason. "I'd love to get a chance to go to Atlanta. It's a great situation. I'm looking forward to sitting down with them.''

All of the Falcons known candidates, except for Phillips, would be first-time NFL head coaches, a prospect that fits with McKay's background in Tampa Bay. McKay oversaw the hiring of Dungy in 1996, and tried to hire Marvin Lewis as Dungy's replacement in 2002, only to be blocked by Bucs owner Malcolm Glazer. Both Dungy and Lewis had no previous NFL head coaching experience.

In other NFL hiring-season developments...

* Former Vikings head coach Dennis Green will interview Wednesday at Arizona, and he and ex-Giants head coach Jim Fassel remain the leading candidates for the Cardinals' vacant job. Fassel is scheduled to interview on Saturday in Arizona, and Cardinals vice president-football operations Rod Graves will travel to the East Coast on Thursday and Friday to conduct interviews with Crennel and Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson.

Green's name also is expected to surface in connection with Washington's head coaching search, which is still in its formative stages following the resignation of Steve Spurrier on Tuesday. Fassel's could as well. In addition, Fassel is considered very much in the mix in Buffalo, where the Bills on Monday parted ways with head coach Gregg Williams.

* With the Jets firing defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell on Tuesday, a move that has been anticipated since early November, the most likely replacements remain a pair of Tampa Bay assistants: defensive backs coach Mike Tomlin and assistant head coach-defensive line Rod Marinelli. Tomlin replaced current Jets head coach Herman Edwards in Tampa Bay in 2001, and Marinelli and Edwards worked together on Dungy's Bucs staff from 1996-2000.

* Cleveland wide receivers coach Terry Robiskie might emerge as a replacement for fired offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. With Robiskie being a potential coordinator candidate for Smith or Crennel if either one or both should get a head coaching job this offseason, the Browns might choose to retain Robiskie via the promotion.

Don Banks covers pro football for SI.com.