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“There are a lot of people that say ‘He can’t do it’ , ‘He’s washed up’, ‘He’s not his brother’ , ‘He’ll be a 3-4 leak.” I’ve heard it all. Those things kind of fuel me,” he said.

He’s definitely tough enough -- he was born in East L.A.

Gbaja-Biamila attended the notorious Crenshaw High School, featured in the 1991 movie Boyz n the Hood. He was a standout player on a championship basketball team. Then, in his senior year, Akbar switched to football. He earned all-league and all-conference honors, and finished his senior year with 11 sacks and 74 tackles. His performance gained him recognition as defensive lineman of the year.

Gbaja-Biamila does have a softer side. While at Crenshaw, he was active in a community program called “Food from the Hood”, that grew food for the poor. It was also sold commercially to fund college scholarships for Crenshaw students. Akbar received a scholarship to San Diego State where he joined his brother, Kabeer, on the Aztecs as a Defensive Lineman.

Asked about his brother, the frustration of living in a shadow quickly rises to the surface. Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, or KGB, is a Pro-Bowl defensive end for the Green Bay Packers.

“Kabeer was a standout automatically,” Gbaja-Biamila said. “It was very frustrating in college to live up to those expectations. At a point I felt like there really wasn’t room for me in football. When other people see me through the eyes of Kabeer, I’m not judged on my own talents but what he does.”

Draft day arrived in spring of 2003, but Gbaja-Biamila’s phone never rang. Eventually, the Oakland Raiders signed Gbaja-Biamila as a free agent defensive end, despite taking two ends and an outside linebacker in the draft. Against all odds, he made the roster.

Gbaja-Biamila joined the team right after Oakland’s humiliating Super Bowl loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“We struggled with the team chemistry,” he said. “There was a lot of individualism going on. I was one of those players that just got caught in a team that was going in a downward spiral.”

Gbaja-Biamila played thirteen games as a situational pass rusher his rookie season. He was just getting comfortable when the team imploded.

“There was no true continuity,” Gbaja-Biamila remembers. “I had gone through two defensive coordinators in my first two years.”

The Raiders fired head coach Bill Callahan and switched to a 3-4 defense. Gbaja-Biamila was asked to play linebacker. At that point in Gbaja-Biamila’s development it was asking a lot.

“If you asked me two years ago “what’s a corner route?” or “what’s a post route?” I couldn’t tell you,” Gbaja-Biamila said.

Life was simple as a defensive end. “All I knew was, hey, I’ve got to get to that quarterback and bring him down. As a defensive lineman you only have two responsibilities, that’s it -- stop the run, get to the quarterback.”

Gbaja-Biamila struggled to accept his new role at linebacker.

“I was talking to Antwaan Randle El about how he made the transition from quarterback to wide receiver. The natural thing to do is to want to fight,” he said. “I think that affected me in Oakland because I was still trying to make waves. In the game, stepping away from the defensive line gets real big, you know, learning formations and routes.”

Now Gbaja-Biamila is a linebacker for the San Diego Chargers. His transformation is not quite complete, but he’s no longer resisting the change.

Gbaja-Biamila is working hard to gain an edge going into training camp. He’s consulted a nutritionist and has radically changed his diet. He’s also reached out to the coaching staff to get some one-on-one help.

“I need more individual time because I’ve been learning on the fly. With the National Football League there is no tutorial.” he explained.

To compensate for light experience at the linebacker position, Gbaja-Biamila has committed to becoming more of a student of the game.

“I’ve already called the video guys to make me some special team tapes. They have it all on computer, and I can go in and watch defensive cuts and kind of break it down.” he says. “That’s probably the biggest thing that I didn’t have in my game a couple years ago -- watching film.”

Gbaja-Biamila doesn’t need film of Philip Rivers to be impressed with him.

“He’s got to be the strongest quarterback I have ever been around. He lifts like a lineman,” he says. “When I say strong, I mean strong arms, strong legs, and strong mind. That’s going to take him a long way. I think he’s going to be among the quarterback elites in the National Football League.”

Gbaja-Biamila has been impressed with his new teammates from day one, in sharp contrast to what he experienced during his two year stretch in the “black hole” that is Raider Nation.

“There’s a good bunch of guys on the team. When I took my trip here they brought me in and everyone introduced themselves to me, from LT to the guys on the practice squad” he says. “You already knew that this was a different team. Everybody hangs out with everybody. I’d never really hung out with offensive lineman when I was with Oakland.”

Gbaja-Biamila is counting on being with the team when the Chargers head to Oakland for the season opener on September 11th. He still appreciates Al Davis for bringing him in to the NFL, but it won’t affect Gbaja-Biamila’s play on game night.

“There’s respect, but no allegiance,” Gbaja-Biamila says. “Especially for that Monday Night Football game…I can’t wait. You don’t understand how much I can’t wait. I’ve even taken all the silver and black out of my wardrobe.”

Gbaja-Biamila’s parents emigrated from Nigeria in the 1970’s to find a better life. They married Muslim, then a few years later Akbar’s mother converted to Christianity. His family attended both mosque and church. The situation taught Gbaja-Biamila tolerance and respect for other people’s religious beliefs. In college, Akbar converted to Christianity, while his father remains a Muslim. His family sets a refreshing example in these troubled times.

Gbaja-Biamila’s father, Mustapha, lives in Los Angeles. His ability to travel has been limited by Parkinson’s disease. With the Chargers just two hours down the road, he now should have many chances to see his son play.

Gbaja-Biamila’s mother Bolatito died in four years ago in an auto accident. But if she were here, Akbar knows she’d be putting in a good word for him.

“My mom would say, ‘Let me pray for you!’ She was a very prayerful woman. She’d tell me that everything would work out fine, and that the Lord would lead and guide my step through training camp.”

At least six of the Charger linebackers are a lock to make the 2006 final roster. That should leave just two open spots with seven players vying for them. Some people would be discouraged by the odds, but Gbaja-Biamila remains confident.

“I think I’ve got a good shot at this team. So I find myself with my back against the wall...I thrive in those kind of situations.”

Gbaja-Biamila may be encouraged to know that the odds were 7-1 against Ali when he won that heavyweight title. Still, Gbaja-Biamila has accepted that the future is out of his hands.

“The Lord says, ‘be anxious and worry for nothing.’ If you worry, it means you lose faith. I’m at the point right now where I can’t worry. God’s plan is ultimately God’s plan. To fight that is pointless.”

That may be true. But right now, a prayer couldn’t hurt.

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