Thursday, July 28, 2011

On the Trading Floor

HO-LY-SHIT!

I've been sitting back, watching the activity as the true start of free agency approaches. There have also been some trades going on but one in particular just caught my eye.

Kevin Kolb, QB, from the Eagles to the Cardinals in return for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second round pick (year undisclosed).

Andy Reid, I fucking bow to you. Not just a little head bow either, but a full on, torso parallel to the ground type bow. You sir, are a con artist of the highest order with balls made from pure, machine tool grade steel.

How in the name of God did you manage it? How exactly, on what planet I ask, did you manage to convince the Cardinals that Kevin Kolb was worth Rodgers-Cromartie and a second round pick? That's practically stealing.

See, I know that people same the name Rodgers-Cromartie and it doesn't inspire thoughts of elite level corner play but it probably should. The fact is, Rodgers-Cromartie (henceforth DRC) is probably one of the most under rated defensive players in the entire NFL. Just go and look at his stats. DRC has talent and he has it in abundance.

Now pair that talent with Asante Samuel on the other side of the field. That is a scary corner pairing that should give quarterbacks nightmares anytime they think about throwing the ball in the short to intermediate range. And Reid picked up all of this for a backup QB.

You begin to see the sense of his taking a chance on Mike Vick. In return for the minor risk he took, he's bagged a high level quarterback who can also run like the wind. In addition, while he was training up Vick in his system he has been building up Kolb as the QB of the future, giving him some game time and letting him air the ball out, while saying all the right things about Kolb in press conferences.

Finally, it's all come together, it's all come good. Reid has traded a backup QB who is a 60% average completer with all of 2,082 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions to his credit, in exchange for an excellent corner and a future second round pick. That's just incredible to me. Now I do think Kolb will have some success in Arizona but I definitely think the Eagles have gotten the much better end of this deal.

But that's enough blowing smoke up Andy Reids butt, because there were a few other trades that caught my eye. Bill Belichick is playing craft games again. He's given the Redskins his 2013 fifth round pick. Patriots fans shouldn't be worried, by the time that draft comes around he'll probably have acquired about eight more picks in various rounds. So what did he get for his 5th rounder?

Albert freakin' Haynesworth.

I swear tis' the season to take the piss with ones trade moves. For all the bitching about Haynesworth and all the off field stuff he is a talented defensive linemen and to be honest, a fifth round pick in a draft two years from now is an absolute cheeky steal for Belichick.

If it doesn't pan out, who the hell cares? Boo hoo, he lost a fifth round pick. In return he gets a player who a) is more than capable of spelling for Vince Wilfork and b) is dangerous enough sitting on the same line as Wilfork, to make a serious wall of flesh and power for teams to face.

Bill Belichick will sleep easier tonight knowing he's just made a big stride to improve his defense for the coming year. Of course I jest... we all know Bill Belichick doesn't sleep. Ever.

The Dolphins meanwhile are looking to boost their offense for the coming year. They've chosen to do this by picking up Reggie Bush from the Saints. The details of the trade are not yet known (at the time of writing), but I can almost guarantee you know it will be a rip off from the Dolphins perspective. I know this because they're trading for Reggie Bush. Don't trade for Reggie Bush. Yeah he looks great at times, but he's not worth it!

What is more promising for Miami fans is talk of a trade for Dolphins quarterback Kyle Orton. Now that, that is a trade that they should definitely pursue. I don't understand why people don't give Kyle Orton enough credit, that guy kicks ass! He's been one of the top quarterbacks in the last two seasons and I think people in the press are being far, far too critical of him.

Of course, someone that the press love to be critical of and to be honest not without reason, is Donovan McNabb! Formerly of the Eagles, then the Redskins and now the Vikings. The price? A 2012 sixth round pick plus a conditional 2013 sixth rounder which, if I'm honest, is not a bad deal. McNabb isn't the greatest, but he has been to a number of NFC Championship games and even a Super Bowl.

Inconsistency is really McNabbs worst enemy, as he flops back and forth between brilliantly accurate bombs down the field, to flinging what should be a 10 yard hook route into the turf at the receivers feet. If he can overcome that then he has a great opportunity to go back to the Super Bowl with Minnesota. IF. On a more valuable note for the Vikings he's an experienced, easy going, professional quarterback who can teach young Christian Ponder a hell of a lot about the game. I can't really find fault with this deal.

