The Gbaja-Biamila brothers, Kabeer and Akbar, will be on opposite sidelines tonight.
By Associated Press
Published December 22, 2003
OAKLAND, Calif. - Akbar Gbaja-Biamila and his brother, Kabeer, might have been Green Bay Packers teammates if not for coach Mike Sherman's concerns.
They're both defensive ends, and Sherman thought there was a good chance Akbar would constantly compare himself to his big brother. Akbar ended up with the Raiders and will play against his brother tonight.
The Packers, trying to keep their playoff hopes alive, visit the Oakland Coliseum for quarterback Brett Favre's first regular-season appearance before the raucous Raider Nation.
The brothers, from Los Angeles and of Nigerian descent, are two of seven children. Two other brothers will be in the stands.
The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Kabeer, a fifth-round draft pick in 2000 by Green Bay, is in his fourth season. Akbar, 6-5, 270, is a rookie who signed as an undrafted free agent out of San Diego State.
They were teammates in college, starting seven games alongside each other on the Aztecs' defensive line in 1999, but it didn't work out that way in the pros.
"Honestly, it would have been difficult," Akbar said, referring to playing with his brother at this level. "I did that in college and one of the constant pressures was being compared to him."
"We just were not in position to do anything," Sherman said. "Obviously, with his brother being here, sometimes it's good when brothers are together, and sometimes not. And I didn't know which way to go with that thing, so we just kind of let it go."
Kabeer needs three sacks in Green Bay's final two games to become the first in club history with double-digit sacks in three consecutive seasons.
"I guess you can say, on paper, that he struggled early," Sherman said. "But he has changed how people play us, in regard to people keeping guys in to block him or chip him at times. He's had numerous times he's been tackled to the ground and not gotten the penalty called."
The Packers could use a big defensive game in their second trip to California in as many weeks. Green Bay rallied to beat San Diego Dec. 14.
Minnesota is 9-6 after Saturday's victory over Kansas City. The Vikings would win the division with a victory Sunday at Arizona even if the Packers win their final two games.
Packers (8-6) at Raiders (4-10)
COMMENT: The Raiders have a chance to prove that their season has not been a complete waste. The Packers give them the chance.
