Todd Haley Faces Plenty of New Challenges as Kansas City Chiefs New Head Coach

Former Arizona Cardinal's offensive coordinator Todd Haley was announced today as the new head coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The move comes two weeks after the Chiefs fired Herm Edwards after he led the team to a disappointing 15-33 record in three seasons.

Haley joins the Chiefs after leading a dynamic Cardinals offense that ranked third this year  in scoring with 26.7 points per game. He also helped establish two of the best wide receivers in the league with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin that led to the team's first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

Even though this is Haley's first head coaching experience in the NFL, he has had a fair share of experience as a coordinator. Along with the Cardinals, he has been a coordinator with the Jets, Bears, and Cowboys.

Hard work as a coordinator all of these years has finally paid off for Haley. However, his new position as head coach of the Chiefs consists of extra work that most first-year head coaches never have to deal with.

Many issues will be addressed for the Chiefs this offseason. The quarterback position has always been an interesting topic discussed in Kansas City. Tyler Thigpen, Brodie Croyle, and Damon Huard have all shown us they are capable of being the team's first string quarterback.

Not only will Haley have to make a decision at quarterback, but he may be forced to make a decision at running back as well.  Earlier this week, Chiefs running back Larry Johnson announced he wants out of Kansas City and believes it would be best if him and the team went their separate ways.

Even though Johnson has had some trouble with the law over the last couple of years, he still has the potential to be one of the best running backs in the league. From 2005-2006, Johnson rushed for 3,500 yards and 27 touchdowns. If he is not in Kansas City next season, the Chiefs may need to look for a replacement in free agency or the upcoming draft.

Not only does Larry Johnson want out of Kansas City, but pro bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez has suggested to the media that his time as a Chief is coming to an end.

The all-time leader in reception yards for a tight end (10,823) was upset earlier in the season when the Chiefs failed to make a trade for him before the deadline. He has spent his entire 12-year career in Kansas City and has only missed 2 games.

The amount of pressure for Haley to fix all of these problems in Kansas City may be overwhelming. He has a lot of work ahead of him in the offseason as a rookie head coach if he wants to turn around this Chiefs organization that has not won a playoff game since 1993.

There is no question Haley is the right man for this position. He may not have the head coaching experience like other guys in the league, but everybody has to start somewhere.

Does he have what it takes to be a successful head coach in the NFL? Of course he does. He showed us in the playoffs that he knows what he is doing. If you don't believe me, just ask Anquan Boldin and he will tell you.