So, that's all your trade news for now. Once free agency really gets up and running for real I'll start going through it in a bit of detail. Some of the things that have already caught my eye is Paul Pozjkhkjdsflny however you spell his name, the linebacker from the Bills, signing with the Jaguars. I think Paul is grossly under rated and that's a great pick up for the Jaguars.

So until next time, hit the facebook button at the bottom to put a link on your facebook page, or failing that just spread the word by mouth, e-mail etc.

Why you ask? Because you're a benevolent and wonderful human being, and this could serve as your good deed for the day.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Game on

So here we go, the season is back on. I was planning to sit out another week before coming back to this blog but I guess a few days wont make a difference. Free agency isn't due to start for another few days anyway.

And after all that crap, the deal done isn't all that different to the last one. Yeah so both sides have made concessions, but not huge ones. To be honest I think the league kind of bent over a lot farther than it really needed to but then without being in the negotiating or strategy rooms we cant tell why.

One thing I will say is this; the league owners voted 31-0 (the Raiders abstained) in favour of the deal. What that tells me, the fact that even the Bengals and Bills voted in favour of it (they were opposed to the last deal) is that there's something in there that really caught their eye and made them think they got a good deal. Considering the fact that they will be forced to spend at least 90% of the salary cap in real terms, so actually handing over hard cash to people, there has to be some kind of bullshit accounting trick up their sleeve for the future.

Maybe they'll start accounting veteran players as depreciation against tax. If ti's good enough for other leagues, it's good enough for the NFL.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

2011 NFL Draft; Indianapolis Colts

Finally found the time to get around to this. I swear that as the season closes in I'm progressively getting more and more pushed for time.

So the Indianapolis Colts. Since the draft its been postulated in many places that this one was conducted almost exclusively by Chris Polian, son of GM Bill Polian, as Bill sets his boy up for the future. Who said Nepotism was dead in the NFL? Well if what his him, he only had five picks to play with as the Colts traded away their seventh and fifth round picks.

His first choice - if indeed it was his - was Offensive Tackles Anthony Castonzo, Boston College.

Now on the surface this is a pick that makes sense. The Colts O-line is - in my present opinion - pretty under rated. It helps to have Peyton Manning, yes. But they're not too shabby themselves. Some of them are however starting to get a little creaky in the hips. That means fresh blood is needed and that's where Castonzo would seem to fit in perfectly.

Except.... I don't buy it. Or rather, I don't buy Castonzo. Against your average, run of the mill opposition Castonzo did fine. But against some of the tougher opponents Castonzo didn't look like he was in the same league. For me that translates into getting beaten a lot at the next level.

I just don't think that from a technical perspective he will cope. He tends to play very much standing up and can often be found leaning forward, with straight legs, in order to reach out and get at an opponent. What you'd prefer to see is him sitting back a little and just punching from a solid base. Against speed rushers in particular it's going to get nasty.

In round two the Colts came back for more with another Offensive Tackle, this time taking Villanova's Ben Ijalana.

Now Ijalana is a bit of a tricky one to project, because in college he did really well. On film, he looks great. He's a very solid tackle. But... the level of opposition was hardly top drawer. I'm not sure if he's faced a true standout pass rusher in his entire career?

At times then he does look a bit shaky, being a little too happy to let people run deep around him. With faster players in the NFL that could be an issue. He also has a bad habit at times of moving around on the line of scrimmage, once the offense is supposed to be set. A savvy defender jumping when he sees this will get the false start flag everytime.

Overall though, Ijalana seems quite good. Perhaps solid without being spectacular might be the best way to describe him.

In round three the Colts went with LSU defensive tackle tackle Drake Nevis.

Earlier in the year, pre-draft, I was high as a kite on Drake Nevis. Now... not so much. He is quick for his size and he does indeed demonstrate a lot of power on occasions. However the more I watch of Nevis the more I'm worried about his technique.

To give him his due, he does spend a lot of time getting double teamed which doesn't help his cause. Against a single block he's much better at breaking through and getting into the backfield. Consistency though from down to down is a concern.

