An apparatus comprises a write transducer comprising a write pole having a tip portion proximate a media-facing surface and a return pole spaced apart from the write pole in a downtrack direction. Compliant sealing gaskets are pre-formed to extend outward from the central portion of the article. The drop engine compares the value associated with a particular one of the queues to one or more programmable thresholds and selectively performs explicit congestion notification or packet dropping on data in the particular queue based on a result of the comparison.