Omar Gaither: "Football is Football"

Omar Gaither hasn't been a Falcon for long, but we may see our fair share of him against the Jets. For what it's worth, he thinks he's ready.

"Only been here 2 weeks, potentially starting ... it's up to me to be prepared to go, however many snaps it is. I felt good, I didn't think there were any glaring things. Football is football."

Both Akeem Dent and Paul Worrilow sat out of yesterday's practice. Like it or not, there's a real chance Gaither sees significant snaps at the Mike on Monday. Is that a bad thing? In a sense, it is. He's officially our third string middle linebacker, and with Dent coming into his own rushing the passer, it's unfortunate that the linebacker depth is less-than-ideal all of a sudden.

After 5 years with the Eagles, Gaither struggled to find a home in the NFL. Playing inside isn't his "true position," but he's had sufficient experience there over the years. This won't matter on the field, but he's a high character guy who has played above-average football on occasion. If anything, he's excited about facing the Jets, and you have to love his competitive spirit.

Look, Gaither is by no means a long-term option at the Mike. He's basically the farthest thing from it. To be frank, in 4-5 years, many probably won't even remember he played for the Falcons. Eventually Dent and Worrilow will get healthy, and eventually he will fade back into the backdrop of D-Block. But this week, he may very well be a starter. I'm confident he can fill that role adequately, and if I had to guess, Mike Nolan will use him to rush the passer just like he's used Dent all year.

Your thoughts?