I think then that much of Nevis's future will rest on how the Colts use him. As a 1 technique defensive tackle he'll probably face a lot of double teams. As a three technique he'll get more opportunities to go one on one with guards and that might just give him the shot he needs.

In round four the Colts took Syracuse running back Delone Carter.

Carter doesn't exactly have blazing speed on the field, but he's pretty tough and his cutting ability is ok. The Colts are probably quite a good fit for Carter, as his attributes fit reasonably well with the demands of their scheme, being a zone style rushing team that also rely on the backs for pass protection and sometimes as receivers.

Finally came corner Chris Rucker from MSU in the sixth round. Annnnnnd your guess is as good as mine. No film. No comment.

So that brings us to the end of the Colts round up. Not a bad draft. But not a great one either.

On another note, I have to confess something. I really cannot be fucked with this anymore. Thanks to the stupid ass lockout pretty much every professional media outlet that covers football has been hit and its been the same for me. People are just not interested in football right now and I don't blame them.

Frankly I'm sick and fucking tired of waiting for the off season to begin. I've long hoped that the owners would lay the players over a particularly pointed and painful barrel and then screw them hard. Peyton Manning does not need to earn another $5 million per year, especially not when it drives up the costs for the teams, which will then be born by the fans.

But right now I couldn't care less who wins. I just want proper football to come back. Because talking about rookies, months after they've all been drafted anyway, is doing my head in. I'm sick and fucking tired of watching college film, especially when I know I have to write out a large post on the players that will be read by not a whole lot of people.

So I've decided I just need a break from this. I'm going into a hibernation of sorts. I'll come back on August 1st or when the new league season kicks off, whichever comes first and review the situation then. Until that point, unless a miracle happens and suddenly hundreds of readers pour in, I'm just taking a break from football.

Apology's to all those who've been reading and following all this time. You can e-mail your discontent to me at keepingthechainsmoving@live.co.uk

I still use that e-mail for other things so I will get it.

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

2011 NFL Draft: Houston Texans

The Houston Texans eh. Funny old team. I say it all the time but they basically are the 2008 New Orleans Saints; a great offense coupled with a shitty defense.

And they really do have a great offense. Think about it logically for a second. Quarterback Matt Schaub is one of the leading passers in the NFL right now. He doesn't get the credit and recognition he deserves, but then that's just how the NFL covering media works; unless you're riding the hot ticket to the playoffs then nobody cares about you.

Once you've become successful then all of a sudden everyone will jump on the bandwagon (again, see the Saints in '08 compared to '09) but until that point Schaub will just have to make do with quietly being one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Yes, I just said that. Matt Schaub.

Of course one of the reasons he's done so well is because of wide receiver Andre Johnson, who is arguably one of the best at his position in the NFL right now. In fact, all the Texans offense really needs now is say, a tight end who is considered to be under rated, like Owen Daniels for example, and then a running back who posted the most rushing yards of any back in the NFL in 2010, like Arian Foster for example.

So yeah, the Texans offense is unquestionably (to a sane and rational person) one of the best in the league right now. Unfortunately that defense is... terrible. Shocking. Awful. Miserable. And a whole bunch of other words that describe something being really bad.

This year then it was expected that the Texans might go heavy on defense. No, it was practically demanded that they should. With the benefit of hindsight, I think they might have taken the consensus opinion a little literally.

It all started in round one with J.J. Watt, defensive end, Wisconsin.

Now Watt is an odd one for the Texans, due to his career in college primarily consisting of being a 4-3 defensive end whereas the Texans, under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, are likely to switch to a 3-4 defense.

That begs the question then as to where Watt will fit in? He played some snaps standing up so he could play as a pass rushing outside linebacker, but he's a little thick for that. I should just point out that I mean size wise, not that he's dumb. Of course he could be, I've never met the guy. And now I'm just rambling.

The alternative is for him to play as a 3-4 DE, which is more akin to being a 3 technique tackle in a 4-3 defense. If I'm hedging my bets then I suspect this is where he will be played and where he'll fit in best. Of course I could be wrong so we'll try and look at it from both perspectives.

As an outside rushing backer my concern is that while Watt is plenty strong enough, he'll be a little slow and a little dumpy. He can always lose weight, I accept that, but it's not ideal. That said he was a pretty good rusher. Technique was good, he had a variety of moves up his sleeve, and he pursues well.

