Playing the Chicago Bears tomorrow, we are about to find out a whole bunch about this football team, particularly the offense. There is literally not a single position on this team (other than punter) that comes without a question. So many to ask, you could devote an entire blog to them (ahem). But as we mentally prepare ourselves for the beginning of the beginning, we can enumerate our ten favorite queries on this team.

We can revisit this post tomorrow and answer each question.

1. Will the offensive playcalling allow the Chiefs to compete, rather than just survive? I remember a sequence so infuriating from last year, my brain just about exploded. With the Chiefs down to their last play of the game, one touchdown shy of victory, on their own 40 with Croyle under center... And Solari tries to have the Chiefs lateral all the way down the field instead of sending Bowe soaring for a Croyle bomb. Will Gailey finally let this team show what it's got?

2. Will Brodie Croyle show us he's a serious starter in this league? Faith is not terribly high for the 0-6 Brodie Croyle. This is year with a long, long leash. Will he hang himself with it? Or can he make the most of his makeshift OL and a potentially mediocre WR corps?

3. Can Herb Taylor deliver on the promise of 2007? Marred by injury, the Chiefs put Herb Taylor in at left tackle for the remaining two games of the 2007 season. Surprisingly, Taylor rose to the occasion, displaying lock-down strength and excellent leverage. Was that an end-of-the-season fluke, or do we have a potential starter in Taylor?

4. Will Darling play like a true #2? I have been assured by the gentlemen who've attended River Falls that Darling is ready to be a great compliment to Bowe's immense talent. I watch Darling and I have trouble imagining that he could hold his own as a #2. I'd love for him to prove me wrong.

5. Is Pat Thomas the best MLB we have, or the least worst? In a unsurprising surprise, the underachiving Napoleon Harris has been struggling for snaps at River Falls, yielding the starting MLB spot to second-year waivers pick-up Pat Thomas. Thomas seems to have the brains for the job, but is his ability there? Is he starting there for his own talent, or merely to fill a void?

6. Can Adrian Jones and Damion McIntosh handle the right side? The Bears feature a ferocious passrush, even in preseason. The Chiefs will probably struggle on the left side as second-year man Herb Taylor gets acclimated to the pressure. Will Croyle have to worry about his strongside, too? Is Jones strong enough for this offense? Has McIntosh swallowed his sour grapes about moving to RT?

7. Will Tank and Turk show us anything? Tank and Turk, great guys that they are, have provided the Chiefs little on the field, struggling for playing time and recording dismal statistics. With Dorsey and several DEs knicked up, these two will definitely get the opportunities they need tomorrow to show marked improvement.

8. With so many corners on the bubble, who will break out? After Flowers, Surtain, and Carr... who are our corners? Gretz has been trumpeting no-name pickup Maurice Leggett. Veteran Will Poole has reported looked sharper this year than he did last year. Patterson and Brackenridge return for another year on the bubble. Who will emerge to claim the 4th and 5th roster spot?

9. How has Tyler Thigpen come along? Reports that Thiggy has leapfrogged Damon Huard tell us that either Thigpen has shown a steady ascension or Huard has maintained his slippery slide down the depth chart. Thigpen is athletic for a QB and has a fairly high football IQ. Gailey's playbook asks its QBs for more athleticism than Solari's, so perhaps Thigpen can shine.

10. Which of kickers will make the most of his changes? Barth and Novak have, by all accounts, been neck and neck. Be sure to watch not only their kicking percentages, but how far they are able to boot the ball on kick-offs, and see if either one of them can actually make a tackle. Kickoff distance will certainly be the deciding factor if these two continue to play neck-and-neck.