Stillers
Sign Gabe Northern��������� (June 20th)
According
to ESPN's John Clayton, the Stillers have signed Buffalo free agent LB Gabe Northern
to a 2-year deal.
Northern
appears to be strictly an OLB who is an ok run stuffer and an ok pass
rusher.� I'd previously done some checking
& research on Northern a few months ago, and he appears to be a fairly
run-of-the-mill NFL linebacker.��
I
can live with this signing.�� First, he
gives us some veteran depth.�� Vrabel is
too brittle to be counted on for depth, and the youth we have at backup would
hardly cut the mustard if an injury hampered a starter.� �Vrabel, in fact, might very well be looking for his life's work ---
presumably as a physical therapist or a hot-tub repairman --- due to this
signing.�� Second, Gabe gives the team
some veteran insurance, in case Porter flops (unlikely), or if Porter begins to
sag a bit under the wear-and-tear of being an everydown player.�� Northern might be adequate enough to spell
Porter for a play or two each quarter, thereby giving Porter maximum energy to
uses his speed and chasedown skills. ��Some school of thought says that Northern could make the
chair-brandishing Gildon expendable, but I see that as being rather
unlikely.� The staff is far too in love
with Gildon for them to trade or cut him, and unless Northern gets a dozen
sacks in preseason against quality starters, there's no way Gildon will be supplanted.�
The
Still Mill