But I still stand by my thought that he would be better off as a Defensive End. He's got strength and his technique would be well suited to playing against the guards who would often be forced to slide over to take him, providing there is a pass rusher outside of him.

Either way, I think the Texans did well with their first pick. They got somebody who will achieve a reasonable degree of success whatever they ultimately decide to do with him.

Not content with that though, the Texans came back again in the second round and took Brooks Reed, defensive end, Arizona.

Now if the future is a little uncertain for Watt, then it's crystal clear for Reed. Outside linebacker. In fact, I'm a little amazed this guy was playing defensive end in a 4-3, because really he didn't seem to have the size. Speed however Reed definitely has in abundance.

On the few occasions that he played from a standing start you could see that Reed clearly has the drive and the physical tools to be a pass rusher. He may not be the greatest in the world and yeah, his strength is a little lacking so the run game might give him some issues, but speed wise Reed is well set. Keep and eye out for this kid in Houston this year.

Next up was Brandon Harris, corner, Miami, also taken in the second round and who marked the beginning of a Houston run over the next three picks on defensive backs, their weakest position by far.

Former Texans GM Charley Casserly, who I can't stand, thinks Harris will be nothing more than a fourth string corner so that instantly makes me want to root for him to do well. Having watched him play, I think he will.

To start with the downsides, Harris is a little short and sometimes he makes some dubious choices, but that never hurt Asante Samuel so never mind. On the plus side, he accelerates quickly, is smooth in most of his movements, balanced, and plays the ball well in the air.

I should temper that last statement by saying that I don't mean picks. Harris clearly ended up as a corner because his hands are rubbish, but to me that's not a huge issue. Given the choice of seeing a corner try to get a pick and risk giving up a touchdown, or having him simply bat the ball down, I'd rather he took the opportunity to bat it down.

And hey, let's put it this way; Harris is an upgrade on the current group of corners they have so Texans fans can't moan.

On to the fourth round and its Rashad Carmichael, corner, Virginia Tech.

Oh boy. At least now I have my Halloween night planned out this year. It'll start with a one hour special of watching tape of Mike Person trying to block, followed by a one hour special of watching Carmichael trying to tackle. It is honestly cringe worthy viewing.

That for me is an issue. I can live with players who are solid but not spectacular, but Carmichael has way too many weaknesses to exploit. He absolutely cannot tackle unless he happens to be chasing someone from behind (it has to be seen to be believed). On top of that, his coverage is far too loose. He's so concerned with avoiding being beaten deep that he gives receivers way too much of a cushion.

Frankly, I give Carmichael a big thumbs down.

On to the fifth round and Shiloh Keo, safety, Idaho.

Keo had a great combine in terms of the on field drills, but I didn't get the opportunity pre draft to get a look at him in a game. Uhm. That's still the case. I got Idaho offense, just not defense. So. Shit.

Still in round five the Texans came up with QB Taylor Yates, quarterback, North Carolina.

Hmm. I think if I was gonna take a quarterback and say "this is someone who we have no intention of playing for a few years, he's a project" then Yates would be a good fit. He has a lot of the basic skills down pat. His footwork is good, he scans the field well, he throws pretty well. Doesn't have the biggest arm in the world and doesn't do as much down field throwing as some, but still has plenty of scope for development.

I think Yates has really fallen on his feet in Houston. They have a legitimate quality starter, a back up with a few seasons of practice and some game time under his belt, and that just leaves Yates to concentrate on being the young, upcoming kid. The offense is good and there is plenty of talent around him so maybe in a few years we'll be talking about Yates the same way we currently talk about Kevin Kolb?

Round seven now and two picks. The first was offensive tackle Derek Newton, Arkansas State. If you know anything about him send me a letter, because I don't. Damn Arkansas State.

That just leaves Cheta Ozougwu (yes, I had to copy and paste that), defensive end, Rice. Ozougwu also has the dubious honor that must fall to someone each year of being the last pick in the draft, and therefore Mr. Irrelevant 2011.

I know Mike Mayock of NFL Network believes he could be a situational pass rusher, but that's about all I do know. No film, no idea.

So I slightly flat end to this one. Overall though I think the Texans did some good work. They've put a plan in place for the future of their quarterback position. They've added some depth and talent to their pass rush. They believe, even I don't fully agree, that they addressed that major concern in the defensive backfield.

