Over the past two seasons, defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila has been one of the NFL's leading playmakers on defense with a combined 25.5 sacks.
This offseason, Gbaja-Biamila was one of the biggest names on the restricted free agent market. And in April, the Packers signed the quarterback menace to a seven-year contract extension.
Recently, Packers.com sat down with the man they call 'KGB,' to see if he could tackle our Random Questions.
Packers.com: Kabeer, what have you been doing with your offseason?
Gbaja-Biamila: "Since signing the contract, I've just been working on the process of moving from my duplex to our new home. And I've been trying to get in shape for the season."
You became a dad last December, how is fatherhood treating you?
"Fatherhood is great! I really thank God for my son Rashid. Every time I wake up in the morning and see my wife and my son, I know it's truly a blessing. That just brings joy to me."
What's the best part of fatherhood?
"Just seeing Rashid growing, watching him as he learns how to eat and make noises, things like that. If I say his name he gets his head up and looks around. He responds to me. I know he won't remember any of this stuff later, but it's just so amazing to watch. And when I see him I think about how I used to be that age and all that my parents did for me."
What's the hardest part of fatherhood?
"The hardest part is when my wife leaves and I'm alone with him. When he gets hungry, sometimes I have to do a lot of entertaining. That's the hard part, but even that's really easy. I guess the hard part of parenting is when they start running around. That's when it gets tough. Or so I've heard."
When you were growing up, what athletes did you admire?
"Muhammad Ali. Hulk Hogan. Jim Everett. Kevin Greene."
If you could change an NFL rule, what would you change?
"The rules about getting to the quarterback. Right now there's a rule that if the quarterback gets out of the pocket he can throw the ball away. I would change that so they can't do that, so they can't just throw it away to no one just to dodge a sack. Actually, any rules that allow quarterbacks to dodge sacks, those are the ones I'd change.
"Oh, and there's another one. It's not really a rule, but training camp wouldn't be as long as it is. I would make it a week long or something like that."
When did you fall in love with football?
"The day I first played it. I just always enjoyed playing the game. I never looked at it as, 'I'm going to be in the pros.' It wasn't my life. It's not like I have to play football to be happy. I can always do something else, but I just love playing the game. It's been that way since I played Pop Warner football. I've always enjoyed chasing people, making angles, using my God-given ability and trying to make tackles."
You love football, but what position would you least like to play?
"Quarterback, because they get hit a lot. I know how hard I try to hit the quarterback, so I know I don't want to be on the receiving end of that all the time."
What are your hobbies?
"Well, I don't know that it's a hobby, but I try to read the Bible every day. I like playing with my dog, Nala, and then obviously being with my wife and my son. I mean, I'm a family man, so anything that has to do with them, that's what I like to do."
What's the biggest misconception about you, if any?
"That I'm naïve. I don't know why people think that, but it might be because I ask a lot of questions. I think when someone asks a lot of questions, people assume that person doesn't know anything. But I feel that if you ask a lot of questions, you collect a lot of data and a lot of knowledge. So I ask a lot of questions, even about the simplest things. And I want to know how people think, so I may ask 10 different people the same question, just because I'm curious to hear the different answers. I guess that makes some people think I'm naïve."
What's the funniest exchange you've ever had on a football field?
"I was going up against Chris Samuels (Washington Redskins) one time in my second year in the league and I went around the corner really fast and got the sack. Samuels stared at me and yelled, 'I hate you.' And I couldn't help but laugh. I mean, what did I do wrong?"
Your defensive line coach Jethro Franklin is pretty animated. He must have said some pretty funny things to you during games, right?
"Oh, yeah, Jethro says so many funny things it's hard for me to even consider them. There are too many. But there was one time I was going against James "Big Cat" Williams (Chicago Bears) and I was trying to bull-rush him. Jethro said: 'You trying to bull-rush Big Cat is like a Tic Tac going up against Moby Dick.'"
If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be?
"Jesus Christ, Joseph and King David. I'd have a lot of questions for those guys."
Finally, Kabeer, this spring you signed a multi-year contract to remain with the Packers. What's the best thing about being a member of the Green Bay Packers?
"The fans. They're awesome! Just to have that fan support no matter what happens, no matter how the weather is -- they're always there for us. And the people here in Green Bay are just nice people, in the community sense. They're good neighbors. People look at you for who you are, not for what you're wearing or what car you're driving. That's one big difference I picked up on coming from L.A. People here are just more real, more down to earth, and I like that."
