(Photo by G. Newman Lowrance/Getty Images)

Training camp begins for the Kansas City Chiefs July 31st at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

As with every team in the NFL, the Chiefs have questions to answer by the end of camp.

The Chiefs have managed to take care of a tremendous amount of business during a busy offseason.  The new regime has locked up Matt Cassel to a long-term contract, and has done a reasonable job at getting their draft picks signed, though at the time of writing this article, still no deal on Tyson Jackson.

They have also committed to the Larry Johnson reclamation project and have signed several veterans to provide guidance to the wet behind the ears squad that muttled through a 2-14 season one year ago. 

But work remains to be done.  The Chiefs continue to have obvious question marks at the start of camp.  Here is my list of business that is left undone.  Hopefully, when training camp and preseason is over, the Chiefs will be ready to roll in to Baltimore with these questions answered.

1)  Who will be the starting Right Tackle and Center?

My guess is, if you were to poll 100 Chiefs fans across the country, 90 percent would say that Damion McIntosh is no longer a starting OT in this league.  McIntosh figures to be pushed by Barry Richardson, Herb Taylor, and 5th round pick Colin Brown. 

At center, an open competition exists between incumbent Rudy Niswanger, who started 15 games last season, and newcomer Eric Ghiaciuc, who started all 16 games for the Bengals in 2008.  

With emerging LT Brandon Albert, All-Pro LG Brian Waters, and the newly acquired Mike Goff at RG, the Chiefs are solid at three of the five OL positions.

By the end of camp, hopefully someone will emerge to solidify the two positions in question.

2)  How well will the Chiefs adapt to the 3-4 Defensive Scheme?

My initial thought on this subject leads me to believe this will definitely be an on-going process throughout the season.  Can Dorsey play end?  Can Hali play OLB.  Can DJ play in the middle?  Do Thomas and Vrabel have gas left in the tank?  

One thing is certain, if the Chiefs are unable to pressure the QB more than last season, it doesn't matter what defensive scheme they're playing. 

The Chiefs have a surplus of quality defensive backs, but let's face it, you can't defend the field forever.

3)  Is Ryan Succop the solution at Kicker?

Apparently, the Chiefs think so.  Connor Barth was released earlier this week.  I'm going to have to trust Pioli on this one.  After all, he let Adam Vinatieri walk out of NE and Stephen Gostkowski has been lights out ever since. 

It seems the Chiefs have been the black hole of under performing placekickers the past several seasons.  A consistent leg could make a huge difference for the Chiefs, who may struggle to consistently find the end-zone in 2009.

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