Raider Linebacker Makes Quick Ascent : Pro football: Biekert expected to start after unremarkable rookie season in ’93.

Tell most fans that the starting middle linebacker for the Raiders is Greg Biekert and their response is, “Who?”

But tell folks back in Colorado and Iowa, who knew Biekert growing up, and their response would most likely be, “How?”

Greg has boldly gone where no Biekert has gone before.

His father, Dave, wasn’t an outstanding athlete and has been in the computer business for the last 30 years. The athletic careers of both of Greg’s brothers ended when they graduated from high school. One became a police officer, the other a rancher.

The senior Biekerts have quickly learned to appreciate their son’s unexpected accomplishments. They attend a couple of Raider games a year and watch all they can on television.

“My wife, Sheila, and I always tell people that Greg got his ability from the other one,” said his father. “Greg says it came directly from God.”

There is no question the ability is there. Greg has all the attributes a linebacker needs--speed, toughness, instinct and an understanding of the game.

At Longmont High in Colorado, Biekert was an all-state pick after amassing 100 tackles and eight sacks in his senior year.

At Colorado, he became the school’s all-time leader in solo tackles, and in his senior year was all-conference and honorable mention All-American.

It was only in that senior season that Biekert began to think that maybe he wouldn’t be using his marketing major for a while, that maybe he could make some money playing football.

The Raiders thought so too, drafting him in the seventh round in 1993, the 181st player taken.

Guys in that position rarely set the NFL afire in their first seasons and Biekert was no exception. He played in every game, but mostly on special teams, taking his place at linebacker only when the outcome of the game had been determined.

No problem for Biekert. He knew he had a lot to learn at a position where he would be responsible for calling out the coverages for a squad that had some veterans who were pros when Biekert was still a kid.

With the Raiders, he had to grow up fast.

“At Colorado, we would have 15 to 20 coverages with some adjustments,” Biekert said. “Here, we might have 50 with adjustments on each.”

Jim Haslett, the Raider linebacker coach and the man who became the team’s biggest Biekert booster after seeing him at Colorado, has no doubt the 6-foot-2, 240-pounder can handle the job.

“He has a good nose for the ball and he’s very intelligent,” Haslett said. “If I ever had a problem with him last year, it was getting him to run the show, telling people what to do. He didn’t take the bull by the horns. Maybe it’s because he’s young, but he didn’t let everybody know who he is.”

That was understandable. Biekert was a rookie last season and veteran Joe Kelly was running the show.

Biekert, 25, had plenty of time to learn. Or so he thought.

But suddenly, in the midst of the off-season, Kelly was gone, cut because of salary-cap considerations and his lack of speed.

Suddenly, there was a big hole in the middle of the Raider defense.

Suddenly, the spotlight was on Greg Biekert.

His major competition for the starting job at middle linebacker is Rob Fredrickson, the team’s top draft pick.

But Fredrickson is not at training camp, holding out while contract negotiations continue.

And even when he arrives, Fredrickson will have more to tackle than running backs. He is an outside linebacker who must learn to play inside. And he is a college player who must learn to play with the pros.

Biekert went through all that last year, but he proved a quick study.

“I would know what I did wrong right away,” he recalled. “They didn’t have to say anymore.”

He hopes there won’t be much to say this year.

“I know all the guys now,” Biekert said. “I’m a lot more comfortable and a lot more confident. Once you learn, you can start to play.”

Indeed, the experience can make all the difference. It’s tough enough for a linebacker who recognizes what is going on in front of him to break through the physical barriers in his path, find the man with the ball and tackle him. For a novice linebacker who loses that first step because he’s still trying to figure out what’s happening, it sometimes seems impossible.

“You can’t be thinking while you’re playing,” Biekert said. “You have to anticipate. If the ball is snapped and you’re still thinking, you’re going to be in trouble.”

Even though training camp is less than a week old, Haslett already sees the difference in Biekert.

“He’s not afraid to tell people what to do now,” Haslett said. “He’s helping the younger guys.”

Can Biekert hold off Fredrickson and win the starting job?

Whether he does won’t affect his standing in the Biekert household back in Colorado.

“My parents couldn’t care less whether I became a football player or not,” Biekert said. “As long as my brothers and I are happy with what we do, they’re proud of all of us.”