I think this a good draft. It's not great, but it is good. If their new pass rushers and secondary guys can even just nudge this team along a little then with an offense as good as they have they could potentially make the playoffs this year. Of course, everyone's been saying that about the Texans for the last two years now, but maybe this time it'll actually bear fruit.

Next up is the Indianapolis Colts. If you want to e-mail me, probably to complain about something, the address is; keepingthechainsmoving@live.co.uk

Don't forget to hit that facebook button below and share with your friends, and I will see you all sometime this weekend with that Colts roundup.

Monday, July 04, 2011

Two things

First of all, happy fourth of July to everyone in the US!

Secondly, I'm working on the Texans draft roundup as we speak. Will be up maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow.

Friday, July 01, 2011

2011 NFL Draft: Washington Redskins

Jesus, finally here! Apology's about the delay.

So, the Washington Redskins eh? Notorious throughout the land for basically two things; 1) over spending on unworthy free agents, 2) semi-bad drafting.

In a bid to rectify this unfortunate reputation the Redskins approached the draft with a strategy unusual for them in that they traded about a bit and with the help of compensatory selections ended up with twelve picks in this years draft. What's even more surprising is that they actually made some good picks.

Starting in round one with Ryan Kerrigan, defensive end, Purdue.

Admittedly Kerrigan was a defensive end in college whereas for the Redskins he'll have to take on the role of a 3-4 outside linebacker, but the transition shouldn't be too painful. He even played a few snaps standing up in college and it didn't seem to effect his game much.

Now generally speaking I like Kerrigan. There is the odd issue here and there, like I'd like to see him work a bit more on his strength, but these tend to be in the category of "minor complaints". Those things aside, Kerrigan has bags of potential as an NFL pass rusher.

Speed is good and the thing I like most is the use of the hands. Too many players come into the NFL hoping to be the next Dwight Freeney or Jared Allen, but lacking the technical understanding of how to use their hands in various ways to get off blocks.

Kerrigan strikes me as being one of the better prepared players to take on the challenge. He's shown great leverage and great technique, plus buckets of determination to get into the backfield, chase plays down and get after a quarterback in trouble. All these things should help Kerrigan succeed at the next level.

Talking of next levels, its round two and Jarvis Jenkins, defensive tackle, Clemson. With the Redskins taking a tackle it's almost like they're expressing disappointment in Albert Haynesworth....

They might end up expressing disappointment in Jenkins too. I just don't see a lot in the kid. Pretty plain, average tackle who doesn't show any of the glints of promise that some others have. Maybe that's all the Redskins were looking for? Just a guy to plug the middle? I strongly doubt that, which is why I find this an odd pick. Just a bit flat.

In round three the Redskins went with Leonard Hankerson, wide receiver, Miami (Florida).

Now I'm a big Hankerson fan. Anytime a player forgoes the chance to come out of college in their junior year and stay on for another year to get their education, that always counts as a plus in my book. He also spent a lot of time in the last two off seasons seeking help from a former Dolphins receiver in order to develop himself a little more as a receiver, which can only speak highly of his work ethic.

On the field Hankerson has a number of great traits. He's a big guy (= big target), he's pretty quick, his route running has improved a lot and he has great hands. He falls very much into the scope of being a down field target man, though perhaps the best comparison I could give would be that he reminds me a lot of Andre Johnson.

As always with such comparisons I should stress that I'm not saying he'll walk into the league day one and be that good, just the style of play strikes me as being very similar. With time however? If receiver from this draft class is going to go on and emulate a guy like Johnson, then Hankerson could be the one to do it.

Round four now and it's Roy Helu, running back, Nebraska.

Since the draft, Helu has gone up in my estimation. He has obvious strength and is not afraid to put his head down and plough through defenders, but previously I questioned somewhat his vision and speed. Having taken a much deeper look I'm now satisfied that I was previously talking out of my arse.

Helu may not be blindingly quick, but there is a difference between the required speed to break away from defenders, leaving them in your dust trail, and the speed needed just to stop people catching you before you reach the end zone. Helu has the second. His vision and cutting ability also appear to be more than adequate.

At this juncture you could be forgiven for thinking that I'm about to go off on a starry eyed jaunt praising Helu to the ends of the time and predicting pro bowls and Super Bowls a plenty. Well... it's not quite that far. I just wanted to rectify my initial assessment that was quite down beat, when in fact I think Helu deserves more.

Round five and the Redskins went with Dejon Gomes, safety, Nebraska.

Good safety? Bad safety? Meh. Not really a lot to see to be honest. A few highlight reel plays here and there but spends most of the game not really doing a lot. Coverage can be reasonably good against tight ends and third string receivers, but there's just not a lot to show. Against someone like Dallas Clark etc, I can see him struggling.

Still in Round five, Niles Paul, wide receiver, Nebraska. I get the feeling someone in Washington watched a lot of Nebraska film in the run up to the draft.

If they did, then I'm not sure what it is they really saw in Niles Paul. He's not bad with the ball in his hands, but again I would protest that there were other, clearly better receivers out there on the board when the Redskins made this pick.

Not least because almost every other receiver still on the board at the time must have had more catches than Paul. Part of that is down to the fact he wasn't targeted all that often, part of it is because (and may have caused reason one) he has quite dead hands, seemingly dropping more passes than he actually catches.

Moving to round six and the Redskins still have six picks left! The first of these was Evan Royster, running back, Penn state.

First of all, you have to pat Royster on the back for setting a new career rushing record with Penn State. But at the same time... eh, I'm just not a huge Royster fan. I think blocking schemes had a hell of a lot to do with explaining Roysters success and I just don't see the combination of attributes that will produce a good running back at the next level.

Next up, Aldrick Robinson, wide receiver, Southern Methodist. No film. No comment. Next.

In to round seven and Brandyn Thompson, cornerback, Boise State. Not a huge fan if I'm honest. Like a lot of corners he gets those odd moments when a quarterback over throws a pass and he makes a pick, but generally speaking a little suspect. Very loose coverage.

Next up is offensive tackle Maurice Hurt, Florida. I'm indifferent to him. Doesn't strike me as anything more than a filler for training camp.

Second from last we have Markus White, defensive end, Florida State. Hard one to gauge. Against weaker opposition he can often find a way past the sub standard right tackles, but up against top drawer opponents White often gets brutally man handled. Lack of technique and lack of strength will cripple him at this level.

That just leaves Nose Tackle Chris Neild, from West Virginia. Again, another prospect who is ok, but really lacks anything that would suggest he's going to succeed at the NFL level. The main problem is that while he's strong enough to hold his own up the middle, he really doesn't have the extra speed or strength to make much of an impact beyond occasionally tackling a mid line runner.

So, there's your 2011 Washington Redskins. A mixed bag. A lot of players in there who I think will just kind of mill around and not do much, but some good ones as well. Ryan Kerrigan is notable for example for the fact he'll be playing opposite Brian Orakpo. If Kerrigan can live up to his potential then the Redskins will have a double sided pass rush to take notice of.

Hankerson and Helu are also good picks due to what they bring to the table. Hankerson is in the bizarre spot where he may just walk on to the field at training camp and be the number one guy. Santana Moss is up for free agency and the Redskins depth chart at that position isn't exactly brimming with threats to someone as good as Hankerson.

Helu meanwhile is in the position of being behind a pretty good O-line from a run blocking perspective. He might have to fight a bit harder than Hankerson to keep a spot and then get on the field, but he has talent and Washington might be a good place to help him exploit it.


Right, that's the NFC East finally done and with it the whole conference.

The plan is next to start the AFC, beginning with the AFC South, but I should just throw out a warning right now to those of you who drop by all the time. Basically, it takes absolutely ages to do these posts and unfortunately that really cuts into my time. I don't get paid at all for doing this, except on the odd occasion when someone clicks one of the adverts.

Now that's not so much of a problem, I mean I love football, but to be honest readership is sparse. There appears to be a hardcore group of you, mostly from the US as can be expected but also Italy, Denmark and Canada. However a hardcore group is, never the less, still just a small group of people and it is kind of disheartening to pour so much time into the project for so little exposure.

If my posts become as infrequent in general as they have been the last week or so (at least until the season proper starts) then forgive me, but I'm having to prioritise other things, like adequate sleep, thus forcing me to stretch my writing time for these posts out over the course of multiple days.